THE HYDRO-OXYGEN WORKS OF BUDAPEST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R012200080008-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 28, 2006
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 26, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

25X1
'FEB 1952 srs's
Approved For Release 2006/08/08 ;CIA-RDP82-004578012200080008-4
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
CLASSIFICATION I RET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO.
COUNTRY Hungary
SUBJECT The Hydra-Oxygen Works of Budapest
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DO NOT CI~CULAC
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES. WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 793
AND 794, Of THE U.S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED BY LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. The_Hydro-Oxygen Works is located in Budapest, Budafoki ut 72, between the
-R8ck Iron Works and the Prank factory., and opposite the main depot of the
firm "Meinl." It is the only plant of any size which produces oxygen and
the entire Hungarian heavy industry depends upon its production. Originally
the factory was a subsidiary of the Pick-Salami corporation. Later it
CD NO.
DATE DISTR.
26 May 1952
NO..OF PAGES
3
VYs r ~- 0.)SIto t5rlum
c.
came under the administration of the Hungarian?Commerce Bank (Magyar Kereskedelmi
Bank) and it was nationalized in 1948. After the nationalization the following four small factories were combined
a. Hyd.t -Oxygen Plant, GySr.
?
Document No. ----------
No Change In Class. n
r1 foals atifird STA
Hydro-Oxygen Pg.ant, Miskolc.
Hydro-Oxygen Plant, Budapest, PetnebAzi u
d. Hydro-Oxygen Plant, Budapest, Papai Isty
3.
Clads. Changed To: TS S
Auth.: HR 70-2
Date: 13~ , --------- Bye
The main product of the factory is oxygen made from liquid air by fractional
distillation. The caustic soda required for the cooling process is produced
in the factory itself from common salt.
The Budapest faotory(on Budaf oki ut) produces
a. Oxygen:.
b. Hydrogen
c. Nitrogen..
CLASSI F1 CATION
400,000 cum. per month
50,000 cu.m. per month
50,000 cu.m. per month
6/COYMOL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
STATE X 1 NAVY NSRB DISTRIBUTION
ARMY X AIR A FBI 1, 0900900 P.
- "1.11.11.101,11,11,10-14 1 0r V
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SECRET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
15,000 kgg per month
2OOO cua:m. per month
200,000 kg. per month
The four small factories each produce only 20,000 to 30,000 cu.m. of oxygen
monthly, so that the Miskolc factory is not even able to satisfy the needs
of the'Di+sgyr. Iron Works, which have to obtain considerable additional
supplies from Budapest. The GyBr factory similarly cannot supply the full.
needs of the Gy8r Freight Car Factory.
The end-use of the production is as fellows:
a. 2xyZei is supplied to all industries, including tailroad and shipbuilding.
concerns 4
bw Hydrogen is a by-product supplied to soap and margarine factories, and
to the nitrogen factory at Pet for military purposes. It is not known
whether other armament works are also supplied with hydrogen.
c. Nitrogen is supplied to the Hungarian Electric: Bulb Factory (Magyar
:Ez la pagyhr) and to the Hubert & Sigmund Machine Parts Factory for
the tempering of steel.
d. Caustic soda: Liquid caustic soda is supplied to textile factories in
carboys.
e Chlorine is supplied. to chemical and. dye factories, bleaching works, and
the textile industry.
Caustic Sodas
Liqui4. chlorine
Sodium hypochlorite
f. Hychlorite is supplied to the State Wholesale Center for Aniline Dyes
A:cia .n Festek Nagykereskedes A . v .) which sells it as a cleaning material*
Caum chloride is supplied to the hospitals.
The only basic materials needed are coal for steam and sodium chloride for
the production of caustic soda. Coal (small quaLtities) c=omets froze the
"brown coal'' mines at `f'ata and sodium chloride is imported from Rumania.
8. The factory has three trucks which supply the distribution centers in Budapest.
Large factories in Budapest and in the provinces send their own vehicles to
the factory for supplies.
A total of 240 workers are employed in the factory, almost all of whom have
worked there for many years. Recently women have been ' taken on. The average
age of the workers is 40 years. Work is done in three eight-hour shifts.
There are 50 office employees, who are teAnicians andclerks. The adminis-
trative personnel also works in three shifts.
10. The factory makes all payments through a single State Bonk account There are
no agents and no private customers, and all business is transacted by means of
credit or debit entries on the account.
The machinery is more than 20 years old., and because no spare parts can be
obtained from abroad, daily repairs are necessary to the three main installations.
The ' 'aetory has a steam~1+ef_ sr with a heating surface of 45 sq. m. Fl.ectrici.ty
is supplied by the municipal power station.
aY ROT/CONI`RO:. U.S, OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457RO12200080008-4
 /CON OL - U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
12. The general onager is : ihari (Weiss) (fnu), 45 years old, a former loc;ksmsith
and Party member from. Budapest .
13. Because the factory is of vital importance. to Hungarian industry, whose
needs it cannot even fully satisfy, the AVE supervises the works meticuu:lously,
and poll ce round-ups are frequent . The workers are kept in terror by the
AyE, which always suspects sabotage; therefore. every breakdown of a machine
is likely to lead. to the arrest of workers operating it.
1950 a new oxygen factory with a larger capacity than the above. was built
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arip Fier Ti story at to+~a.pent& ~. As the fractionizing installations could
not be obtained. from West ,2'e:--many, it was planned: to dismantle one of the
three installations of the old. Budapest works and to take it to the new
factory.
As __a_ result the factory has been dismantled and. it was planted to build
i was iri eres~p c~? ~ar a is a back by the Americans at the. Czech frontier.
on 'Megyer:L utBu est. All installations were complete except for those
for- t. j actioni:.zirig process, which had been ordered from West Germany and
paid in. barter by foodstuffs. The machinery was sent by a German firm, but
15. The following new works and i astallations in Budapest have been reported..-
a in, 1950 a Resea?c tib ;>> f sti.tute for "Heavy and. Light Industry was built
whicch is locate=d at the corner of Ardor ft and Fehevdri utca. The
institute is :heav ll.y guarded and it is believed that it is also engaged
in military work.
b. Adjoining the Research Institute there is a building materials factory
making cement blocks and wall sections. :rn addition. to regular workers
the factory employs about 1,.000 young prisoners.
a. There is a rope factory between Andor ut and Pehc :rva.ri u-tca 4, consisting
of large factory buildings which were erected in 1950-1951. The factory
is under Soviet control and. employs about 2,000 workers. It is believed
that it is engaged i.n defense production.
' 1~'~i 01, - . S. OFF f : AL,S OlV7:Y
Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457RO12200080008-4