TREATMENT OF US SHIP CAPTAIN BY SOVIET OFFICIALS/OBSERVATIONS ON CONDITIONS IN SOVIET PORTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00926A003500010025-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 1, 2002
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: May 21, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
? DATE
ACQUIRED
USSR
APTIrtettff&TAFe
1-RDP80-00926A0035
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
Treatment of OS Ship Captain by Soviet Officials/
Observations on Conditions in Soviet Ports
()ATP nP INMPMATInN
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REPORT NO.
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DATE DISTR. 0/..) 4ay 1951
NO. OF PAGES 2
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(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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1.
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The minute ZhaZ
we COMC Inlov -une naruur arca, ul muyvxvimmn1-1. u.VUA v.LAA,..A.u.f.m.r.a, cameras and
firearms were immediately-put under seal by the boarding officials. The radi0
was also sealed. We stayed anchored out in the stream for four days prior to
being allowed to go alongside the dock to unload. If t had not remonstrated with
the authorities over the treatment we were getting, we would have stayed out in
the stream for a much longer time. In any there was no special interroga-
25X1X tion Iby the Soviets, and my crew and myself were allowed to
go ashore.
There was very -little to do and practically no place to go, and none of the crew,
left the ship except once out of curosity. I
eenflaed my excursions ashore to visits to the agentus office, etc. The steamship
agent With yhom I dealt was a Soviet named Oerasimof who 'sass by his own admission,
an litto agent. The steamship agency was called INFLOT. Gerasimof?,who has a hare-
lip, is about 37 years old, and is a disgruntled, neurotic,
Couummlet. In the course of our several conversations. Gerasimof said to me thal25X1X
he knows I letill have negro slaves in the US, told
him h#"vas 'suffering from an overdose of Soviet propaganda. It was at this point
that be-clultioued me that I vould have to be careful ot what / said because he was
as intelligPme agent.
Our ship was subjected to an exhaustive search, both won arrival and depattmrs.
Everybody onboard, vas locked in one room while the arthorities searched every
nook and cornier of the ship- This took about two hours on both occasions. They
searched everything, including the pockets of our clothes which were banging in
lockers etc. Additionally, everytime that one of us left the ship, the Soviet
guards
lockers,
would scrutinize us for about 10 minutes stony silence despite
the fact we had landing passes. This was probably because the guards could not
read or write and did not want to admit it. This same scrutiny was directed towards
their own people who were working on the ship, i.e., t xs stevedores, etc.
I noticed that one Soviet girl, who was scooping up from the deck with her
hands and who had to go ashore each time she accumulated a full sack, was stopped
each time by the guard. This was every 20 minutes during a 10-hour working day.
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This was certainly one of the reasons Why our crew =miters did not go ashore more
often. They were nervous and apprehensive as to what might happen to them.
Another fairly significant restriction was the fact they would. allow us to make no
8o122l4ings. As you knew, vben you load a ship, you have to be sure you are not
taking on so much dead weight that you will ground it, an the way out. The
mate started to make soundings with a sounding line while we were tied up at the
dock but was ibiediately stopped by the guard who pointed his gun at him, and would,
I am sure, have shot him if he had not stopped immediately.-? When I explained the
necessity for such information, / was told that the Harbor Nester would make it
available. However, when I called the Harbor Master I y witW told abruptly that
it was not possible to give me that information.
The pilots in the area T found to be very talkative when we were alone. " The oie who
tbokus into NovtrosS4ek camplained to me bitterly that be was made to act in
such a capacity, because he had once owned several ships himself. He was obvious-
ly not a Party member. One or two of the pilots would not even accept a cup of
coffee from us because of criticism which might be leveled at them. The same one
who had been a ship owner was having a bite to eat in the wardroom with me one
day when Gerasimot s secretary came in and scornfully and quite sincerely accused
him of being a capitalist simply because he was having coffee and cookies with me.
Since our binoculars had been taken away from VS, it Was a little difficult for us
to see What vat going on around VB.'. The whole area was very drab and 40Pressitig,
however, and the people the most poverty-strieken-r haVe evetrAoegilia.
:Operation 1
There litre ''barraOka 10r perm= VW were being forced to work the. Whether or
llot they were. Prisoners of war or boliiet -nationals, c ould npt6 determine.
In Poti, the only things vbidh I saw ot any interest were two old submarines and
two mine sweepers in the Navy yard.
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