REPLACEMENT OF HEGEMANN BY SCHMIDT AS HEAD OF HV RFT AND PRODUCTION DIFFICULTIES OF THE EAST GERMAN RADIO AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005700580004-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 8, 2008
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: February 1, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/01/08: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005700580004-5
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This material contains information afectins the Na-
tional Defense of the United MnWs within the mean-
lag of the D.plooape ILwu, Title 1$, U.S.C. Saes. "1
MW 7N. the t:aosmleslaa Si sowiation of which In
any manner to an unauthaetaed pasou Is prohibited
by law.
SECRET/U.3. OFFICIALS ONLY
COUNTRY Last Germany
SUSJICT Replacement of Hegemann by Sohrn1 1t, as Head DATE DISTR.
of HV ItFT and Production Difficulties of the
last Osman Radio and Telecommunications NO. OF 'AGES 2
Industr rr
DATE OF INFO.
This is UNEVALUATED
Information
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS RPM ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(POR KEY SEE REVERSE)
RD
1 February 1955
1. Adolf Hegemann, Head of the Main Department for Radio and Telecommunications
(11V i* T) of the :act Gorman , i1_nictry fr,r L.;achin a Con8truuct1 nn has been relieved
of his post because of the difficulties this department its onnountaring in 25X1
production. He was tj have been replaced by Voigt, Plant Director of VEB
Sachsenwerk Itadeberg, but at the last moment Schmidt, (fnu) the deputy Head
of the department, was appointed trmporary head on 28 October 1954.
2. Since the Central Committee of the SED is of the opinion that "deliberate 25X1
sabotage" in taking place in the HV RFT, basing this opinion on rsnnrts it
has received from several Party Plant Organizations and Workers Control Com-
mittees, it sent an official named Reohtenberg as an observer to a meeting of
the HV RFT on 28 October 1954.
3. At this meeting, Schmidt made it clear to Reohtenberg that not only did difficulties
exist in a few individual factories, but that the situation throughout the Ministry
of Lachine Construotion was critical. The Planning Head (Plannungsleiter) Heinze
enlarged on this, quoting statements made by Heinrich Rau, Minister for Machine
Construction, at the Ministry Conference on 27 October 1954.
4. According to Heinze, Rau had said that the situation in Last German Industry was so
difficult that it looked as though the government would have to begin manpower
controls. He said that many workers had so little forethought and claws conscious-
ness that they refused as unreasonable any change of place of work. Such an
attitude was untenable since East Germany was not a rest home but a state of workers
and peasants which was striving to build up a socialist economy. This great task
demander' from every worker the application of his whole strength and no further
account could be taken of personal convenience.
5.
tims this year, out own a span
Rau had, for the third
as an example the cancelling
of the production of 10,000 radio sets whibn were to -have been made by VEB Funkwerk
Dresden.
SECRET/ULS. OFFICIALS ONLY
(NOTE: Washington distribution indicated by "X" i Field distribution by " #".)
Approved For Release 2008/01/08: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005700580004-5
 Approved For Release 2008/01/08: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005700580004-5
SECRET/U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
6.
Stern Radio Perlin, with
7.
8.
2,000 employees, should be shut down immediately. The HF factory in Berlin-
Oberschoeneweide was trying in vain to get orders to bring some relief. As this
was unsuccessful, some 600 workers would have to be dismissed shortly. The
Messgeraetewerk at Zwoenitz was forced to dismiss 60 workers, while the Fernmeldewerke
in Leipzig, Arnstadt, and Bautzen had received very few contracts for 1955. If these
works had beon run on capitalist lines they would most certainly have had to shut
down. Of all the works controlled by HF RFT, only +hree were practically fully
employed; they were Sachsenwerk Radeberg, Funkwerk Dresden and Stern Radi( Rochlitz.
Even Funkwork Dresden would probably be faced with reduced production because of the
cancelling of the order for 10,OCO radios.
it would be quite impossible to expend capital for the 25X1
reconstruction or eens on of factories. Such investments would mean that the
plants concerned would demand more orders corresponding to their increased pro-
duction capacity, a demand which could not even be considered as far as next year
was concerned. It was already quite clear that the raw material situation would
be even worse in 1955 than it was this year. 25X1
The son amen rom 25X1
were now looking for Scapa-oats and the developments in25X1
factories under the Nil RFT the fault 1s;y25X1
elsewhere. The managers of these factories should and rescue at they could
while there was still tim 25X1
25X1
was head of the teleoommunicatons laboratory 25X1
at Radeberg. The ant eo or, as of August 1953, was Fritz Maertin.
Approved For Release 2008/01/08: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005700580004-5