VEB ELEKTROCHEMISCHES KOMBINAT (EKB) BITTERFELD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004900460007-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 3, 2007
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: March 1, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004900460007-4
?bcNTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
This is UNEVALUATED
This material contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States within the mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Sees. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law.
REPORT
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. From the beginning of March through the first week, of June 19549: there was, no, evidence
that work had been resumed in the pure calcium plant at Elektrochenisches Kombinat
Bitterfeldo No Russian orders are known to have been given to the Bitterfeld.plant
during this time.
2. Unidentified Russians visited the administration buildings of the plant on one or
two occasions during this period: their business is not known. In late May, however,.
Diplo Chem, Dombois, 1 (fnu) (formerly in an unspecified sodium section, now on
chlorates) informed a colleague that Fyodorov.had been in the plant again. .Pyodorov
was the last Russian-director-general at the time when the plant was an SAG. concern.
Dombois'spoke as if Fyodorov had been in.'the plant within the previous month. Dombois
did not say what Fyodorov had been doing or where he was now stationed and there was
no chance to ask him. Dombois said he had spoken to Fyodorov, who had enquired how
at least one German chemist whom he remembered was getting on. When Dombois was on
sodium work, he had had quite a lot of contact with Fyodorov.
3. Meeting on 1955 Research and Development.
On 24 May 1954, there, was a meeting of the, directors' and the. leading research and
other workers,. about 30 in all, to discuss 1955 research and development work. At
this meeting, the following points, among others, were. mentioned:
Work must be conducted to develop or procure.apparatus for testing\Bitter-
feld's iron powder. Although at the moment (May 1954) the plant could
produce 10 tons per month, only about3 tons per month marketable.
The USSR was buying its iron powder in the West and Poland was also procur-
ing part of her needs from the West. One reason for 'Bitterfeldts difficulty,
in disposing of its product was. the inability of the plant to analyze its
product properly ands consequently, to inform potential customers of the
exact physical properties and'other'data of the iron powder.. This situation'Y.
must be corrected in 1955.
SECRET U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
STATE ARMY
'NAVY AIR F.. 1., AEC
(NOTE: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by "#".)
ORR E x-1
Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004900460007-4
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SECR'U, S. OFFICIALS ONLY
(b) Special attention must be given to magnesium metal production, although
there was uncertainty as to how even magnesium chloride was to be pro-
duced in sufficient quantities. Magnesium metal was a particularly
critical item in East Germany,
(c) Special efforts were also to be made in the field of titanium pro-
duction.
40
(a)
(Erfahrungsaus taus ch)
It was also mentioned at the meeting described above that China had
submitted a request to East Germany for an exchange of experience
(Erfahrungsaustausch) in the field of iron powder work. Somebody
remarked that the Chinese wanted to come to Bitterfeld for information.
(b) That this Erfahrungsaustausch is felt in East Germany to be rather one-
sided, is further illustrated by the remarks of Minister Fritz Selbmann.
Dr. Guenther Wehner of Bitterfeld stated recently that he had been at
.an unspecified meeting in Dresden and that Selbmann had then said in so
many words that East Germany was net keen that Erfahrungsaustausch should
go ong it was so one-sided,
5. Magnesium
The seriousness of the magnesium situation was underlined by the recent delivery
of the total ',- State Reserve of magnesium to Bitterfeld, where it
is to be kept in the future, Rudolf Heganbarth, of the Main Administration for the
Heavy Chemical Industry, stated, in Bitterfeld, that the delivery represented the
entire State Reserve. The delivery amounted to two tons.
6. Zirconium
(a) Zirconium production in East Germany is confined to Bitterfeld, which is,
however, at the moment unable to supply the entire needs of the VEB Werk
fuer Fernmeldewesen, Berlin=Oberschoeneweide, This latter plant had
recently had an exceptional need for extra zirconium for some large trans-
mitter tubes. There is doubt as to whether these tubes can now be
finished on time, because of the lack of zirconium. Normal delivery from
Bitterfeld to Werk fuer Fernmeldewesen is 30 kgs per month of zirconium
oxide,
(b) The Poles have turned down a request from Bitterfeld for an exchange of
experience (Erfahrungsaustausch) involving a visit by Bitterfeld Germans
to Poland to look at zirconium work there.
(c) The East German trade organization (DHZ) recently imported 9 tons of
zirconium (in unspecified raw material form) but it was of such poor
quality that it could not be used at all,
7. Dr. Lehmann
The repatriated specialist Dr, Erich Lehmann, formerly in the USSR, left the plant
in May for the West,
SECRET-U, S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A004900460007-4
 Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004900460007-4
Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004900460007-4