FAILURE TO HARVEST CROPS/LACK OF QUALIFIED MANPOWER/PREDICTION THAT FOOD SITUATION WILL BE BAD THIS WINTER/KHRUSHCHEV S PLAN TO CULTIVATE VIRGIN SOIL IN CENTRAL ASIA/SHORTAGE OF TECHNICIANS WITH SECONDARY EDUCATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00926A007500370003-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2002
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: November 29, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Failure.to Harveet Crops ,'Lack of Qualified Manpower/
Predietioaa i?that Flood Situation Will Be Bad This Winter/
Khcushchev's Plan to Cultivate Virgin Soil in Central
9ANUMBUM
Place Acquired
DATE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE (oF INFO.)
25X1X
Approved For RI;>s 2002/08/13: CIA-RDP80- 0926A007500370003-8
CONFIDENTIAL
Asia/Shortage of Technicians With Secondary
Education
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES. WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE IS, SECTIONS 793
AND 794, OF THE U.S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED BY LAW, T14E - THIS REPORT PROHIIIfTED,
THIS Is UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
25X1A
25X1A
RES
PONSIVE TO
i
2
CD NO.
_
ODIC NO.
ORR NO.
DAS NO.
OCI NO.
DATE DISTR. Nov 1954
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
10 "An expert on Soviet affairs who carefully
studies Pravda and Izvestia has come to the following.conclusiono part of
the crops, more particularly regarding vegetables, have not been harvested
in the.USSR partly because of bad organizat~a (of which the newspapers are
frequently complaining) and partly because f the shortage of manpower as
well as insufficient technical equipment a There are many indications that
the situation in 1951 has deteriorated in comparison to that of 1953 partic-
ularly on kolkhozes o
20 "Park primary organizations in the country are now being employed in he
harvesting,,but it appears from the publicity campaign at this time his
report is dated early Oct 5J that the shortage of qualified manpower is
almost catastrophic on the kolkhozes and sovkhozesaa The papers attempt to
exllain this by saying that considerable numbers of specialists have been
sent to cultivate virgin soil ( Pravda, 14 Sept 54).
3, "In the majority of virgin soil settlements, winter will begin at any moment
now, and the plans for building residential houses, cattlesheds, etc are
being delayed. Evidently, living conditions in these settlements are very bad
and will grow much worse as the winter progresses as the weather will paralyze
part of the transportation system.
4. "Generally speaking,, there are no indications in the press that the agricul-
tural crisis has lessened. Obviously, the food situation is always improved
during the harvest period because people can more easily procure food for
themselves, but it is safe to assume that the food situation during the
coming winter L195] will be much worse than during the previous one,
5, "Khrushchev's grandiose plan of large-scale cultivation of virgin soil in
25X1A
CONFIDENTIAL
1A
25X1A
25,
DISTRIBUTION I# STATE ARMY NAVY AIR FBI ORR v
This report is for the use within the USA of the Intelligence components of the Departments or
ALreneies indicated above. It is not to be transmitted overseas without the concurrence of the
originating office through the Assistant Director of the Office of Collection and Dissemination, CIA.
Approved For Release 2002/08/13 : CIA-RDP80-00926AO07500370003-8
 Approved For Release 2002/08/13 : CIA-RDP80-00926A007500370003-8
CONFIDENTIAL
Central Asia a n d the resulting depopulation of the ko. ozes, still give
the impression that this plan is only a link in his g-term program to
liquidate.the_?peasant class completely. Peasants sent from the kolkhozes
to the new 'virgin'soil'' settlements have been cut off from their natural
environs and are mixed up with townspeople'--factory workers and others
who have been forcibly sent to cultivate the soil -- on the new sovkhozeso
25X1A
published an interesting lead article on the short-
6. "On 15 Sept 54, Pravda short-
age. of technicians with secondary educations. This shortage is detrimental
to the entire economic life of the USSR-and is the main reason why the tech-
nical equipment in industry and agriculture is not being made use of effect-.
ively. It seems that the cultivation of virgin soil depleted the numbers
of these technicians who were taken not only'from.the already existing
farm estates GR7 but also from industry. Attention was drawn} to this
shortage in other articles too, and evidently it is one of the reasons for
the deteriorating industrial production. The papers give the impression
that matters are worse in heavy industry tie.. in the mines and~in the iron
and steel industry Pravda, 22 Sept 54).
7. ' -"In Soviet home politics in the first nine months of 195., it appears from
the press that the USSR is now undergoing a period of. interior weakness
and want of clarity. In a very much simplified f0rmthe following factors
may be mentioned as reasons for this weakness,o
a. The Party needs a new inner consolidation after the so-called
liberty period after Stalin's death when certain CP organs,seem to
have broken down.
b. The problem of a leader within the Party has not been solved
yet. The rivalry between Malenkov and Khrushchev still prevails,
and the so-called collective leadership is nothing but a cover hid-
ing the existing inner st Wiggles with a, the party.
c. The giant plan of new cultivations in Asia and Khrushchev's
present reform --the final purpose of which is the liquidation of
the. peasant class, demands large scale migrations and forcible
transfers of manpower which causes considerable disturbances in
production and is detrimental to the order necessary within the
country. The curtailed power of the MVD after Beria's fall hampers
the efforts of the-Party and Government to get a more secure grip on
the people and to improve the situation particularly in the 'virgin
soil' districts.
Over and above the permanent agricultural. crisis, increasing
difficulties are evident in two important fields --transportation
and construction. Particularly alarming is the transportation
situation. Irr;Oonnection with the cultivation o virgin soil, which
is to a certain' extent altering Soviet geography, the transportation
has failed to satisfy the needs of the new settlements- o
e The foo4 situation is very tight, and there are indications- in
the press that this situation will become worse during the coming
winter. The situation is not improved by the fact that the party
and. Government made considerable ", ices to improve t~h. living
conditions ter Stalin's death. r~:
f? The increasing shortage of qualified manpower is being felt; in
all fields of Soviet economic life, more pa icularly,in connection
with the cultivation of irgin soil. On the other hand, it seems
that the shortage of unqualified manpower has been eliminated. Rumors
that the USSR and Chine., concluded an agreement concerning a common
25M,
Li
- end -
CONFIDENTIAL
7 210, A a N
4's1.1 N
_?4 (" 25X''1
7117 I L/c(#'
Approved For Release 2002/08/13 : CIA-RDP80-00926A007500370003-8