SHORTAGE OF BORAX AND BORIC ACID

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A007600800004-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 13, 2007
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: August 31, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/11/13: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007600800004-9
CLASSIFICATIOVe - - ' r
INFORMATION REPORT
f
COW" Blot Oar,
SUBJECT Shaetagr at Nonce and Boris Acid
PLACE
IK:QUiRED
DATE e
I
DATE DISTR. 31 t $
MO. OF PAGES I
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
This it UNlV1ll.UATED INFOAMAT$ON
1. The East Cermar. 1955 ,f ort Plan provided for the import of 3,000 entree tons of
borax in 1955: for use by East German enterprises. Actual requirements for 1955
amount to 4,000 metric tons. As of 22 June 1955, DIA Chemie had succeeded in
placing.contracts for 2,296 of the 3,000 metric tons of borax, but only 110 metric
tons of borax had actually been delivered.
2. Because of the serious reperouisions which the lack of borax and/or boric said has
caused in East German industry , Chemiepha GmbH was ordered to procure-the needed
amounts of these materials. As of 21 June 1955, Chemiepha had a direct order from
the Ministry for Foreign and Internal German Trade for 500 metric tons of borax
and had copoluded a contract for the delivery of 182 metric tons to be delivered in
July 1955, ' A contraat for the remaining 318 metric tons of borax was to be concluded
by about 25 June. In addition, Chemiepha also had an order for 130 metric tons of
borax from the State Committee for Material Procurement and had concluded a contract
for the delivery of the borax via Rotterdam. As of 21 June 1955, 60 metric tons of
this borax had been delivered; 25 more"betrie tons were expected before the end of
June, and 65 metric tons were to be delivered in early July 1955. Chemiepha also
had an order from the Ministry for Light Industry for 15 metric tons of boric acid.
The boric acid was to be used for glass bl snki (G1askolben).
3. The lack of borax and boric acid has had crippling effect on East German industry.
Since late 1955 deliveries of borax for plants under the Ministry for Machine Con-
struction have been completely insufficient, usually only enough to last
a tow days. A lads VrOODOW of borax is the United Statesland, since borax
is one of ,the products which is on the emberge list, East Germany has been unable to
conclude contracts for its delivery. There is no borax at all in the state reserves
or in the DHZ warehouses. Negotiations between the Ministry for Heavy Industry, the
Ministry for Foreign and Internal German Trade, DIA and DHZ were fruitless. The borax
situation has become, so serious that the matter was taken directly to Minister Presideflt
Otto Grotewohl. Attempts to procure borax from the USSR and China have been without
result. China forwarded one metric ton of borax as a sample to DIA,but, upon analysis,
it was determined that the borax was not of Chinese origin but was from old stocks of
Cited : States borax. Attempts are now being wade to import minerals wbioh oontatn .
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boron. East Germaniy is currently negotiating with Turkey ,for the import of colemanite.
These measureg, however, will be of no immodiate help.
4. The most important borax requirements in 1955 of the Ministry for General Machine
Construction are as follows:
Main Administration for T"cision Mechanics and
Optics 495 metric tons
Main Administration for Zron,Sheet Metal and Metal
(for enamelling plants) 183 metric tons
Main Administration for Light Machine Construction
(for enamelling, filling fire extinguishers, and
processing grinding wheele) 47 metric tons
For processing into boric acid (Sebett mfg! OsasNmn, Jima, "oat
151.4 metric tons o;' boric acid and Main Administration
RFT needs 51.6 metric tons:
Total 203,0 metric tons) 1,373 metric tons
in the average, East German factories at present have only enough borax on hand for
four or five days production. The shortage of borax has had the following effects on
East German industry.
a. Main Administration for Radio and Telecommunications Teohnology..(HV RFT):
East German ac ndesis .r plants can -no longer manufacture electroly4*
condensors, andeas a resulteproduction of the entire industry
(teleoomaunications and radio devices' is affected. VEB Funkwerk
Erfurt has reported that production of such highly important types of
devices as high-frequency measuring generators, normal measuring genera-
tors, ultra-shortwave generators, all.,-wave receivers, ultra-shortwave
precision wavemeters, distortion factor measuring devices, etc., as
well as research and development tasks and export obligationsacannot
be carried out according to plan. As a result of the borax shortage,
various contributory factories are unable to make deliveries of needed
items. VE,B Spezialglaswerk "Einheit" Weisswasser is not delivering
suffieient quantities of hard glass bulbs (Uartglaskolben) for special
tubes and light bulbs; VES Glasurwerke Meissen is not delivering
suffiedant amounts of L flux (L-Fluss) for the produotbn of Pantchm and
infra-red resistors by VEB Carl von Ossietzky Teltow.
b. Main Administration for Precision Mechanics and Optics:
Debpite the fact that the Main Administration for Precision Mechanics
and Optics currently receives a much larger share of borax and/or boric
acid than Main Administration RFT, it is attempting to have allotted
to it part of the borax allocatiowof Main Administration RFT, Otherwise,
it will be necessary to close down the smelting bath for crude optical
glass at VEB Carl Zeiss Jena. Garl Zeiss has already lost three full
months of production because 4 fletrio- tons a r-eq-uired boric acid were
not delivered in April 1955. This lose cannot be made up.
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Approved For Release 2007/11/13: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007600800004-9
 Approved For Release 2007/11/13: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007600800004-9
Approved For Release 2007/11/13: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007600800004-9