THE 'SURP I CHUK' MILITARY UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT FACTORY IN GABROVO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A002900050012-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Sequence Number: 12
• Content Type: REPORT

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5.3
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECRET
SECURITY INFORMATION
COUNTRY Bulgaria
SUBJECT The "Burp i Chuk" Military Uniform
and Equipment Factory in Gabrovo
This Document contains information affec ing the .Na-
tional Defeise of the United States, within the mean-
Ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. -. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
REPORT I
DATE DISTR. 9 December 1953
NO. OF PAGES 8
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. The DIP (State Industrial Enterprise) "Surp i Chuk" (Hammer and Sick]) military
uniform and equipment factory is located about three kilometers from the center
of Gabrovo (N 22-52, E 25:-19), approximately 500 meters northwest of the railroad
25X1 station and west of the Yantra River. Formerly Army property, nce.7.950; i;Vshas
been under the idirectiorf of the, Ministry of Light Industry. The factory area is
approximately 300 by 400 peters and is enclosed by barbed wire. There are woods
25X1 to the north and west of the factory. The layout of the factory is shown on the
sketch in the Appendix, page 8, which is based on a freehand drawing made by
informant. The use of each building is described in the legend:to the Appendix,,
pages 6 and 7.
2. The factory is divided into a shoe department, a clothing department, a leather
goods and tent department, and a shoebox departments With the exception of the
production of a relatively small quantity of ments and women's shoes for civilian
use,, the factory works exclusively for the Army.. In addition to about 200 admd..ni-
'strative personnel, there are about 1,600 workers. The breakdown of the labor
force is as follows 600 in the shoe department, 200 in the leather goods de-
partment, 800 in the clothing department, and five in the. shoebox department.
There are usually two shifts of workers, called "Shift ," and "Shift B". Shift
A works from 5:00 a.m. to 1-30 p.m., with a half hour for breakfast. Shift B
works from 1:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with a half hour off for the evening meal. Each
STATE I x ARMY x INAVY
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department of the factory apparently eats at a different time. Workers do not
have to eat in the factory dining room, where they pay for meals prepared by a
municipal canteens but may bring their min food. Shifts are changed every week.
During the last two months of the year, when it becomes evident that the quotas
for the year cannot otherwise be met, the workers of the first shift work a
third shift, after the second shift has finished, which means that they actually
work f om 10200 p.m. to 1e30 p.m. the next day. They are paid twice their usual
wages from 13 to 17 levas daily) for the weeks they work double shifts. The
factory operates on Sunday, but closes on either Wednesday and Thursday or
Thursday and Friday each week because there is no electric power in Gabrovo on
those days.
4. The shoe department produces 1,200 to 1,100 pairs of shoes daily. When working
to capacity it can produce 1,800 pairs. Of the 25,000 to 30,000 pairs of shoes
manufactured each month, about 20,000 pairs are for the Army. Civilian shoes
are kept in basement storerooms for some time, but articles for the Army are de-
livered immediately. The leather goods and tent department makes about four large
Army tents weekly which have a double layer of tent material and weigh-i.210 kilos
each; in addition this department produces harnesses, officers' belts, and hol-
ster belts. Informant heard that the department produces 19,000 Army holsters
every three months. The uniform section makes summer and winter uniforms for
officers, privates,and non-commissioned officers, overcoats for officers and
privates, and hats; informant did not know the quantities produced.
5. The largest part of the leather used by the factory is from the "Pwrvi May,"
"Georgi Kirkov," and "Dimitur Blagoev" tanneries in Gabrovo, but occasionally
leather is obtained from a tannery in Kazan1uk as well. About one ton of leather
and 45-50 square meters of hide are used daily in the shoe section of the fac-
tory. The material for summer uniforms and other cotton material used by the
uniform section is provided by the "Vulko Chervenkov" textile factory in Gabrovo.
Informant did not know where the material for winter uniforms and b1,ercoats is
obtained.
All work is performed with the use of machinery. The uniform department has
60 electric sewing machines and 25 manually-operated sewing machines. The leather
goods and tent department has four machines for cutting leather and 32 electric
machines for stitching leather. The shoebox department has one machine which
cuts out shoeboxes and one which assembles them. The following machines were used
in the shoe departments
a. 22 machines for cutting soles;
b. 12 machines for cutting uppers;
c. 4 machines for trimming soles;
d. 2 machines for trimming uppers and slicing shoe stiffening;
e. 4 marlines for pressing soles and heels;
f. 3 machines for making and fitting heels;
g. 8 nailing machines',;
h. 4 machines for stitching the interior parts of shoes;
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i. 6 machines.for stitching soles;
J. 11. machines for stitching the shanks (vardala) between the outsole and the
insole;
k. 1 machine for cutting shanks;
1. 8 machines for stretching the uppers on lasts;
m. 8 machines for trimming the edges of shoes;
n. 12 machines for polishing soles;
o. 2 machines for rasping the interior of shoes;
p. L machines for preparing soles for stitching (by making the holes for the
thread to pass through);
q. 60 machines for stitching uppers;
r. 1 machine for preparing glue; and
e. 1 machine whieh temp+era the *hoot (by he ttng sod 4&g) ?a*d ."to me a
conveyer belt.
Among the 200 administrative personnel of the factory, the 25X1
'folI owing8
a. Tsanko Gudev, director since 1952; previously director of the State shoe and
clothing store in Gabrovo; (the former director of the factory, Valadim.r
Gaydarov, is now director of the factory born about 1915 in Dobro-
mirka (N 1t3-05, E 25-16), Sevlievo Okoli
b. Kostadin Mavrodiev, manager in charge of production and food supply; pro-
vious employed b the "United Leather Industry" organization in Burgas;
I I
T1 itrn Ti; otr Knmiilrntr_ aaai ai:ant anfi technical director since 19114
Kolyu Kolev, secretary to the directoll
e. "Zhoro" Georiev,, cashier
f. Ivan Ivanov, assistant cashie
-1
g. Kalatinski (fnu), second assistant cashier
Kincho Kinchev, legal advisor
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ommunist and member of no political party; born in Gabrovo about 1918;
Kincho Kinchev (not related to the subject of paragraph 7h), director of
personnel since 1951; confined in Turnovo prison as a Communist prior to
September 1914; previously worked in a tannery; born in Gabrovo about 1923;
i. Ivan Yonchev, general accountant; said to be a former Array officer; non-
4"
k. Genoho Ivanovs assistant director of personnel; ardent Communist and pre-
19)4 partisan; born about 1923;
1< Georgi (lnu), assistant director of personnel; ardent Communist and pre-
1944 partisan; born about 1914;
m0 Ivan Gerov, production manager since 1952; ardent Communist and political
prisoner before September 1944; born in Gabrovo about 1923;
no Boncho Bonchev, in charge of employees' work records, which are kept in a
section where a n u m b e r of women employees are engaged as calculators (iz-
ohislitel); D = (Dimitrovaki Suyuz na NarodnAto Mladezh; Dimitrov Union of
the People's Youth); born in 1927 in a village near Shumen (now Kolarovgrad);
0. Nedyalko Sarunedyalkovs in charge of production "norms" (norma); ardent
i
Commun
st; born about 19]J in Gabrovo;
Iliya I1iev, employee of the production "norm" office sirme 1952; previously
an employee of the factory and took a 3-month course (presumably in "norms")
in 1952; Party member; born in Gabrovo about 1924;
q. Angel Nikolov Angelov, employee in the production "norm" office; Communist
Party member; born in Gabrovo about 192 ;
Ivan (lnu), supply chief; Communist Party member; born in a village near
Gabrovo in 1926;
s4 Stefan Nikolov Stefanov, supply official for the factory dining room;
Communist Party member; born in Gabrovo about 1923, and
t. Stoyan Nikolov Stoyanov, in charge of the small parts store and of waste
8.
material; Party member; born about 1913 in "Boykata," Gabrovo Okoliyae
the following technical personnels
Gencho Marinov, foreman of the shoe department; ardent Communist who was a
political prisoner before September 1944; born in Gabrovo about 1903;
be Iliya Georgiev Kenarya, assistant foreman of the shoe department and in
charge of the first or "A" shift of workers; ardent Communist; born in
Lesicharka (N 42-56, E 25-23), Gabrovo Okoliya, about 1904;
e. Stefan Ivanov Sonichka, assistant foreman of the shoe department and in
charge of the second or "B" shift of workers; common laborer in the factory
until late 1952 when he was sent to Czechoslovakia for a 6-months speciali-
zation course; born in Gabrovo in 1924;
do Savcho Atanasov Savchev, foreman of the leather goods department; ardent
Communist; born in Gabrovo about 1913;
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e. Sandyu Nikolov Sandev, foreman of the clothing department; Communist Party
member; born about 1918 in a village in Svishtov Okoliya;
f, Nayden Neshev, foreman of the repair shop; ardent Communist; born about
1903 in Gabrovo; and
g. Lesyu Lesev, factory electrician; Communist Party member; born about 1910
in Gabrovoa
9. The factory is completely illuminated at night and is guarded by 25 members of the
Economic Section of the Militia who are billeted at the factory. One Militiaman
is always stationed at the entrance to check the entrance permits of the worl1 rs;
these are folders with photographs of the bearer inside. In addition, teams of
Militiamen patrol the factory area. Workers who lose their permits are in-
vestigated and sometimes even arrested for interrogation by the Militia, The
permits are collected by the director of personnel every three months and re-
validated by the Economic Section of the Militia. When workers leave in the
evening they are completely searched by another worker in their section who is
assigned the duty by the foreman of the section, The Militiaman at the gate may
search them again if he so desires.
3.0. There is a road from the factory grounds into the canter of Gabrovo. Municipal
buses from three different quarters of Gabrovo bring workers directly to and
from the factory. (The buses, on which the fair is 80 stotinki, only go as far
as the factory at the hours when shifts change.)
U. The factory is completely under Bulgarian management and there are no Soviet
supervisors or employees. One day in 1952, however, the factory was visited by
a Soviet production expert named Lidiya Korabelnikova. She also visited the
"Georgi Kirkov" tannery. She was.born about 1926, ind'is,.descz'ibed as having a
round face? blonde hair, blue eyes, and being of medium weight and very attrac-
tive.
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Appendix
SECRET
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LEGEND
1. One-story building with the following divisions:
as Infirmary.
be Garages
c. Storage room for waste*
d. Repair shop.
e. Loudspeaker system control room.
f. Dormitory for Militiamen,
2. Three-story building used as followss
as First floor - storeroom for finished shoes, and storeroom for shoe
materials.
be Second floor - section manufacturing Army shoes, section manufacturing
rubber-soled shoes for civilians, section cutting leather and hide for
shoes, and two rooms for technical personnel,
o. Third floor - section producing rubber-soled shoes for civilians, section
producing other shoes for civilians, section cutting and preparing shoe
uppers, cashierts office= offices for the accounting, bookkeeping, pro-
duction "norm," and work records sections.
d. Attic - storage space for shoe lasts.
3. Three-story building used as followss
a. First floor - central heating system, bathroom, two storerooms for
uniforms, storerooms for leather goods and shoeboxes;
be Second floor - section manufacturing Army shoes, uniform cutting
section, glue section, and main electric power control room.
c. Third floor - uniform tailoring section.
d. Attic - storage space for scraps and waste.
4. Three-story building used as follows:
a. First floor - dining room, tailoring section, uniform storeroom.
be Second floor - leather goods dection, labor union offices ! office,
assembly hall, shoebox storerooms
co Third floor - offices for technical personnel of leather goods section;
shoebox sections office of assistant directors office of director of
personnels
d. Attic - telephone switchboard office, storage space for scraps and waste.
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Appendix (Continued)
.5. Park (with trees).
6. Yantra River.
7? "Georgi Kirkov" tannery.* 8. Open storage areas for gasoline and oil drums.
9. Transformer station.
10. Football field.
11. Apple orchard,
12. Grass lawn.
13. Driveway.
14. Road to Gabrovo.
NOTES the "Georgi Kirkov" tannery is south of the "3urp
i Chuk factory and on the same side of the Yantra River, while the "neveti
Septemvri" woolen mill is shown across from thiz "
nfirmed by another city plan, but
the "Georgi K rkov" t= ery is ?oss tne river Tram
a n
ac of ry.I
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Appendix (Continued) m8-
The "Surp i Chuk" Military Uniform and Equipment Factory at Gabrovo
August 1953
Ib AIc
7d '
2
1z
to
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T
41
Q O
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