NUCLEAR INSTITUTE OF PROFESSOR HERTZ NEAR SUKHUMI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005800160010-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2008
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: May 10, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This motorist eoaatne taftnusu a wrocUnR the xs_
INFORMATION REPORT t neE X `?e aot" ` """ the ?"'?"
I" of w a'1oaose Lws. This W U.S.C. Bea. 7a
M 1S1. the aeaomt..'- or reVSLttoa of which to
C=ON-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-,A- aa r'? na "ssvth."'a vw.oa is Pohww
F_ 7 ~ 25X1
COUNTRY USSR (Georgian.SSR)
SUBJECT Nuclear Institute of Professor
Mertz near Sukhumi
REPORT
DATE DISTL 10 May 1955 25X1
NO. OF PAGES 11
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REFIT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERED '
1. The nuclear institute of Professor Hertz was located about five kilometers
south of Sukhumi (N 43-00, E 41-02) on the'Black Sea in the Mmns-caucasus area.
The institute area was 'bordered by an openfield on the north, the single-
track Sukhumi-Tbilisi railroad line on the east, Guiripsi villagel on the south,
and the clack Sea on the west. A reinforced road, more than five meters wide,
ran parallel to and all-out 1,000 meters from the railroad line. In addition to
these landmarks, there was an extensive tree nursery south of the institute
area. Vulnerable points of the institute included the institute building with
its annex, the power station, the boiler house with the gas works, and the
electrolysis department with its hydrogen and oxygen containers.
2. In 1945, Professor Hertz, who until then had worked in Research Laboratory II
at the Siemens Plant in Berlin, accepted a Soviet offer to establish a nuclear
research institute in the USSR. Professor Hertz allegedly promised that he
would hire German scientists and technicians for the USSR and actually took
along some of his former students, who were already independent scientists.
In early 1946, this group of German experts established a new research insti-
tute in the former Bcyar Castle in the Agudzera area located south of Sukhumi.
Since there was no Soviet technical personnel available for this project, the
Soviets selected qualified German personnel among the PWs, allegedly at the
suggestion of Professor Hertz. The former castle with its galleries was re-
built. and Soviet labor units erected workshops, operational buildings, and
apartment houses for German and Soviet personnel. In 1947, the institute was
ready to heing operation. The technical installations at the Kaiser Wilhelm
Institute in Berlin had allegedly been dismantled.
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3. The institute h no special n. 25X1
it was controlled by the IX Directorate
Power plants of the Kura Valley in the Caucasus Mountains were the main power
source of the institute. No information was obtained on the output and maxi-
mum capacity of this power system. The institute had its own power station 25X1
and was also connected to the transformer station of the second institute
of Sinop.
5. Some of the leading personnel of the institute are listed below. The engineers
were allegedly former assistants of Professor Hertz in Berlin.
Soviet chief: General Vashavilli (fnu).
German chief: Professor Gustav Hertz.
German deputy chief and expert
for mass spectrographs:
Chief of the chemical laboratory:
Construction of counter tubes:
Construction of cascades:
Chief mechanic;
in charge of high vacuum
soldering:
The Soviet experts included:
Dr. Ing. Werner Schuetz.
Dr. Ing. Karl Zulke.
Dr. Ing. Werner Hartmann.
Dr. Ing. Justus Muhlenpfordt.
Otto HeLn, from Leipzig, a convinced
Communist.
Dr. Ing. Helmuth Bum.
Chief of the workshop: Major Bizayev (fnu), who had nego-
tiated with Professor Hertz in
Berlin.
Professor Kashavin (fnu), no fur-
ther information available.
The German PW experts were;
Dr. Ing. Richard Doll, a physicist who is at PW Camp No. 5110..48 in Moscow.
Ing. Pock (fnu), a physicist,
Ing. Schroeder (fnu), a physicist.
Wily Schreiber, mechanic in the chemical laboratory who, at the present
time, is in Klein Bockenhain (Kleinbockenheim) near Worms.
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Peter Hoppmann, mechanic, worked in the mechanical workshop and is now in
Hamburg/Lockstedt.
Hans Hux, technical draftsman in the designing office, now lives in
Tuttlingen.
Bernhardt Weber, blacksmith, worked in the forge, now lives L7. Datteln
in Westphalia.
6.
Research projects handled by
Professor Hertz included the construction of a mass spectrograph and exp eri-
ments in the field of isotope separation. It could not be determined whether
research orders were given by the Soviets or if the activities were conducted
on Professor Hertz's own suggestion.
7. All development and research activities were hampered by the lack of materials.
The diffusion pumps received proved to be leaky and had to be com-
pletely overhauled. The overhauling required a long time. Dr. Muhlenpfordt,
who was in charge of the construction of cascades, grumbled frankly about the
lack of materials and thr delay of incoming shipments, because of which he was
unable to meet his target dates. He said that in the United States cascades
could be bought "in a shop", while he had to"fool around with inadequate mater-
ial. In spite of all these difficulties, the construction of eight mass spec-
trographs was accomplished by November 1949. These were accepted as good by a
commission from Moscow. Other activities included experiments for the produc-
tion of a synthetic material diaphragm, which allegedly had been started in a
new laboratory. These diaphragms were said to be equal in quality to pure
nickel diaphragms.
8. In 1948 or 1949, Professor Hertz was in Moscow when the first explosion of an
atomic bomb was mentioned in the USSR. After his return, a13. cascades were
dismantled and replaced by two new sets with essential modifications. No fur-
ther information was obtained.
9. The high-vacuum soldering apparatus available at the institute included a bell-
shaped steel cupola which arrived from Berlin. The unit had allegedly been
used to sublimate mirrors on AA searchlights. The bell, 100 to 120 an in dia-
meter, was provided with three inspection windows. The unit was mounted on a
steel table. The high vacuum pump, with its lower parts underground, was in-
stalled under the table. On the side, the unit was connected by a pipe line
to a vacuum pump. The unit was erected next to the cascades and was last seen
when the assembly was completed. Mechanic Hoppmann stated that the unit was to
be used for sublimation plating.
10. Tools, semi-finished products, and metals arrived by air from Moscow. Steel
and aluminum were repeatedly transported to the institute by truck, while
ferro-silicon was shipped in by railroad.
11. The institute area was surrounded by a mesh-wire fence. Guards, armed with
rifles or submachine guns, patrolled the outer fence and covered the adjacent
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area within a range of more than 1,000 meters. Gate passes were checked by two 25X1
guards at the institute. Guards armed with pistols were posted at the door of
each institute building. A special MVD unit in civilian clothing was stationed
at tho komendatura. Different gate passes, authorizing the bearer to enter his
permanent work place, were issued to engineers, technicians, and au~d.'i,ry per-
sonnel. Special passes were required to enter more than one inctallc,--J.oln.
12. On the following pages are sketches of installations and egviyraent of thy-' insti-
tute.
a. Location Sketch of the Institutes of Professors Hertz and Iron
Ardenne near Sukhumi.
b. Layout Sketch of the Professor Hertz Institute.
c. High Vacuum Soldering Installation.
d. Nickel Oxide Diaphragm.
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L-oCabon SKetc~ of 14e Lsj,Euk3 of l o Csse r-5
4#4z and von At-tonne necca S&4,*Aumz
SCaJe 1: 1 00 0, 0 00
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Legend to Sketch on Page b
1. Three-story main institute buildingp; 20 x 60 m, former castle
which was rebuilt and painted white. The ground floor housed
offices and conference rooms. Laboratories were installed on the
second and third fla=a the latter also housed the library. American
and British magasines with pictures and studies on the V-2 and V-1 were
seen here.
2. Former galleries housing laboratories. Several cascades were seen
south of the former galleries.
3. New workshop, 8-10 x 20 x 80 m, generally referred to as "Object".
The building van attached as an annex to the main institute building
and housed the mechanical v kshop, two technical offices, the forge,
the plumbing shop, and the carpenter shop. The equipment included:
Mechanical Workshop: 1 travelint, crane
1 vertical ,lathe
3 large lathes with height of centers of 200 to 250 mm
10 mechanical lathes
1 semi-automatic screw cutting machine
1 Variomat (sic)
2 shaping machines
1 large boring machine
4 small boring machines
The workshop produced pipes, flanges, vacuum valves, parts for the
mass spectrograph, and the cascades for institute requirements. The
work force included an average of 20 to 25 men, including Soviet
specialists.
Forge
1 Soviet welding apparatus
1 large forge fire
1 heavy German column-type drilling machine
1 large American high-speed planing machine
The forge finished the parts for the cascades and mass spectrographs
pre-machined in the mechanical workshop. The work force included one
blacksmith, two welders, and two locksmiths.
Plumbing Shop! . 1 large percussion shears
1 automatic shears
2 circular machines
1 German Raboma-type machine
1 Baumgarten-type press
1 spot welding machine
1 hard soldering set
The plumbing shop had a work force of 5 to 7 men and prepared and
machined sheet metal parts.
Carpenter Shop . 1 band saw
1 planing machine
1 small wood working machine
A cold treating installation for the production of rod iron was attached
to the carpenter shop. A mobile oxygen generator, received from America
on Lend-Lease deliveries was parked in front of the northern gate to
this building.
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4. New workshop, 8-10 x 60-80 x 20 m. In November 1949, equipment was
still being installed in the machine shop in the southern part of the
building. One complete series of 15 D.G. generators was available,
and additional series were to be installed. The large switching room
next to the machine shop was being completed. The nickel-working
shop adjacent to the machine shop was equipped with 1 la roll and
three nickel baths- Niekel di anhraama wrrp rn1 d here .r a 25X1
a fine netting with
20,000 meshes per square cm was prepared. German experts said thati:these
diaphragms were used by Professor Hertz for isotope separation.
5. Hydrogen plant, located between "Object" and the new workshop. A very
large oxygen container was suspended in a steel frame which could be 25X1
tilted to all sides. The unit was allegedly erected over a canal. The
hydrogen plant was specially guarded.
6. New laboratory, 15 x 50 m, with three-story northern part. The laboratories
were put into operation in the summer of 1948. The basement extended over
the entire building. The southern part had one large hall- The tanul-nvu-n+
allegedly included sintering furnaces for diaphragms. 25X1
experiments with uranium and fluoride were conducted in the laboratories.
UF_was mentioned in this connection. MVD guards were posted in front of
ea?h entrance and in the hall.
7. Plant for liquid air, two-story building, 8 x 12 m. All the technical
equipment was received from Moscow.
8. Boiler house and gas works, 12 x 20 x 40 m.
9. Permanent storage building, still under construction.
10. Electrostamtsiya, 12 x 20 x 40 m. The installations included one large
Diesel unit which was received from the United States in 1947 and 4 "Clark
type generators. A transformer station for the power received from outside
was located in some other part of the institute area.
11. Saw mill, new building constructed in 1948, 6 x 8 x 12 m. Equipped with
one large mechanical saw for metals up to 200 mm thick, and one 200-kg pneumatic
harmer .
12. 2 temporary wooden storage buildings,,12 x 60 m, for tools, semi-finished
products, copper, nickel, brass, chromium nickel and iron rods.
13. Electrolytic department, 5 x 8 x 10 m. The new building was equipped
with two round containers, 7 m in diameter and about 8 m high, for oxygen
and hydrogen. The installation was put into operation in 1949.
14. Villa of Professor Hertz, three-story building with MVD guard posted in
front.
15. Villa of Dr. Schuetz and his family.
16. Quarters of German and Soviet engineers and their families, three-story
apartment houses. Additional German families lived in Finnish log houses.
17. PW camp, permanent buildi% quarters of PW experts.
18. MVD komendatura; the building also housed General Vashavilli's office.
18a Quarters of Soviet labor unit, three-story permanent building housing
about 200 engineer troops who did construction work at the institute.
l8h Quarters of Soviet MVD guard company. The company was repeatedly seen
filed in for inspection and was estimated to have a personnel strength of
about 150 men.
19. Finnish log houses.
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L O D O U A Skef-Ch of '1e IR-oft,ssor /Je,*zIns+ttut'e
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11
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Emi
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Legend to Sketch on Page 10
1. Steel cupola, 120 cm in diameter.
2. Inspection windows.
3. Rubber sealing ring.
4. Steel table.
5. Ball-shaped container with.five liters liquid air.
6. Pre-vacuum pump.
7. High;-vacuum pump .
8. Heating elements.
9. Thermometer (not numbered on sketch).
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NieKei OxidG DzIwa.,,pi
I
'Ia0 - too ruin
Not 4 Scaie
Lertend to Sketch
A
1. Nickel oxide diaphragm designed by Reichmann.
2. Spring lining of nickel sheet, 0.1 mm thick.
In addition to this type of diaphragms nickel wire cloth was supplied from
Western Euro,:e in sufficient quantities.
IMM
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