TRADE BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN ZONE OF AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R000400420009-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 26, 1999
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: March 20, 1947
• Content Type: IR

-pq4 0400420009-6s,25X1A2g
'!I ei '.eS e d
letter c? _ ^ o;cr 1)73 from the
Director ct Ccr:tr .1Ggence to the
Archivist of the United
CENTRAL I T LU G N E GROUP
INTELLIGENCE REPORT
25X1A2g
25X1A2g
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
Switzerland/Aus t;ria
Trade Between the Russian Zone of
Austria and Swi-;zerland
DATE:
INFO.
GIST,
20 March 194?
PAGES
3
ORIGIN
25X1A2g
25X1X6
SUPPLEMENT
25X1X61p
the Russians Illegally are siA11i
considerable qua. ntitios of goods, produced in their zone of
Austria, to Switzerland. These transactions do not pass
through the Aus- rian_Swiss: clearing arrangements.
25X1X6
I.nfoxtion shows that the following
Swiss and Austr;.n firms are concerned in these transactions:
(a) Swiss Fix ?3:
K pfinehl, Zof'ingon;
Sofa., Baden near Zurich;
F' iga3.iment, St. Margrethen;
I3. ,vag, Basel, Gerberstrasse 20;
E:3t--Commerz, Z rich, Seehofstrasse 13.
(b)
T'~ans ithandel A, G. ; Vienna and Zurich;
Im-Export, Vienna VII, SclaottenIeldgasse;
Austrarn, Linz (Managing Director: Gazda);
: itterbauh & Wagner, Traun, Upper Austria.
25X1A9a
r^~f` iron t~ r~?~ A 1
taA
,
s= are
_~
!
k~prove
F
celase
-tsmioul
ikk
t
B CEP.
0400420
0
9-6
41 Gribanov of the Russian Ddoessy in Berne. Gribanov
recommended. Hongal to get in touch with a certain P4povs
living at the Hotel St.- Gothar 3 in ZUrich, whom he described
as "an unofficial conuuercial representative of the t7SSR'~.
chief, Colonel :apschinkov (sic), and addressed to Counselor
Recently Rudolf Hengel of IM-Fxprrt visited Switzerland.
had with. him a -recommendation of the "4d-ninistratiom of
f1jr
Soviet Property in Fast: Austria"(Verwaltung
Sowjeteigontum In bstlichez Oesterreich), signed by Its
Austrian Firms;
 Approved For Release 1999/09/08: CIA-RDP82-00457R000400420009-6
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
Washington, D.C.
The .firm, Frigaliment, of St. P= argrethen negotiated the sale
of 25,000 tons of scrap iron from the Russian Zane of
Austria to Switzerland, which did not pass through the
Austrian-Swiss clearing as it was retarded as Russian war
booty. Also concerned in this transaction was the firm of
iitterbach & Wagner. Mr. Wagner of this laattor firm visited
Switzorland at the time of the transaction. While returning
to Austria, he was caught by the Austrian customs officials
with 134,000 Austrian schiilings on him. 25X1X6
25X1X6 this sum was part of the commission be ng pa?. ? o S
19! in "black" sohillings. Under the transaction Mitterbach
& Wagner were to receive 14 sohillings per ton and a
commission of one percent for working the scrap iron and
arranging its shipment to Switzerland. This should have
passed through the Austrian-Swiss clearing.'
5. Prigaliment was commissioned by the Russians to purchase
goods in Switzerland for them from the Proceeds of sale of
this scrap iron.
Frigaliment also is concerned in transactions with the
St. P8ltner Glanzstoff A.G., another Austrian firm under
Russian control. Recently Frigaliment has bought considerable
quantities of artificial silk from the St. P S1tner G1anzstoff
against certain goods and machinery required by the
St. Pbltner Glanzstoff A.G. In this connection source points
out that the Russians would be interested in Improving the
value of those Austrian concerns, which they have taken over,
against the possible time when they will be forced to sell
them back to the Austrians.
25X1X6 7.
representatives of the Frigalirsent firm
ave Men cross roquently to and fro .from A>stris to
Switzerland, Recently the firm applied POD official permits
for the following three representatives to go to Austria:
Dietschweiler, Arthur
Swiss Subject
Born 15.7.26
Resident at Altsthtten, Marktgasse
(In his application Dietschweiler wits that
he has travelled frequently to Italy on
business since the end of the war,)
Buehlmann, Mann
Swiss Subject
Born 130,1006
Resident at St. Margrether;., St. Galienha.uptstrasse
Gantenbein, Jakob
Swiss Subject
Born 31.10.1912
Resident at St. Mar grethen
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000400420009-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000400420009-6
25X1A2g
CENTRAL TINT LLIGENCE GROUP
Washington, D.C.
25X1X6
8. In support of these.-applications Frigalimant stated that it
is doing considerable business with the Austrian authorities,
with whom It now requires personal contact. Thus, it has
suppi1ed.200 tons of fish to the Food Office in.Vienna, and
has been. asked to increase these suppli"s. It has also
bought 10d00 tons of sods from Ebensee a ainst pill; cans, and
5:000 tons of scrap iron from. Upper Austria.
The firm of Trsnsithandel A.G. ,is owned by Schmidt-Four; and
Baron G8rz, who am resident in Vienna, and 1.Ia jor Rsichel-
Erlenhorst, who is resident in Z1rich. This fire recently
negotthted the sale of iiun6 ar lan oil to Switzerland in agree-
uont with. the Russian authorities in Vilna.
10. Re .chal is a good friend of Minister' He,Ln1, who looks upon
him as an official Austrian representative in Switzerland.
Yid
Lel
al .1%.
hre : oL n~~ -~
25X1X6 lie
25X1X6
Bourg and GBrz headed the Econo .cepa?ntsiont~ of the
Tlrrole, Govsrrnr]ent 1r iediately after the war, and were
finally turned out as the result of protests from all sides
Reichel was in South Tyrol during tho closing stages of the
war, claims to have played a part in the capitulation of the
German armies there and in the organization of the South
Tyrolean resistance movement, In.South Tyrol he has the
reputation of a convinced Nazi and close friend of Gauloiter
Hofer.)
named Weber to the Russians In Viennao
or cagy-Vertretung in Vienna recently Introduced a Sul
12. copy of a latter addressed by the
FA . nistration of Soviet Property in East Austria" on 23
December. 1946, to the Swiss fir]:1 of Paul, Oeschger &: Cie.,
ZUrich OerliIcon. In this letter, which refers to unspecified
compensation transactions, Paul Ooschgor & Cie, are asked by
the Russians to deal with the Austrian 'irni of Schenker & Cie.
in Vienna,
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000400420009-6