NEW DATA ON SOVIET GRAIN IMPORTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R000600150010-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 23, 2005
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: July 20, 1973
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Rel a 2006/01 Q -IIP80B01495R000600150010-2
20 July 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Intelligence
SUBJECT New Data on Soviet Grain Imports
1. According to the Washington Post of 19 July, "US
officials say they have now received information from the
Soviet Union on last year's grain purchases broken down
by crop and country. They say this is an 'unprecedented
release of Soviet data,' the first fruits of the agri-
cultural agreement signed at the Nixon-Brezhnev summit."
Although the Soviet statistics are somewhat useful, this
memorandum will explain why their release is not unpre-
cedented and is probably not related to the US-Soviet
Agricultural Agreement.
2. The new Soviet numbers have been incorporated
in the attached table and basically form the fiscal year
(FY) 1973 columns for the countries underlined. The
same data had been available for quite some time through
other means -- State cables, the press, and OER's
program -- but the Soviet
statistics are useful as corroboration. There are no
significant differences between the numbers supplied by
the Soviets and by the other sources.
3. This is not the first time that the Soviets
have released such data and, therefore, they cannot be
considered the "first fruits" of the US-Soviet Agri-
cultural Agreement signed in June. Our Agricultural
Attache in Moscow first obtained similar statistics
in early April 1973. Moreover, both times they were
given to him by the Soviet Grain Trading Organization,
Eksportkhleb, and not by the Ministry of Agriculture
which is executing the joint agricultural agreement..
Even in April most of the data had been available
for many months.
4. Notably on neither occasion did the Soviets
release estimates of import requirements or even how
much grain had already been bought for FY 1974. It was
not until this month when the Department of Commerce
instituted its grain export monitoring system that we
received hard evidence that the Soviets had made new
purchases of more than 5 million tons of US grain.
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5. The first meeting of the statistical committee
under the US-Soviet Agricultural Agreement is scheduled
for the. end of August at which time we will discover
how forthcoming the Soviets plan to be.' One recent
incident illustrates that a new era in disclosure has
not yet dawned and that the Soviets have actually
taken a step backward: for the first time the latest
Soviet Trade Handbook (1972) does not contain figures
on grain imports or exports. Even though the data
recently released by Eksportkhleb helps fill this gap,
the latter are not as detailed as those usually given
in the trade handbooks and are on a fiscal year basis
which makes comparison difficult with calendar year
data in the previous handbooks.
ie
USSR/Eastern Europe Division
Attachment:
As stated
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L4 F
Footnotes to Table
a. Bought in April 1973 for delivery in April-October 73. According to
Exportkhleb, none was delivered in FY 1973.
b.? Bought in April 1973 for delivery in May and June. According to Exportkhleb,
none was delivered in FY 1973.
c. Bought in March 1973 for delivery
shiped in FY 1973.
in May, June and July.
Assume all was
d. Bought in April 1973 for delivery in April - June 1973. Assume all was shipped in
FY 1973.
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SECRET
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ONCLASSIFIED CONFIDENT
IAL SECRET
Remarks: 4' ,
t.?
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
Routing Slip
D/DCI/IC
D/Trng
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