HIGHWAYS CONNECTING THE USSR AND MONGOLIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000400490001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 29, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 9, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

tfA' ?101.. L I .
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/29 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400490001-2
CLASSIFICATION SECRET wir
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR/Mongolia
SUBJECT Highways Connecting the USSR and Mongolia
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF INFORMAT/ON
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING TME NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATS It:FM.114,1HE MEANING OF TITLE IS, SECTIONS 79S
AND 7941 OF THE U.S;..CODEt Al 'AMENDED, ITS TEANSMISSION OR RIVE.
LAYING or ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT SY AM UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IN
PRONISITES St LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS room if PRONISITED.
DATE DISTR. a" June 19l.
50X1
NO. OF PAGES .3
50X1
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
50X1
?
1. Mongolian Route
T only road from the USSR to Mongolia
50X1 was the one beginning near Chita (52? 03' N 1130 30 E)
and going to Uncbaz-Khan (41? 19'N - 1100 39'E) an the ICEntialsa. River
50X1 in Mongolia. An, old gravel road., sixty kilometers in length,
continually recrossed the railroad track on the Trans-Siberian
Railroad between the Chita and. Darasun (520 - 115? E)
50X1 stations. In 1936 plans to build a new road between
Chita and. Darasun' from three to five kilometers from the railroad
in ortier to avoid the continual crossings. The read from Darasun
went south toward the Mongolian border, -passing about four kilometers
to the fl A st of Aksha (500 164 N 1130 E) and then on to
Khapchereirga (1490 42' N 112? 10' E). In 1936, the road, from
Darasun was changed. from a third class road. to a second. class road
and it was moved one to two kilometers to the cask of Khapcherenga,
continuing on to the Mongolian border at Nizhniy Chibkhun as a
second, class road. From the Mongolian border, there was a third
class road that continued, on to Undur-Khan, which was finished in
1936. In .1937, orders were received to change the road from the
Mongolian border into a second class road up to the point where it
crossed the river Uldza (,9? 56' N 1150 31' E) and to build. a
strategically important second class road. from that point to Bainturaen.
(1e 04" N 1140 30?E) near the Manchurian border. The bridge
50X1
CLASSIFICATION
SECRET
50X1
ORR-Ev
DISTRIBUTION
Declassified in Part-Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/29 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400490001-2
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/29 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400490001-2
- 2 -
SECRET
over the Uldza was about sixty meters long and eight meters wide,
with two 1,neo of traffic, in, each direction. The only other
large bridge On the, road was the one dressing the river Onan
(510 41' If - 1150 47' E) near the MOngolian border, which was a
Fermii emu type.
2. There was relatively little traffic over the road
50X1 siaintenance crews;end,very occasionally, military vehicles crossing
the border. The part of the road between ithapcherenga and Darasun
was more ,heavily utilized as large tin mines were located in
?Khapoherengs. There were about ten three-ton Zis trucks per day
carrYing tin from Khapiherenga to Daraseu. At Dares= the tin was
loaded onto i'reight cars. On the return trip to Khapcherenga, the
trucks carried supplies for the workers at the tin mines. There were
military garrisons in both Under -Khan and Raintsmen, but their
supplies did not come on the road from Dares= to Unchir-Khan.
Instead, they were transported by train along the Trans-Siberian
Railway to a station near the Manchurian border, and then by Zia
truck. into MInrsolia along o.n Old Czarist' road which runs near and
paralel to the Manchurian 'border down to lisintusten. The supplies
for, the garrison at .Undur-Khan were carried on an old. road from
Saint.
,
3. There is another road into Mongolia
50X1 between Ulan-Ude and.Ulan-Bator, crossing the Mongolian:border, at
*eights:6'(00 20'' 1060-30'i). This =ad had. not .been oompletely
50X1 etitighed,in 1939
50X1 It 1 118.13 built not .as .a commercial rdute, but for.
strategic and military purposes, and. had very little traffic.
ROrder peck Points
.1,e,-:1,111,1* no. extensive border checking arrangements on the roads
50X1 into Mongolia because the traffic on
them: was so negligib.. There were fairly strict contraband.
regulations to prevent the smuggling of cheap Mongolian. goads into
:00111f. .The ?Soviet authorities used Mongolia as a dumping ground for
any. ,.;:eiccess goods, 'and prices in Mongolia .were therefore much cheaper.
A-suit that 'could. readily be bought in Mongolia for about 150 tunes
in 19$8-?(ectaiva1eakt to about 200 rubles) would. cost WO, to 1000 rubles
in the USSR, Boots costing 15 tunics in Mongolia (about 20 rubles),
would cost 100 rubles in the .USSR.,-.. Many commOdities were thus four or
five times. more-,re :in the USSR than in Mongolia The SOViet.
authorities, ....trefor et up very strict regulations to control the
finances of any Soviet pergionnel working .in Mongolia, such as the
tiPprozimately twenty Soviet maintenance personnel stationed ,near the
U147e, River on the ,DarasUnta Undur-Khan road,' The personnel,
releiVed only 10% of their salary in. Mongolian tunics, and the, rest
it,ffea 'deposited in a, bank in, Ant**, in Russian rattlissy, There were also
itendard regut.ations set, up for, these workers, as to the quantity of
eettain 'Commodities which they. Could buy. A member of the Soviet road.
?314ntens crew- in.; Mongolia for instance, was permitted to buy, one
'Snit ,in; Mt.h.gotia if . he ..worked 'there six mouths, ;two, suits if he worked
there. one year, ant). three suits if ,he worked there two years.. ? The
6111148- ,the .border : control points on ,the roads between the USSR
and, Mongolia checked' the documents and also searched for any Contraband.
sEcRET
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/29 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400490001-2
Declassified in Part-Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @50-Yr2013/04/29 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400490001-2
50X1
- 3 -
SF,CRET
There were four- or five soldiers of the Nap border guard at the border
aantrol paints, both on?the'lltaraiun to--thidur.4tben,road? and the old
Czarist' road near the Manchurian border leading :to-Baintumen. In 1938,
the ?border . control- paint 'on' the Tkirainat ' to Aludilt Khan ' road was established.
as an international frontiev.crcrssing-Withentitartis.instieetion. The
road..to Piaintniten always had a customs inspection station at the
border, probably because it was, so near to Manchuria. All vehicles
tellineaerosa.the'border.' On- the bit SI* ' t 1.1 n du r lauti road had
to get - documents 'frOM, thet-Regional.-Righway? Administration . permitting
ithenr'to. *lie the ? tr*p Iterovii :41ie bOrder, ; these?'dioiniaents"were ezatined
by the border guards..'''Peintission' for ''.VehiCle- CrasSings intO Mongolia,
from the. ?8f.ifIR .was.?Obtainable In,?Chita; 'an' office at the Mate-River
bridge on. ? the -? 1*.tfignn-"bd 'thidur;Khan'ioad ' issued 'Pertission.fbr 'Vehicles
to cross ''fronv::MongOlia. to the USSR-:, In addition to vehicle permit,
permits were reijuired for each person - eressing. the Mongolian
border. The bdraer aheak.'1$eiirits ' hairever, not ? usuillY?Watie more than
'fifteen Minute
,
50X1
SECRET
Declassified in Part-Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @50-Yr2013/04/29 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400490001-2