MINO DISASTER IN THE JOHANNGEORGEMSTADT URANIUM DISTRICT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R004400280004-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 2, 2004
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: February 3, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

`~ONFiDFNTn
COUNTRY
TOPIC
V oved For Release 2004/07/08 : CIA- - 0400280004-6
CLASSIFICA 110
Soviet Zone of Germany
25X1 REPORT NO_.
1Ginc: Disaster in the JO ,1ANNG1 0Ruh1 STldi.Uranium District
EVALUATION I 25X1 ,PLACE OBTAINED.. 25X1
DATE OF CONTENT Ind 'f fovercbcr >49
DATE OBTAINED -DATE PREPARED 3 rebrt: ry 3 950
REFERENCES
PAGES 1 ENCLOSURES (NO. & TYPE)
REMARKS-
25X1
RETUR" 10.._?
1. Press reports on this disaster are much exaggerated. There were about 300
victims. This figure may be incre: sed b,v those who died in hospital; however,
this cannot be proved, as all German doctors were replaced by Russian doe-
tore to prevent any leakaZe of info ration on the effects of toe catastrophe.
2. It is certain that the accident oril .nnted in the %,inding engine shop of
shaft No 31. (There is no shaft iho 35.) L;xcessive overload caused the cable
to catch fire, wnicih imruediately spread to tree -'r-led planking. The smoke
was sucked into the rnin: by the natural a.1 r flog., as well as by the venti-
lators,, which only later were switched off. Thus, :11 ].evols of abject 1 o 1
were affected. '.,..irk coul not be resw..ed for ore than a week.
3. any German cnployee,:, were arrested Lrmaediately, the itussians being con-
vinced that there had ben sabotage. Some of ;,rte Germans are stiii being
held. Annoying and ark-ward interrogations b,, the ;.: Vi) have not yet ended.
Press reports on t,i' s accident are h::ainly based on report1s of ur.o "l3arliner
'i'elegraf", which were copied by tthe other newspapers.
25X1 j'orttment
First information on the mine disaster in JC-IiIS3 iE3LOR(~iJY:~TAJ'T at We end of
November 1949.
This document is hereby tegradud to
CONFIDENTIAL in accordance with thO
letter of 16 October 1978 Irom i 1e
Director of Central InteliigenOe to the
Archivist of the United States.
Next Review Date: 2008
25X1 NTIL
C l ASS I FIC,;T1 f V
Approved For Release 2004/07/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R004400280004-6