PLANETA NEEDLE PLANT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2009
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: November 10, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2 ~ L
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SECS&VSECURITI IZ{1
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY % REPORT
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSF, (x t a) DATE DISTR. 1pNov 1952
PLACE___ NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO. 25X1
THif DOCUMENT CONTAIN[ INPOSNATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OP THE UNITED STATE[., WITHIN TON SEAMING OF TITLE IS, SECTIONS 7S!
ANN 704, OP TNf V, S. COD[. Af AN[NO[D. ITS THAN [MISS IDS ON [[Y[?
ACTION OP ITS CONTENTS TO OS RECEIPT [Y AN UM AV THO[I[[D P[[EON IE
PSOHISIT[O BY LAS. THE S[F0ODUCTION Of THIS PORN is PSOHISITEO.
1D The Planets plan. In located in Riga at 239 Latgales Street (now called
Moscow Sti:). The factory is approximately five kilometers from downtown
Riga. Latga1. ss Street runs parallel to the' Dvina River. It is a in
traffic artery containing street car and bus-lines and is part of a =in
route to Moscow (USSR).
2W Following 1,s a ro sketch of the plant which is located on a plot
measuring 1 sq metres
A X1 c r-R i1i x
CLASSIFICATION 0CRET/SECURITY I1 RMATION
Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2
 Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2
SECRET/SECJRII`y INFORMATION
Buildings and. Machine. y
3. The buildings were all of one-stor brick construction except the main
building which was two stories . not know their age except for 25X1
-Ale
Buildin
hi
g
w
ch was erected in 1937. All the
buildings were in good condition. The wastebin was a, simple buildin of
frame, construction.
4. The main building contained besides the offices, packing and packaging machines
and facilities; four polishing machines and two grinding machines. Buildings
+1 and jF21were machine shops. They contained: six lathes of German-make
in excellent condition; ten boring machines, part German-built and part
Latvian-built; three shapers which were new Ge=an machines; and two heavy
drop presses, one German-make of 25 tons and one 5-ton Latvian make, a
very primitive machine
5? Building #3 was divided into three parts: The first part contained a. boiler
and a sterilizing vat for cleaning needles. Its capacity was 1,500 liters.
The needles were dropped into the vat in tube suspended from chains. The
second'part of Building #3 contained the Scha.u rbank machines. These machines
were used in a polishing and cleaning operation. a'ter the needles had been
annealed. Each machine had a capacity of 12 rolls weighing 20 KM each. The
machines whirled the. needles through a chemical bath for 24+ - 4+8 hours. Thu
process was basically a chemical operation. After this, the needles were
sterilized and packaged. three of these machines in good operating
condition and. four in reserve
The third part of Building #3 contained
the annealing pits; the grinding wheels which were belt driven and ground
about 3,000 needles per minute. (The segment of wire is ground on both ends
to form the point, and in the middle to form the eye. From each segment of
wire twonesdles are made.) This portion of the building contained the
staaviang machines which flattened the and of the needle and formed the eye.
There was one large machine, five smaller ones, and four very small ones. At
least one machine of each type was kept in reserve.
6. Between Building #3 and was the stockroom where tools and materials for
d
ti
pro
uc
on were kept.
Building 1. contained two fully automatic cutting machines of German-make
which stretched the wire and cut it into the required lengths. Five fully
automatic machines for making ordinary pins were located in this building,
three of which were German-made. A German machine for making caps for
safety plus was also located here. Also there were two Swedi
h b
ilt
s
u
machines which automatically made tha tacks in a four-step process. We
made four sizes of thumb tacks. Another Latvian-built machine produced
hair pins in a three operation proce7built cutting, bending and cringping
Since Planeta was a specialty plant, and/or modified man .
Raw Materials,
source of,raw materials was the government wire mill at La a:
Pl
t
.
ane
s
secured all its wire from this mill
The sale exceptions to this were a small amount of Soviet }wire that came
from Leningrad during the 194+0-41 USSR occupation and some German wire during
the German occupation (19+1-44). in l944, there was a three-year supply of
raw materials on hand. The raw materials were various sizes and grades of
wire and steel strip for thuzubtack stock. A small amount of tool steel was
used to make jigs, dies, and matrixes. =bought Swedish., Czech and
English steels for this purpose. The English steel was Sheffield. Most
of this came from an, English firm,, Firth. Czech steel to be
SECRET .-,/ SECURITY INFORMATION
25X1
25X1
25X1
f
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Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2
 Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2
SECRET /SECURITY INFORMATION
-3-
equal in quality to the Swedish., and much cheaper in price.
Soviet , steel was very good., but the quality was not uniform. The
chemicals and miscellaneous. raw materials came mostly from Latvia.
Electricity (220 V) and water were obtained from the facilities of
the city of Riga. ..
Labor Force - Production
9. employe d from 50 to 60 persons directly engaged in production,, most of whom
were skilled laborers. The number fluctuated with the number of orders
on hand. In the office there were two bookkeepers., two stenographersa
general clerk and a bill clerk; also a stockroom manager and helper a
janitor, and three watchmen. not more than 10% of~
employees still work there.
factory was the only one of its type in the Baltic states, In addition
to' the domuestic market
11. Planeta manufactured the following items: special parts of textile weaving
machinery,, shoemaker's tacks; all types, of needles including sail, tobacco.,
upholstery and surgical; pins; safety pins; phonograph needles; thumb tacks;
hair pins; paper clips; staples; crocheting hooks; knitting needles; and
restraints for mental patients. In view of the varied nature of our products,
it is impossible to give accurate, information on quantities made.
estimate the value of~ plant in 1944 at US $200 thousand.
12. There were no railroad sidings to or from the plant ~ transportedL
manufactured oods by truck to the railroad freight station in downtown
Riga. Some products were sent to the buyer directly by mail.
13. The Planets plant was operati in 1948 according to a story in "Cina", the
Latvian Communist Party Organ +0, 18 Feb 487. The "Cina" article reads
as follows:
"The factory Red Planet increased its overall production 200, in
.1947+ It produced pproximately five times more special paper
clips than it did the previous year. The factory is producing
sewing machine needles which it never produced before. Machines
for production will be received, from the Brotherly Republics."
comment: "the Brotherly Republics" means the
Quiet Zone of Germany.
8EC1ET/SECURITY INFORMATION
Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2
 Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2
Approved For Release 2009/06/18: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120003-2