SOVIET PRESS COVERAGE OF GREAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS DURING THREE PERIODS IN 1952 AND 1953

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
C
Document Page Count: 
4
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
September 26, 2011
Sequence Number: 
279
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
September 14, 1953
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7.pdf191.86 KB
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7 MAR 1952 n-"" 4 ~y1 ELtO(AY.1Z CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION FROM FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS COUNTRY USSR SUBJECT Economic - Construction projects HOW PUBLISHED Daily newspapers WHERE PUBLISHED USSR DATE PUBLISHED 1 Apr 1952 - 30 Jun 1953 LANGUAGE Ruseian .,o n.. o c,,. un. c .. ?. nn i +?e.r~ ,. unor o. m co,nrnoro ....cu.r rr ., ... ?,.o.~,....._... y._ CD NO. DATE OF INFORMATION 1952 - 1953 DATE DIST. /~Sep 1953 NO. OF PAGES 4 SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION SOVIET PRESS COVERAGE OF GREAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS DURING, TRREE PERIODS IN 1952 AND 1953 As one way of possibly establishing the present intentions of the Govern. ment of the USSR with regard to the great construction projects, the space devoted to articles concerning t`'em in four Soviet newspapers over three spe- cific periods has been calculated and tabulated (see appended table) and the ccntent of the articles analyzed for possible changes. The newspapers were Pravda, Leninskove Zn va, PravUkrain , and Turkme .sk a ya Iskra. They were examined for the second quarter 1.952, the second quarter 1953, and for the period from 24 September to 24 October 1952. These four newspapers were selected for the following reasons: Pravda is the authoritative journal of the Communist Party, Pravda rainy reports on the local aspects of the construction of the Kakhovka Rydroelectric Center, as well as of the South Ukrainian and North Crimean Canals, Turkmenska_ ya_ Islcxa reports on the construction of the Main Turkmen Canal as a local Zna~yya vas chosen because it is published in Petrozavodsk,~raneareaLnotniimmedi- ately affected by the great construction projects. In addition, Lenibkoa Znamya has been :acted to report intelligence items on scattered areas in the USSR which are not of immediate concern of ?etrozavodsk ana its environs. Since the press for the third quarter 1953 is not yet fully available in FDD, the second quarter 1953 and the comparable period of 1952 were chosen for the survey. The peric from 24 September to 24 October 1952 was chosen because the 19th Party Congress met during that time and its tasks were dis- cussed for 2 weeks before and after the actual meeting of the congress. An analysis of the contents of the articles published in all f)ur news- papers during the three periods does not reveal any reversion or change in the decision to build he construction projects. The only possible exception is the Main Turkmen Canal, which is discussed below in connection with an anal- ysis of the space allotted. CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL STATE AVY~-~j DISTR 1111 TI !4 ARMY AIR IJCI FBI ... I i Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7 With seasonal variations, the articles discuss in the same tone during the three periods planned and accomplished work, names of outstanding workers, results of social;:st competition prior to national holidays and anniversaries, aome shortcomings, equipment received at construction sites from certain plants, reduction of costs, and the benefits the projects will bring when they are com- pleted. As the appended table shows, however, the amount of space a.lloted to the projects, except Kuybyshev, was sharply reduced in the second quarter 1953, as compared to the second quarter 1952. The reason Kuybyshev continues to receive coverage is probably that it is closest to complrticn It is to be finished in 1955. The following reasons or combination of reasons are suggested to explain the reduction of space devoted to the projects as a whole I. In 1952, most of the work was of a preliminary nature, such as expe- ditions , surveys, exploratory work, etc , which the Soviet press usually reports together with the historical background in great detail and with many repeti- tions for propaganda purposes. In 1953, the press reports narrowed down to actual construction work, of which there was not much to report. 2. Since Stalin's death the press has devoted far more space to topics of more immediate concern to the people, such as production of consumers' goods, the opening of stores, etc., and to international news the. to the construction of a communist society in the distant future. Since Soviet newspapers are usually limited to i. pages it may have been decip-ied to sacrifice press coverage of the great construction projects, except Kuybyshev, which is closest to com- pletion. 3. The reduction In space may actually reflect an abandonment of the great construction projects temporarily or permanently due to shortages of materials and labor, E?.cept in the case of the Main Turkmen Canal, this seems unlikely and the first two reasons appear to be more likely explanations It may be added here that the order of priority for building the projects i.s as follows: (1) the Kuybyshev and Kakhovka Hydroelectric ^_entcrs, (2) the Stalingrad Hydro- electric Center and the South Ukrainian and North Crimean Canal;, and (3) the Main Turkmen Canal. The complete lack of coverage given co thn Main Turkmen Canal in 1953 plus an article published in Pravda or. 11? June woul'i suggest rather strongly that the work on the Main Turkmen '-:nal has slowed down or even been abandoned at least temporarily. The Pravda article, which was written by S. Kalizhnyuk, chief of the Main Turkmen Canal construction, elaborates .on the great diffi- culties faced by the bu:filers of the canal Kalizhnyuk pointed out that tens of millions of cubic meters of lumber, over one million tons of steel, and over 2 million tons of cement will be required to complete the project, which includes the creation of one of the .largest cotton growing areas in the USSR and of industrial centers in the lower Amu-Dar'ya area and in Western Turkmenia. lie stated that transportation of these materials will require a tremendous number of railroad cars, and that the manufacture and transportation of the materials will require a great outlay of funds. Kalizhnyuk declared that not less than 1.5 million cubic meters of con- crete must be place each year in 1953 and 1954 He revealed that the total output of all the cement plants in Central Asia cannot meet this demand, and that, consequently, new cement plants are to be built in the region of the planned canal. He stated, however, that this had not yet been done. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7 Furthermore, Kalizhnyuk pointed out many other difficulties and problems which must be solved quickly if the work is to be carried out. He menticned an acute shortage of any kind of fuel (which among other things curtails the lo- cal.manufacture of bricks), the absence of suitable raw materials for construc- tion in the locality of the canal, and the necessity for working out substitutes, for which scientific help was still being awaited. The Main Turkmen Canal construction may have encountered additional diffi- culties. There is a possillility that the amnesty given by the Malenkov govern- ment robbed the Main Turkmen Canal construction of its slave labor. Furthermore, the inferior living and working conditions at the construction sites, where in some cases drinking water is brought in by plane, do not offer much attraction for workers. Conceivably, workers might have left the construction after Sta- lin's death if a relaxation of regulations occurred. The prohibitive cost of the construction and other difficulties pointed out by Kalizhnyuk, together with the possible labor troubles described above, might have compelled the Soviet government to slow down the work or to stop it completely, at least temporarily. Newsnaoer Space Allotted to Construction Pro.iects Turkmenskaya Iskra Leninskoye Znamya Pravda Ukrainy Pravda Total Kuybyshev Hydroelectric Center Turkmenskaya Iskra Leninskoye Znemya Pravda Ukrainy Pravda Total (in inches) Second Quarter Second Quarter Party Conference Periou, 19%2 1953 - 24 Seri - 24 Oct 1952 Total 4 3 0 7 39 13 3 55 285 84 14 383 42 80 5 127 370 180 22 572 54 32 0 86 33 105 29 167 28 12 4 44 57 73 15 145 172 222 48 442 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7 Second Quarter 1 2 Party Conference Second Quarter Period, _ 95 1953 24 Se - 24 O t 1 p c 952 Total Pravda Ukrainy 0 13 PraN?a 7 107 Total 11 293 Main Turkmen Canal Turlonenskaya Iskra 821 0 131 952 Leninskoye Znamya 149 0 15 164 Pravda Ukrr my 30 0 0 30 Pravda 85 0 39 124 Total South Ukrainian c,id North Ctlmean Canal3 Turkmenskaya Iskra 121 121 Leninskoye Znamya 7 7 Pravda Ukrainy 225 270 Pravda 45 45 Total Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130279-7