HIGHWAYS CONNECTING THE USSR AND MONGOLIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600060078-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 31, 2011
• Sequence Number: 78
• Publication Date: June 9, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/01: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600060078-0
CLASSIFICATION SECRET
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSE/Newgplia DATE DISTR 9-June 1954
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PLACE NO. OF ENCLS.
ACQUIRED --- (LISTED BELOW)
DATE
ACQUIRED
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
1. llaaaoliaa lento
The read lrn the U88R to Mongolia
wu the one beginning near C ' i - 113 30' E)
Undar-Xhsa or 1971 - 1100 39'i) ca the 1 i 1i River
is Moagolla. An old-gravel road; sixty kilometers in length,
L.oatimuslly recroRsed the railroad track on the Trsas-8iber_.as
Railroad betveas the Chits and Darssm (520 18'11 - 115? 40' a)
stations. In 3.93 0 plans to tails a am road between
Chita end Ber'asar2ran tepee to five kilasrtera from the railroad
in order to avoid the costiaasl cronsia4p. The road fray Damson
vent south toward the Moagolias border,-passing abort four kiloaeters
to the northv,at Cl Aksba (50? 2.6' i - 113? 17' i) and then on to
Khapchereade (490 42' 3 - 11z? 10' i). In 1936, the road ran
Darasas was changed from a third class road to a second class ,o%d
atdd it was towed ode to two kilometers to the east of [hapcherengs,
continuias on to the Mosgoiiaa larder at ^isbaiy ChibEban as a
second class road. liven the NOSgolian border, there was a third
class road that cuatimad on to tfader-Own, which was finished in
1936- X 19.37, aft= uLm ro.,;aie8d to ehmW the road from the
mongolian border into a second class road up to the point where it
crossed the river Ulfta 1090 56' 9 - 115? 31' E) and to baild a
strategically important second class road fray that point to Asist imen
(4!N Ok' I - 1140 30'i) near the Nnachariaa border. The bridge
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S 1T
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25X1 maintenance crews,an,very occasionally, eilitary vehicles crossing
the border. The part of the road between Khspcheresga and Darastm
was ears heavily utilised as large tin sines were located in
ahapcherwtp. '!here were about ten three-ton Lis trucks per day
carrying tin iron Rhapehereaga to Dazasea. At Darssan the tin was
loaAed onto freight cars. On the return trip to DDapchsrasi a, the
tracks carried supplies for the workers at the tin mass. ?here were
silitarygarrisoas in both Osdar-Khan and Daiat~ss, but their
supplies did not ccmn on the road frog Darssan to Vnd*r-~aa.
Instead, they were tremsported by train along the Trans-Siberian
Railway to a station nsar the Manchurian border, and than by Zia
track.iecto MsnBslia alingna old Czarist read which runs near and
parallel to the Di neherian 3o=der dorm to Dainttrsa. The supplies
for the garrison at Under-Sbam were carried on as old road fres
!gush One type.
2. There was relatively little traffic over the road
over the Uldza was about sixty meters long and eight meters wide,
with two lanes of traffic. is each direction. The only other
large bridge on the read was the one crossing the river Onan
(510 kl' D - 115? k7' a) near the Nongoliaa border, which was a
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babwess Vlai-]ids and Vlsn-Dater, crossing the Mongolian border. at
Kyakbts (50? 20' D - 106W30-2). y
t was built not as a ao srcial recta, but for
stratnRic and military purposes, and bad very little traffic.
Border Check Points
it. Than. wets extensive ate ca the roads
into Mongolia because the traffic on
them was so negligibi . There were fairly strict contraband
regulations to prevent the snuggling o: cheap Mongolian , goods, into, the
USSR.. The Soviet en horities used Mongolia as a dumping ground for
any excess goods, end prices in Mongolia.were therefore such cheaper.
A suit that could readily be bought in Mongolia for about 150 turics
is 1938 (egsivaleat to about TOO rubles) would cost 800 to 1000 rubles
in the USSR. Boots ecsti. 15.turics in Mongolia (about L3 rubles),
would cost 100 rubles in the USE. May caemsditioe were the. four or
five time ; nor` :,q re in the UM than in lfomMolia. Ties Soviet
authorities, ...iufor .et.up very strict -egplations to control the
finances ,of any Soviet .ersonnel working. in Mongolia, such as the
upprosiastely twemt, Soviet saimtenancs personal statios.ad near the
Uldis River oa the Darasaato Under-Moss. road.. The yerso l
received only i0$ of. their salary. in. Mongolian tuncs, and the rest
N-s deposited isu a. boot in Asbka in Russian rubles . There were also
standard rego: atlose set. up :for_ these workers., as to the quantity. of
certain ceanodities which they.coald buy. A somber.of the Soviet road
aaisten- crew- in. Mongolia for instance, was permitted to, bay one
suit 1a ft. ,.dalia if he. vM' ad thsre six Maus, tea suits if he worked
there one year,' and three snits if he worked there two years. The
guards at the.berder.control points on.the roads between the U83tt
and Mongolia checked the docsmtsnts and also searched for any contraband.
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 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/01: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600060078-0
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S1 CEtET
There were four or five soldiere of the NKVD border guard at the border
cbatrol points, both oa the Darssua to Uadmr-lEhnn?road and the oi4
Czarist road. war the lhaciirias boNer 1siid1 'to Eaintumen. In 1938,
the border oo l'- pii7ltt on the 'f3iaNS(d' `to ?l Wm 400m- road was established
as an iaterdatieitiai fre0t1 rcretWft?wt*-e+s. ., itisWilaa. The
road-to HtiiIraa slweys had a customs inspection station at the
border, probably because it w. so war to llWaebaris. All vehicles
traiteliin across 011o'barder"bs`tir basieha^tei?RUdur?]Nin road hod
to get swats tr~s' t1~' R f oAtirl Ada1>Adstrntioa Pena ttisg
th.. to subs a trip torsse tbi?:berAIwA.''tbssi wF w.exaained
by: for b weeder ? mss. l iss1 s for vtebicir crrrooita~s Into Mongolia
trot the 0B`-it w?? rtlsibablt- i Chita; ?aa'olfiee at the Uldza-River
bridle es-the 11 a 1a `to ll~sr?1 a iosd `iened ?+pe2 t *ion- for'vehicles
to CMOs 'ftw' )l #a to tit mm... 1n?additidtito-vebicle?pern1t ,
iadividrai poi'ri'h? We" rs1redd for each"pfa'ioa-erossit4? the a otian
border. The bditdsr ? ebtidb ? , ? bWevir i ? did' hot usrti4ij? bse more than
a fifteen meets i lai-itnpss s
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/01: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600060078-0