COPPER DEPOSITS IN BULGARIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A003200200009-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 7, 2010
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: January 4, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense 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.
SECRET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIAL: ONLY
-,
COUNTRY
Bulgaria
REPORT
SUBJECT Copper Deposits in Bulgaria
DATE OF INFO;
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE DISTR. 4 January 1954
NO. OF PAGES 5
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
.,period Prior to 19414
The poverty of the Bulgarian subsoils together with the industrial 'backwardness
of the country., permitted naither an appreciable production of copper ore in hll
garia nor the researr.-. for new depoasi.ts. It is known that the annual production
of copper in the period 1922.91930 was 250000 tons. This ore was almost all ex-
ported ais Bulgaria had no ore processing facilities.
2. Copper mines known to hake been in exietence prior to 1944 are as follows (see
also Appendix., pages I and 5) as
a. Plikalnitaa (south of Vratsa s N 13.12,, E 23-32 s along the Iskrou? River) $ making
use of the Eleseyna (N 1-Ohs E 23-29) Foundry;
b. Zone south of Burga;
c. Belogradshik area (N 143??38., E 22-140), the Stchiaste Mine;
d. Samokov area (N 1i2-19s N 23-33)s the Ikononot Mine;
e. Kyustendil area (N 14'2-17r E 22-41)s the Blagodat Mine;
f. Burgad area., the Truda and Igok Mines;
g. Vratsa areas the Sgori Grav Mine;
h. Sofia areas the Balkan Mine; and
i. Asenovgrad area (N 14l-59s E 24-,52).. the Tsar Assn Mine.
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Period Subsequent to 1944
3- After 19149 when the C .gar v-nist Party came into power., the USSR spurred on the
extraction of ore from the old mines and research for new deposits, being ins
terested-in a more thor gh exploitation of the country. For this purpose the
Bulgarian-Soviet wipany "GoTuba&" was formed.
At the present time thie most important copper deposits are allegedly found in
the Rhodope Nountaln area around Madan (N 141-30, E 214-5?) and Ktfrdzhali (N 11-599
E 25-21). Kurdzhaki. is the collection and sorting point of the ores and is
allegedly connected with the mines by means of a cable line. The production
centers in the Rhodope mires are said to be -0
a. Strashimix (mar N 41-269 E 24-59);
b. Ribnitsa (N 141=289 E 24-52),-,
c. Madan (N 11-30, E 21.=57);
d. Sharenka (N 141.-299 B 24-55)
a5?
e. Laykov-Churak (sic,)
f. Srednogortsi (N 141-329 E 214?-55);
g. K0nski Dol (north of Borieva) 3
h. Borieva (N 141-279 B 24--58)9-
i. Rudozem (N 41.,,299 E 214-?'1);
J. Krushev Dol (N 4117, E 214-57) 3 and
k. Petrovitsa (N 14i. 26, E 214-58) .
Seventy-five, percent of the national production is exported to the USSR.
6. All the mines, old and new, are allegedly in activity and employ a total of
about 148000 miners and other workers. About 149000 of these are Trudovaks.
7? Many buildings to be used as living quarters, schools, offices, and public build-
ings are allegedly being constructed in the Southern Rhodope area. Settlements
in this area are to be gradually transformed from small villages into as many
cities "of a certain importance."
8. The ore processing installation at Ktrdheli is reportedly being enlarged. This
plant, which was constructed by the Germans during World War II, now bears the
name "Georgi. Dimitrov." Other similar plants are allegedly under construction
at the following locationsa
a. Madan (18 kilcnieters east of Rudozesa);
b. Twenty kilometers east of Zlatograd (N 141-239 E 25-014), two kilometers from
the Ziatograd-Borieva road;
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-3-
9?
c. Srednogortsis along the road which connects Madan and Rudozem; and
d. Rudozem (ncw Cherverkofad).
An auto pool is allegedly in use at Rudozem to compensate for the lack of rail
connections a
O. Construction of a new cable line to connect the mines of Laykov-Churak, Borievai
and Sharenka with S6dzhali is started.
11. The equipment and machinery in use in this area isl almost completely of 25X1
. Soviet origin.
12. The production of the various mines is not known, and therefore it is not possi-
ble 'to estimate the total copper production of B aria. how-
ever, the present production is superior to that of the pre-war period.
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edkovets
Boy s. i.ro ;si o SIATINk
rt
Verdi d
b Ga
0 Trustenik
aKas ha Stitsa 6goc
PLEVEN a Val i S:La
? Radomtrts3uri.tse
? LUKO.VIT Aleksa
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APPENDIX
SECREr/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
m 4r
$ulgarian Ccpper Deposits,
October-November 1,953
c
evlikerii
o'ors1s.,
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APPENDIX (Continued)
a Polski
Senovets Turgovishte'
oDolna Oryakhovitsa
?Leskovets ?Omortag
RTURNOVO
o Dryanovo0 Elena
%haskovo
? Elena
Svilengra
Xurdzhal.i 114
40
h y aavgrad o a,
Mam~c
Krumovgrad A.
SCALE l:lv500sOOO
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-5-
earevo
4khtopol
Areas previously known.
25X1
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