GOLD MINES IN KRAZNOYARSK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00280R001300110001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 10, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 31, 1956
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This mettr$cl contat.ae tntonneuon .Uecun= the Nettanal Th,tentr of the United Sates within the m"1&9 of the rbptatap tare. TWO
U? Ua.C. Sea. SW and Tilt, the %nntmfe ton or rerNettan of wh{eb In 607 manna to an uoeutbOflaf pi-.son L prebtbtted by tar.
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
DATE DISTR. 31 October 1956
NO. OF PAGES 3
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
Organi;stion of Soviet Gold Mining
1. A spect":l department, Glavzoloto, in the Ministry of Nonferrous Metallurgy
directi.c all activities concerning gold mining in the USSRr. Glavzoloto
was adm:aistratively composed of Kray committees-, kray , wh--ic-S -were
Bubo iv= ecl into ohkogy, raykomy, and gorkomy.
The Kr. noyarsk Gold Mine
2. The Kr.-,--toyarsk gold mine. was,. officially designated Yenisey Gold Mining
Trust, '.4D, Northern Yenisey Rayon, Krasnoyarsk Kray, USSR .2 The mine was
direct-,,! subordinate to the kraykom, which drew up its annual production
plans a-1 maintained daily contact with it. The mine administration was
composea of the following departments:
a. A geological department, with a staff of 150 experts, headed by a senior
geological official. -
b. A construction department that drew charts in accordance with the
geologists' instructions.
c. An engineering department that constructed pits.
d. A laboratory for the inspection of mined raw materials. It was divided
into the following sections: Blasting, crushing, pulverizing, flush
cleaning, barrelling, and ch>cking.
Prior to 191+7, production methods at the mine were very primitive, and
most of the work was done manually. After 107, the production process was
mechanized. Monthly Output totaled 100 kg of pure gold, though actual
production exceeded this figure. The district management allegedly stockpiled
gold in order to assure premiums during periods of decreased production.
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4. The mine was directed by Aleksey Nikolayevich Krilov,-while Yelirheyev.'(fnu)
way the chief engineer, and *ikirorov (fnu); the chief geologist. The last
had worked in the mine for 34 years.
5. Gold was stored in a special safe,under heavy guard, ind was subsequently
transported to Krasnoyarsk (N56-02, E92-48), from whence it was shipped to
Moscow on the first of each month.
Workers, Wages, and Rations
6. About 6,500 persons labored at the mine, some 900 of whom were employed in
supervisory positions and worked under contract. The remainder were either under
forced labor sentence:: or were released convicts who continued working after
serving their sentences.
7. Free workers were under a three-year contract with the mine management and
received wags up to 10,000 rubles a month. A bonus salary was added after
the first of each year. They also received two months' paid leave. Wages
inareesed after three and nine years of work by ten and 30 percent,
Workers lived with their families in a nearby town. Life was dull, tilth?..,
there were a school, a theater, and many clubs.
8. Since 1954, miners were required to strip, bathe, and pass X-ray inspections
after work. This process normally took an hour.
9. The convicts lived in an enclosed camp, about two kilometers. from the mine,
which was guarded by a full MVD division (sic) of about 1,500 men. These
guards were called for 32 months and were rotated every two months to prevent
formation of friendships with prisoners. There were four six-hour work shifts.
The prisoners reported for work at morning parade, fell in by barracks, and formed
brigades in columns of five. These formations marched to the mine, each man
linking arms with his neighbors. The escorts were authorized to fire upon
anyone who broke ranks.
10. The monthly wage averaged 1,000 rubles, from which six-percent bachelor's tax,
eight-percent cultural contribution, and one-percent trade union dues were
deducted. In the event of sickness, workers with up to three years' service
were entitled to 5C percent of their wages, those with six years' service to
60 percent, an.i thoso above 12 years, 90 percent.
11. A central institution in Moscow established a uniform diet for prisoners.
Five hundred rubles a month were deducted for daily rations, which consisted of;
One kilogram of bread; 100 grams wheat flour; 6.5 grams sausage;
72 grams'butter ; four grams sugar; four grams coffee; 200 grams rice or cereals;
and 545 grams vegetables. Prisoners suffered from malnutrition, with as many
as 4o perishing at one time. In 1949,a Moscow delegation arrived to investigate -
these large-scale deaths and discovered that the prison command had stolen food.
As a consequence, many camp officials were arrested, and some were executed. Such
conditions had led to a number of riots and some attempts at escape. After the
arrest of Ber'iya,however, conditions improved, and ;in. 19.5k,, premiums were introduced
for those overfulfilling the work norms. -
12. Water transportation to the area was possible only for six weeks, from June
until mid-July; at other times, air transportation was required. Snow usually
lasted until May, and temperatures in September fell to -60?C.
13. A 300-bed hospital wrs in close proximity to the .atip. It was always filled to
capacity, mostly with cases of silicosis, but also with patientssuffering from
rheumatism, pneumonia, and hernia. About half of the medial staff were prisoners
or deportees. ifygienic, therapeutic and dietary conditions at the hospital were
!:ot satisfactory. Pati-nts had to pay six rubles a day for hospitalization.
X-ray examinations, co:?sucted twice a year, revealed a three-percent incidence.
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Other Mines in the Area
14. There were four smaller old mines in the Krasnoyarsk region, each employed
800 to 2,000 workers. The depth of these pits reportedly exceeded that of
the larger. mine, which was 216 meters deep.
1. Glavzoloto (lavno upravleniye zoloto-promyshlennosti)
is t e ief' ifectorate -,of Gold -Production under the Ministry of
Nonferrous Metallurgy.
north of the Yenisey-Angara confluence. Other mine sites in the area are
Southern Yenisey (N 58-38, E 94-48), Ayakhta (N 59-15, E 94-15),
and Fit-Gorodok (N 59-17, E 93-49).