DESCRIPTION OF THE TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE AT KAUNAS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000400440002-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 23, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 13, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

)eclassified in Part-Sanitized CopyAprz),rovIV?trilltreugZu-Lrx2014/11/04 : CIA-RDP82-0004000400440002-6
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COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF IN.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
USSR (Lithuania)
Description of the Telephone and Telegraph Office
Office at Kaunas.
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTION THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
Of THE UNITED STATE, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE IS, SECTIONS POO
AND BOO, OF TOE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSIFISOIDO OR RrVEP
LATION Or ITS COOTENTB To oR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PRoNINITED EY LAW. THE REPROOUCTIOM OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
REPORT
CD NO. 50X1
DATE DISTR. /3 May 1954
NO. OF PAGES)?
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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1. The central offices of the telephone and telegraph administration in
Kaunas were (and probably still are) located in a modern, three-story
brick building located between Laisves Aleja - the Avenue of Freedom
(now Stalin Avenue) and Ozeskienes Street (probably now rempimPd.) It
fronted on Ozeskienes Street and was constructed in 1934-1935. In 1944
the Germans attempted to destroy the building by setting charges in
the basement but only partially succeeded. I have drawn a sketch,5ee
gnclosure (A17 of the location of the building from memory to show its '
location and nearby buildings.
2. The first two floors of the front of the building (facing Ozeskienes
Street) housed administrative offices; the third floor front was given
over to telegraph offices and equipment. The telephone equipment was
in the back section or central part of the building which faced on the
Post Office yard., There are windows on both sides of this central part.
I have drawn separate sketches ffes EnclOstreS(B)-(Z17frommemory of the layout
of thebasement (Sketch 2), first (Sketch 3), second (Skptrol LI anA
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third (Sketch 5) floors.
50X1 I A cai ue seen irom sketch 2 there was a basement
under the main part of the central building only. The workshop,
storage batteries, power units and cable vault were all located in the
basement. The first floor (Sketch 3) accommodated toll lines, frames,
test desk, long distance repeaters (including an intermediate Riga-
Berlin repeater), subscribers meters, the main distribution frame, offices,
workshops and storerooms as shown. During the first Soviet occupation
there was a door between the frame room of the first floor and the first
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floor. the adjoining Ministry of Justice building used by NKVD agents
for d 'E!dliahges of the controlled lines between the main distri-
bution frame and the listening board. In the same room of Ministry of
Justice building there was a 100 or 200 lint Secret panel dial system
central office made by Ericson of Sweden. It was used for connections
between high Government officials, the Ministry of Communication and Post'
Administration officials. It had no connection with the Kaunas central
offices. but was mnintained by a technician from the telephone administra-
50X1 tion. there was also listening equipment for wire tapping
where conversations of certain subscribers of the regular service were
monitored on a 24-hour basis,
3. The automatic equipment on the second floor was manufactured and installed
by the Automatic Electric and Telephone Company, Ltd, of Liverpool, England.
The cut-over took place in November of 1936. The dialing equipment is
the "step-by-step" system with selectors similar to those used in the US.
Subscribers were assigned numbers from 20 thousand to 29999. There is also
a one thousand line telephone central of a similar type located on the
second floor of the Post Office at Sanciai, a suburb of Kaunas, on
juozapav#Aha� Prospeite 211-*F�were 4717.0m44- thousand to 41999. It was
installe&-it the same time as the'Maih Office and was connected by 40
or. 50 trunksF,Ji.subscriber,at Kana' oould dial_Sanciai by the first
two digits H ,90L4Sandiai couW4alKaunae.tyriret 444ing the first
digit ) eis of the downtown Kaunas area ,and the larger streets
were reachedWi OUnd q.P?q.;s. hZa0i4l,cable or combinations
of the two, SUbier. 4(the.peripherTwereLreaphed,by:aerial cables
and open vire lines. "IPP0)40.s. Kaunapandjanciai were connected
by underground, and aerl.scablea.
4. The long-distance central office located on the third floor had a switch-
board of 24 positions and about 1.0.249ns,. distance lines. There was at
least one line between Kaunas and each -Vvn which was anadminiptratve
-center of the 20 districts plus other 11*.i towns. Some had two and
three- lines. There were also telephone 4414:to all neighboring Post
Offices around Kaunas. All long distance 1146-outaide the City (Kaunas)
and larger towns were open wire lines.
amplifiers were used on long distance .lines .which' often caused poor, trans-
mission* Fr -.1mterhationa1 connections there. were long-distance direct lines
to 13.er1iA,-Koenigsberg., EditkUhnen, Riga, Liepaja and, I believe, Jelgava
and teugavpils, Latvia. After the Germans occupied Klaipeda (Memel) there
weredirect connections between Klaipeda and Kaunas. I am not sure of direct
50X1 connections with the USSR however the towns located on the
Lithuanianbordere had connections with towns in the other foreign border
tow*, There was a transit open Vire line made up of four mm diameter copper
,wire.kone-pair) with an intermediate repeater on the first floor. of the
CentraIAt Kaunas for direct coinzawApagORpetweenv.Rigs,aml.kga4pA),,,vi
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Koenigsberg and Riga and, possibly, Rerlin and. Mbscow.. A high frequency
repeater (carrier) made possible the' use of one circuit of exceptionally
fine, built (and maintained) pair of the same sized copper wire for three
conversations simultaneously,. There maybe amplifiers on that line at
other points.b414am not sure. To the best of my knowledge the leased
line vett throUgh.KbegigOergybartai, Kaunas, Sialaliail Joniskis and,
Jelgava.., There were also two more highgrequency repeaters in the Kaunas
central exchange for connections with Icaunas*E1*1404aand Siauliai which
made, I believe, two circuits out of One, wire Pair:-
5. In all of Lithuania the only other dial central of the same type as Kaunas
was at Klaipeda with a three thousand line capacity. Large post offices
such as Siaultai, Panevezhis, Mariyampole, Silute and Ukmerge had central
battery manual switchboards. Smaller post offices had only local battery
manual central offices.
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6. The Republic of Lithuania was divided into approximately 20 telephone dis-
tricts:Each was headed by a district mechanic with an assistant. They
� hired line teams who were untrained but received "on the job" training.
These were seasonal and not permanent employees. They maintained telephone
and telegraph lines and constructed new lines. They installed equipment
in post offices and maintained the networks of towns. Each post office
� had a technician who took care of telephone and telegraph equipment and
lines.. The long distance lines are subjected to much damage due to
� storms, winter and summer. When breakdowns occurred, repair teams and
technicians would be sent from one or both post offices between which
the breakdown occurred. Trains, buses, horses and some automobiles
were used by these repair teams.
7. The titles of permanent technical employees of the post office adnytni titra-
tion Were divided into 20 salaried groups or categories. Linemen were in
-the third category; mounters (installers) in the fifth; telephone and .
telegraph supervisors in the sixth and seventh; mechanics in the eighth
and ninth; chief mechanic in the 10th. The administration organized courses
of three months for mounters and linemen and also maintained post,
telephone and telegraph courses of, pne year for candidates to higher
positions.. A supervisor had to complete this one year course.
8. I do not kthsthanges the Soviets have made in personnel but as an
50X1 example, (first Soviet occupation) switchmen were called
engineer e ta were very cautious about security matters. Soviet
soldiers were placed:Aro. guard posts in various parts of the central office
building and yard in Kaunas. The guard-room was located in a side office
room of the frame room on the ,first floor. Identification cards of every-
one entering were checked. The loyalty of all employees was checked and
rechecked by the Special Division of Post Administration, actually an
IRga division. All employees had to rakP out numerous questionnaires.
'tenunciation of fellow employees was encouraged.
9. The telegraph office was located on the third floor of the Kaunas- central
office. Before the Soviet occupation it employed 65 to '70
employees. During the occupation the was increased to over 100.
The office was overloaded with work, primarily because it was mostly used
thy oracials for their communications. Where the one line with Hughes
apparatus had been used, this plus three channels of the Bodes= Kaunas
Moscow line were overloaded. Hughes telegraph apparatus was used for
connections with Berlin, Moscow, Koenigsberg, Riga, Liepaja, Siauliai,
Vilnius, Klaipeda and Panevezys. On the remaining 20 or more telegraph
circuits,. Morse equipment and several teletypes were used. There were
-additional telegraph lines between certain post offices without direct
50X1 connections with Kaunas. al]. telegrams were strictly
�censore�sr by- the NM.
- end -
ENCLOsURE (A): Sketch Showing, General Layout of 13uil4ing Housing Central
Offices of the Telephone and Telegraph Administration in
itaxinas
� Sketch a Ilasegjent, Plan of Building
C): Sketch of First Floor- Plan
: Sketch of Second Floor Plan �'L
Sketch of Third Floor Plan
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