GENERAL CONDITIONS AT DANUBE-BLACK SEA CANAL PROJECT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110330-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 14, 2011
• Sequence Number: 330
• Publication Date: June 2, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110330-1
nvvv DATE DIST. 2 ~fiA 1953
PUBLISHED Weekly newspaper
WIIERE
PUBLISHED Athens N0. OF PAGES 3
SUBJECT Economic - Transportation, water INFORMATION 1953
CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTED
SECURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY Rumania
DATE OF
DATE
PUBLISHED 8 Mar 1953
LANGUAGE Greek SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT N0.
I-'- "" "" '"` "'`~ `??`' " "'`"?'?~ """'"'?""?? ?? '~"?' THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
GENERAL CONDITIONS AT DANUBE-BLACK SEA CANAL PROJECT
~omment: The following arts^.le by I. Ratiu a3pproximate
transliteration Prom Gree~, a Rumanian Journalist, originally
?appeared in La Nation Romaine a Paris newspaper published by
the Rumanian People's Republic. The article was reprinted in
Stratiotika t7ea, an Athena weekly newspaper. The information
given in this article was reported by two Rumanian refugees
to the Weat, Who had held significant positions at the
Danube-Black Sea Canal ProJect_7
The plans for the Danube-Black Sea Canal were worked out originally is
:,.-tail by the Council of Mutual Economic Aid of the Soviet Union. The canal
ie designed to make possible the entrance of 15,Od0-ton ships into the heart
of the Balkans, As indicated in the canal plan published by the Rumanian
Government on 29 Ma;~ 194y, the cane. is to be 100 kilometers long and will
Join the Danube with the Black Sea between the river harbor oP Cernavoda
and the new harbor oP Midis which is to be constructed on the Black Sea coast.
At present, the complicated and marshy Salina waterway is being used between
Cernavoda and the Constants port on the Black Sea. Consequently, the new
canal will shorten this distance by 300 kilometers.
The Council of Flutual Economic Aid depended on the technical and fi-
nancial aid of the Soviet Union for the accomplishment of its plans; how-
ever, the Soviet promise was not kept. Nothing can be accomplished at the
canal without the intervention of the party co>mnittee which is controlled by
Reznichenko, a Soviet agent whose iams;diate subordinates are, for the most
part, Soviet citizens, Administratively, however, the Autonomous Canal
Organization is subJect to the Rumanian Government,
STATE
ARMY
DISTRIBUTION
~~_
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110330-~
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110330-1
STAT
A large part of the machinery and tools used at the canal are s
countries beyond the Rumaainn frontier u i Prom their ualit ant from
quently, there are 20,000 vehicles of either the Soviet t q y' Conae-
Czechoslovakiaa PRAGUE or the $ungarian CSEFEI? A.beut 3, 00 Soviet K~D,
tractors were removed Prom use because of their inferior quality,
Cement, sulfuric acid, iron wires, Haile, necessary tools, and other
materials are being manufactured e`, the canal, Furthermore, barracks for
the workers have been built and factories for canning tomatoes and fruits
have been constructed, Relation3 between the canal authorities and the
Rumanian population ass limited, There are Rumanian workers at the canal
and the Rumanian Government provides funds to cover any deficits. This
shows very clearly that the construction of the Danube-black Sea Canal ie
a Soviet plan deaigaed to satisfy the general Soviet strategy,
The canal workers are divided, Lnto three categories: the freemen, the
political exiles, and the cart-driver villagers. The freemen, moat of them
Yrom among the Communist_youth, are those who responds3 to the newspaper
appeals that were made, Today, however, with the exception of a few higher
employees, the freemen do compulsory work because none of them was given the
ataytaad vorksaththescanallbecauyeeoYrppee Coyommunist workers e.re oblir~ ed to
Communist workers belong to the lowest'~r~laesaofpcitlzenshe Theeworkers live
in 40-man barracks and share their bunks with other corkers,
There are 15 wage categories. The highest ealery ie 1,800 lei per
month, The majority of the workers are supposed to be paid 600-700 lei
Baleryais~keptuforhfood,hanotheriCUtois heldpforrthence one third oP their
Scanteia and Vista Syndicala and various other "volun~ry"acontr butioae
are kept Por celebrat- ions; Beatings, and for party funds, In addition, a
Pine is collected when the work is not done properly and on time,
The 8 hours oP daily work are extended by syndicalis~; ~etinge, "volun-
tary" lessons in the Russian language, technical finishing-school classes,
work-coordination meetings, anniver_ary assemblies, etc. The party members
are also obliged to atten3 classes cf passive deferee., Consequently, the
workers are occupied 11-12 hours a dsy ex:ept on Sundays,
There ass also about 30,000 prisoner.; aC the canal who are divided into
eight groups or colonies. 4hese include criminal prisoners as well as politi-
cal exiles, Each prisoner works for 8 hours, rents for 8 hours, and then
,works again Por 8 hours, The prisoners live in oblong barracks, sleep on
',straw, and dA not get enough food, The dFeth rate among them is high,
riminal prisoners work together with political prisoners in Pour of these
olonies, In one of these colonies for women near Sulina, women political
isoners live together with prostitt:tes, Finally, the villager cart-drivers
e obliged to carry materials with their carts to thore areas where there is
n railroad line,
.i
The following conclusions can be msdr_ from the conditions existing at
the Danube-BLack Sea Cans l: (1) It is ebvicus that. tt.c Communist flirty does
not have among its cadres a sufficient number of able technicians, Non-
communist men are used in extremely rezponsible positions at the canal
project, (2) There is no dr~ubt that a lack of enthus:am for the construction
of the Canal prevails throughout Rumani>, despite the continuous government
propaganda,
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08 _CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110330-1~
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110330-1
The security system at the Danube-Black Sea Canal ie extremely strict
since the Rumanian political prisoners, who outnumber the free workers seven
to one, put up a greater resistance than the Soviet political prisoners. The
continuous Soviet Vigilance over the entire canal pro3ect points out very
clearly the military purpose of the canal, which is the quick Soviet penetra-
tion into the heart of the Balkans in case of war.
,~pPended map followe_]
CMaP and description sa published by Stratiotika T7ea.
The squares indicate the colonies of prisoner workers. The numbers
correspond to the different workshops. The letter C indicates the centers
of canteen trusts. The letter A shows the regions where agricultural eater-
prisea have been establiehed~ The Rreater part of the canal distance, be-
tween"Cernavoda and Medgidlg,, is marshy, Tie c^:en'e3 0_ women exiles'
are located in the sector between Cernavoda anu Sulina. The remaining canal
distance, from Medgidia to the Black Sea, has been dug into rocky soil.
The canal's factories, which can be changed into tank-repair plants, ere
Located at c~edgidis.
Declassified in Part =Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80=00809A000700110330-1