GOERZ OPTICS PLANT AND SUBSIDIARIES IN SLOVAKIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R005900020011-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 21, 2003
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: October 2, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

9 Mat't fulIM
CENTRAL INTEL.ICENC,-, AGENCY REPQRI
Approved For Release 2003/08/11: CIA-RDP82-8015TR005900020011
FORMAcTlOaENRETALPIORT CD NO.
o
COUNTRY Czechoslovakia
-7
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DATE DISTR, DC T 50
NO. OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
SUBJECT Goerz Optics Plant and Oubsicliaries
in Slovakin
PLACE
ACQUIRE
DATE OF
INFO.
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LIBRARI
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. This plant was established in Bratislava (P49/X99) some years ago by the
Viennese firm of Goorz? and became thereby the first optics factory in Czecho-
slovakia. The main factory in Vienna had hoped by establishing this branch
to secure priority orders from the National Defense Hinistry. Goerz in
Bratislava remains the only optics plant in Slovakia, and in accordance
with Slovak demands in 3_940 that their factories be independent of Bohemian
and Moravian management, the COMMPni at government allowed Coe= independence
from Meopta. Goerz, however, is a very small plant, and is able to stave
off absorption by Heopta, which is to control all Bohemian optics produc-
tion (Srb & Stys in Prague, Optikobechna in Prerov (P50/003), Kolar 4 n
Trnovany (1151/F53), and several other small factories), only by having a
management staff which is superior even to that of Meopta itself. The
question of whether Goerz or Meopta will eventually develop Slovakian optics
is, however, still an open one.
2. The Goerz plant in >rat islava? which employs 500 workers at present, is situ-
ated in the center of the city near the railroad station. Since it is sur-
rounded by houses on about 12,000 sq0 meters of land, the possibilities of
enlarging the plrnt are extremely limited. It is reported, however, that
it will move into the center of Slovald.a, south of ?melon (Q49/(374). Until
this is accomplished, its military significance will be slight.
3. Although the lens calculating office, where the proper type of lenses, etc.
is determined before a project goes into production, is poorly provided with
personnel, the factory equipment is in very good shape. The machines for
grinding the lenses have about 60 spindles and the sage number of polishing
spindles. There are about 250 machines involved in the mechanical produc-
tion, which is of the standard tyre found in a small optics and fine mechanics
factory. The developmental activities of the Goerz plant are very intensive
as the result of the eforts of Ing. Palivec, the former director of Optiko-
techna in Prorov, this is a very able technician and organizer.* He is not
a Communist.
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CLASSIFICATION-gggigal
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4-4,0 Approve'lle
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cii-NTRAL INTELLINCE ACTIGY
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4. The production program consists of field glasses, compasses, magnifying
glasses, opera glasses, monocular hand microscopes of 100 power which can
easily be converted to six-power telescopes by the addition of another V
lens, telemeters, scientific instruments and periscopes. Among the chief
items in the program are both professional and amateur moving picture pro-
jectors which were designed by Ingo 'eoetal and Ing. Rysam? who owned a plant
in Prague which was purchased instead of being confiscated in 1947. roving
picture apparatus, such as swivel tripods which permit continuous movement
of the camera and auxiliary telemeters, ax also produced. Optical glass
is imported, some of it from America.
_)
Goerz is also cooperating with Techna in designing a new, special camera
which can take still color photographs on black and white film by means
of the Linder system of triple images exposed simultaneously through three
different color filters.**
6. In eratislava there is also a Goers branch plant employing E0 people which
produces drafting eouipmont. It is located on nalinovsky Street in the
building of the old nichora firm which produced hydrometers. Its equip-
ment is modern and was made by Techna in 1947 and 1948.
7. Another eratislava plant, employing only 20 people and making alarm clocks,
is controlled by Gocrzo It is a smal1 but well managed factory, formerly
called -elachimsky, which was nationalized in 1948. Its former owner remained
in charge of the plant.
Co A third Dratislava factory controlled by Goorz repairs precision measuring
instruments such as barometers, manometers and hydrometers. This plant,
which employs 40 people, is located on the 2acisdorf Road. It was national-
ized in 1948.
9, Another Goerz plant, employing, 35 people and manufacturing alarm clocks,
is located at Turciansky Svaety Martin (Q50/069). It vas nationalized in
1940. Expansion of this plant is, however, unlikely in view of the fact
that the nbravian ehromotochna firm has been authorized by the Plan to develop
the clock industry.
10. Goerz) together with its subsidiary plants, will probably soon be assigned
to the Stara Tura fine mechanics national enterprise, since it is not itself
large enough to warrant independent status as a national enterprise.***
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Domment: The current capacity of all CSR optics factories is very
nign, out the development -work is generally very slow. This condition caused
the rec-very of Czech optics to fnl, behind that of German optics, which was
very rapid after the war, and permitted the German optics industry to gain
ascendancy over the Czech in the export market.
omment: This system, whereby three images of the same subject are
cously exposed through three fteeferent colored filters) requires
that prints be made by superimposing the three negatives. This results,
in positives which are far superior to those achieved
by the conventional method of color photography. The required exposure time,
however; is 10 times that necessary with the conventional method.
Approved ForReles5e)ff03/08/11 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005900020011-7
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