PLAN TO ALLOT MORE SPACE TO FOREIGN EXHIBITORS AT FUTURE FAIRS IN LEIPZIG

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005900120001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 12, 2008
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: February 14, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
Approved For Release 2008/02/12 CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005900120001-6
C ~TVU L'IN`T' ;1 LI Y1-NCF.' AG NCY
INFORMATION REPOIRT
East Germany
Plan to Allot More Space to
Foreign Exhibitors at Futurr^
Fair;; in Leipzig
This material contains information affecting the
National Defense of the United States within the
meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C.
Secs. 793 and 7944 th"e transmission or revel-
ation of which in any manner to an unauthorized
person is prohibited by law.
This is UNEVALUATED Information
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
REPORTI
DATE DISTR. 14 February 1955
NO. OF PAGES .~
25X1
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
The following are East German government statistics
affording a comparison of the 1953 ,with.the 1954 Leipzig Fair ac-
cording to number of.exhibitors, number of vie?ttors and amount
of space occupied by the exhibits.
Number of exhibitors
1954 1953
9,394, from 36 countries 8,196, from.26-.:countries
(including seven Soviet
(including soVeri Soviet-" Bloc countries) 'Bloc countries)
Number of visitors
673,000, from 56 countries 538,000, from 52 countries
(including 15,500 from West (inoludin&8,245 from west
Germany and 7,400 from out- Germany and 5,,075 from out-
side of Germany) side of Germany)
Space occupied by the exhibits
241,000 square meters 195,000 square meters
(including 11,772 square (including 3,436 square
meters occupied by West meters occupied by West
German exhibitors and German exhibitors and
12,549 by exhibitors; from 4,170 by exhibitors from
"capitalistic"countries) "capitalistic" countries),
This information was included in a general survey devoted to
preliminary planning for the Spring 1955 Fair to he held in Leipzig.
SECRET
25X1
25X11
ARMY I t~'X 1 NAVY I XAIR FBI AEC
25X1
Approved For Release 2008/02/12 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005900120001-6
 Approved For Release 2008/02/12 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005900120001-6
2. Some welL known West German firms which had exhibits for the
first time since 1945 were Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, Kloeclcner,
Ruhrstahl, A.G., I.G. Farben-Nachfolgegesellschaften,, MAN,
Zuendapp, Pfaff-Naehmaschinen, and others.
The amount of business done at the Leipzig Fairs of 1953 and
1954, according to East German figures, which do
not include business done by various Soviet Block trade dele-
gations which were present at the fairs, was as follows:
1954 1953
1,892 billion rubles, export 909 billion rubles, export
545 billion rubles, import 255 billion rubles, import
4. Because of the demand from West Germany and non-Soviet
Bloc countries for--more exhibition space at the~'Leipzig Fair, the
Presidium of the East German Council of Ministers drew up the
following plan for the r llotment of space, to be carried out by
the Ministry for Foreign and Domestic Trade:
a. The total exhibition space available for the Leipzig Fair
amounts to 241,000 square meters-.(including open-.air exhibi-
tion space). In 1954, the space-sswas allocated as follows:
East Germany, 183,300 square meters, or 76%; Soviet Bloc
countries, 33,500 square meters,,-,,or 14%; West Germany, 11,700
square meters, or 4.9%; non-Soviet Bloc countries, 12,500
square meters, or 5.1%.
b. For the 1955 Spring Fair, the allocations for Soviet Bloc.
countries were to remain the same, but those for West Germa'ry
and non-Soviet Bloc countries were to be increased :'.?1 14,000
and 3,000 square meters respectively.
c. Since there were no finances available for the construction
of additional exhibition space, the increase in the space al-
located to West Germany and non-Soviet Bloc countries would have
to be made available by reducing the space allocated to East
German exhibits. This was to be accomplished by.applying the
principle that the primary purpose of the Leipzig Fair is to
encourage exports and that consequently those potential exhibi-
tors most directly connected with exports should be given pri-
ority in the allocation of space. This would be,carried out along
the following general lines:
(1) Grosshandelskontc?r.e, Deutsche Handelszentrale,and other
domestic trade organizations which have formerly had ex-
hibition space should have none allocated to them for the
Spring Fair. They should be allocated office space on the-
grounds or be required to use their offices in the city of
Leipzig for Mhatever business they have to transact.
_25X1
Approved For Release 2008/02/12 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005900120001-6
 Approved For Release 2008/02/12 : CIA-RDP80-00810A005900120001-6
(2) The space allocated to the nationalized enterprises (VFBs)
in the Models. Section (Mustermesse) and the Technical
Section (Techniesche Messe) should be reduced, and these enter-
prises should.exhi.bit only products intended for export.
They should also provide fewer actual products, but should
employ more catalog-$ and drawings at their exhibition stands.
(3) Enterprises which do not produce significantly for export
should be excluded from the Fair.
(4) All exhibits and displays which have no direct foreign trade
significance should be excluded from the Fair.
5. A commission was set up by the Presidium of the Council of Ministers
for the purpose of coordinating preparations for and the running of
the Leipzig Fair and to settle any problems or disputes arising out
of the reallocation of exhibition space for the Fair. The Minister
for Foreign and Domestic Trade was to be the chairman of this commission
which was to include representatives of the ministries most interested
in the Leipzig Fair, as well as the mayor of the city of Leipzig and
the director of the Leipzig Fair Office (Leipziger Messeamt).
Approved For Release 2008/02/12 : CIA-RDP80-00810A005900120001-6