HUNGARIAN BAUXITE AND ALUMINUM INDUSTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-01036R000100140071-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2003
• Sequence Number: 71
• Publication Date: March 5, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003/1W1J51: CIA-RDP81-01036R000100140071-8
SECRET
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY ,T4ungary
25X-iuBJECT ungarian Bauxite a nd Alumin11;11. Industry
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HIS DOCUMENT COI AINS INFO MA ION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DE ENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES. WITHIN THEMEANINS OF TITLE IS, SECTIONS 711
AND 704. OF THE U.S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION ON REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT IV AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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REPORT NO.
f("Ps
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DATE DISTR. ,Tion A R.
NO. OF PAGES 4
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
1. Before Iffot1444,40d r:!0,r; Hurry stood fourth Among the worldts
bauxite pr6d4Iii?OUntries. :S44.40i.geologiets estimate Hungaryis
bauxite deposits at about 250 tilfieri tens:, but Hungarian experts put
it at 192 million tons at most. :Production in 1952 was 1,257,841 tons.
nmost So percent of this production went to the Soviet Union, Czecho
Si0V319 and Germany (oviet Zone). Only about 20 percent was processed
Eungary into aluminum, which was used mainly by the Hungarian armament
Iajustrics (motor vehicles and airplanes).
2. In 19116 the Hungarian Government was coerced into placing bauxite mining
in the hands of a joint Hungarian-Soviet company. This 50-50 Soviet
participation naturally meant complete Soviet control of production.
However, the individual plants for the most part .remained independent
WI Feb 1948. At that date all private bauxite and aluminum works
were nationalized, namely:
111 Aluminium4re Bgnya da Ipar r, t. (Aluminum Industry Co.)
'b. Viktoria Chemische Werke A.G.
C. Topoica Bergwerk
d. Hungarian Bauxite Mines Maszobal A.G.
e, Donautal .Alumina. Factory Maszobal A.G. at Alm6sfiizitec
PLra LAsT AGPP* ettittiaat at AREA CCM&
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DISTRIBUTION olo STATE ARMY
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.Bauxit-Erzeugende A.G.
The.bauxite.m[ining properties,of,the Bauxit und Eisenerz-Gruben G.m.b.H.
h. The Istvgn Velty bauxite mine at Olaszfalu
4
1. Bauxit'Industrie A.G.
.1! fik4,11.n4niumwerke A.G. of the Manfred Weiss Works
k. Sigg Aluminium-Fabrik A.G.
1. Bauxite plant and aluminum works of the Hungarian Allgemeinen
Steinkohlen A.G. (MAK) at FelsOgalla
m. Magyar Femlemezipar r.t. (Hungarian Sheet Metal Co.)
3. The management of these nationaliZed and Soviet-controlled industries was
taken over by the Maszobal (Hungarian-Soviet Bauxite Aluminum Co.). The
main offices of the MasZobal are at Lajos Kossuth Platz 18, Budapest, the
former headquarters of. the Hungarian,prewareoFipany,fer bauxite and .aluminum
(Magyar teuxit'ils Aluminium A.G.). '
4. Individual establishments:
a. Ggnt Bauxite Mine. This is one of the most important Hungarian mines, not
so much for its volume of production as for the variety of its bauxite. In
addition to first-grade bauxite with a. 54 percent aluminum content, bauxite
with a 27 percent iron content is mined, and also iron-poor bauxite for fire-
proof materials and bauxite pigment. The bauxite is recovered by open work-
, 1.41ge? The bauxite stratum00,4 10 meters thick is. overlaid by from 25 to
40,mg,Kgree4046.011141;1d1a1Eqrand limeetone These layers todaiare removed
:mechanically. kleingleminer 444W. d about 1.4 tons,OfbeUXite in an
8-hour shift,
..Nyirad,j3aaxite Mine. Nyirad is in thaBakeny Mountainet:abOut 146.15m South-
'west of Budapest., 21 km east.of SuMeg and about 4 km west of,VeezPOr.
?Tbe bnireite denosits are estimated at about 1;500,000 tons. Before
World War II, liming was carried on here entirely with hand labor, but
the. works have been electrified since the war with aboveground,andunder-
ground,00nveying machinery. The old workings have been extended arid more new
shafts opened. The quality of the bauxite ore ii improving steadily. The
silicon ,content by the end of 1953 had'beenlOweied from an original 6 per-
4ent to 3 .percent. The Nyirgd mine mainly supplies the mote, aluminum works.
- - ? -
. . -
Iszkaszeqgyorgy Bauxite Mine.' IszkaszentgArgy is about 12 km west of
8a4aafetiervgr, .between_theBakcnrand,V4rtes.Mountains. The mine was
first put into operation in 1948. The bauxite supply is estimated at about
25:million.tensi ,Thie?mineis very important for the outstanding quality of
,ite:bauxite. Its only disadvantage is that in the northern part of the works
'the,bauxite,lies at a depth of 1,500 meters.
O. Halimba Bauxite Mines, Halimba is about 4 km north of Nyirgd and about 12 km
south of Ajka, in the Bakony Mountains. The bauxite works are located in a
wide are around the place.- The bauxite.ideposite. are estimated at about
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150 million tons, which puts the works in the first rank. Nevertheless,
on account of the poor communications facilities, working was only begun
after World War. II. Ln order to commence mining work, roads and
industrial railways had to be built. Today the whole area is provided with
first.elaps.roade. . Mining is done by ppen werkings. Huge excavatorp are
conttaually at work, one removing the country rock while another loads the'
mine eeucks which roll directly to the loading ramp of the new railway
terminal. Most of the bauxite comes from the Felix mine (Fdlixbinya, between
SzOc and Taliindiiregd)., The daily production is about Goo tons. The norm for
a miner currently is 8 minecar loads in an 8-hour shift, or 1.6 tons of bauxite.
A Pew:mine was opened in, Sep 1952 in,the Halimbee-Sac-Balatonhenye triangle.
Here the bauxite lies at a depth of 130 to 150 meters.
e. Ajka Alumina and Aluminum Factory. Ajka is about 30 km west of Veszpr4m.
Aroued this, important aleminum foundry a new iedustrial town has arisen in
recent years: The foundry was in Oneration befor. Air II. The ,
plant was dismantled by the Soviets after the war and production only began
evinein497, The works were enlaeged,in the selmMer of 1952, and since then
they haye been increasingly modernized with cooling plants, liming installations,
? ? foundries, health measures, etc. , In the foundry,? the aping .Is foretWfirst
Ame done by the so-celled "vacuum method," instead of by hand as formerly. The
ether important novelty in the works is an engine powered mandrel .train.
. 0
t. TatabAnia Aluminum Works, ,This is the largest aluminum factory in Hungary. It
Is eitually situated between Tatabirnya and Felagalla, about 60 km west of
Buitepeet., The works ,were in existence berm, World War I and were
nationalized in 1948, since which time it is caleed the Tatabanyai Aluminiumkoh6
Villalat and hes the code number 3674 I new rolling,M11,1'was ereeted in 1953.
The factory manufactures aluminum cement, important for the armament industry. ,
It also produces sheet aluminum and aluminum alloys. In 1952 the production of
alumenum alloys amounted to about 23,800 tons; the quota for 1953 was 32e000 tone.
The quota for the new rolling mill was 20,000 tons in 19537 About e quarter of,
the production is alloyedete,aluminum bronze by ,the addition of tin and copper,
or to durtluMinemeby the addetion of magnesium, silica and some coPpere The
manufacture of alumihdm bronze has,beeregreatly reduced recentlyjn.aceount, of
the scarcity of doppei. The raw materials needed are delivered at the Felstgalla.
railway station and transported thence directly to the blast furnaces by belt
PanveYart Stooks of raw material are never allowed to,exeeed 100,carloads, note
withstanding which the plant works without stoppages, due to the continuous
supply ,efeHUngaretan riew.meterial and the skilled management. About 70 percent
of the output is shipped to Budapest; about 15 percent goes to Gy8r-Komgrom,
partly for the 0y8r plants and partly for export; the remaining 15 percent is
transshipped at Nyergesdjfalu and goes via Bratislava to the ,Skoda works in .
Czechoslovakia. The plant wos supplied with electric current from the Feinhida
central station until 1951. In that year .a new central station was built for ,
the mines ateTatabdnya, and this now supplies the pleet with current, The works
are surrounded by a concrete wall 3 meters high, with a three-strand barbed wire
fence on the top. The old workshop is about 200 by 100 meters in extent; a hangar-
like structure with an aluminum framework and a wire-anchored glass roof. The new
shop is a similar building about .320 by 140 meters in size, The rolling mill is
built in the Same stYle. The floors in all the shops are of reinforced eoncreee.
The plane employs about 2,500 workmen and 120 office and technical staff. .Nork
Is carried on in three eight-494r shirts, About 20 percent of the workers are
female. The engineer P6.1 Szakg11, an old and very well-liked expert, is the
works manager. The labor manager le Lajop,Ziller, a former foreman in they Pjka
aluminum works. There is a works guard of.72,gVH men commanded by Lieutenant ,
Mgty?s Kemeta. The controlling authority efethe works is the 6th Operative Main
Division of the Ministry for Metallurgy and Power, headed by Peputy Minister Imre
Haracska. The supply and production of light metals is under this division.
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A17n6afiis1tt ':Alumina faotOry,. The former Donautal .alumiha facitorSef-:3
today one ,of the most 'modern ,,aluniinum-'works in Centre.i Europe
' 'AirdStiisitcr is on the Danube "about' IO, lox eat Of Kolgrom. The f.cb6i'y
? existed before th World War II ? b'ut lia:S 'inoperative after the war.
It was gradually reconstructed ',after the, war', and began' operating-again
? at:"Nli.,bapacity in 'the :Faller Of .1951.-,.? Th mechanical ,e4uipment; was
importeqwfrqp :ristat Germany and'the:Sbviet thii-on.HThe,dailY-production.
abOActjFetfc'spAdii Of'aiumina; of wH1Ch'86:0ercint-ia exported to
? the'2$0et:jyadh",alp Satellite,tate6 the Other 20,percent goo to the
AkeaijiThum works.--Thel4ant-has'abOUt,11890 emploYeesii-20';pirCeht Of
them tioiten:
5: other'iqa4ti,' esides the PI;antalready'thentiartedi there is infralUMrAi!and
aluminumlitatory at Nagyarbar which,haSheen'enlarged.during-the'PiSt ,year?;
an aluminum roiling mill at8z4liesfearvit;' an aluminum rolling till at, '
BidaPest.ltibinya, snd one at Btidepeat-esepeI thatbelcinga,to the4lettyislaftosi
worka.?There.is'also reported to bean aluMinunFenditic wOrkinefact5rVit
Vg,c, and there i6.'the?new'sluminlim factory at Inota? '
L)1' t$ OPO
00nd Wotld
4 '
RrY SUBJEc4T a AREA cOotill
1/734.05 37m
417325 AVM ';Wagt
214.22 57m(N)
124.22 HM)
?734.05 37M
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g:? rAlm6sfusito'Alumina factory. The former,Donautal alumina, faCto
today one of the most -modern aautinum works in Central Europ.e. : a"
AltgSfusitOis on the Danube, about 10.1teaSt of KoM6rom. The:faictOri
existed before '0- World War III but Was inoperative after the war
4.1t'ms gradually reConstruoted,after the war; and began operating again
at -full Capacity in the summer of 1951....: The mechanical equipment was
Imported from East Germany and the 'Soviet Union.. ,The.daily-production
isabOuprece4Wrq.ds of 'alumina; of which'80.tercent-is exported: to
the*;vfet'linion,ane Satellite tates;', the Other 20,percent goes to the
Ajka:41UMEnUm.works.- Theplant-has about 1,800 emploYees',-20PerCent of
them women;
5: Other Plants. Besides the plants -already mentioned, there is an.alUmfta,and
aluminum factory at Nagyar6v4r whicii-ha-been enlarged during-the?paat lre6r;
an*aluminUM railing mill at'z6esfearvgr;' an aluminum rolling till at,
Budapestki5b4nya, viol one at Budapest-Csepel that-belongsto the-M6tygs:114,kosi
WorkSc. There Is also reported to be an aiuminut;:and''zipic working-factdryjat
Viz, and there iS"the-new aluminum factory at Inota..
e 3,econdict.Id Ver., The
UBRARY SUE3JEQT & AREA CODEta
1/734.05 -37M
4/134.05 i3P4.
(24.2 37m(N)-
.734.05 3711
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