MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION ON THE SOVIET-CONTROLLED OIL INDUSTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R014000080007-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2004
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: January 26, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

FORM NO.
I MAY 1949 540
COUNTRY Austria
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
Miscellaneous Information on the Soviet-Controlled
Oil Industry
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NO. OF PAGES 1
NO. OF ENCLS. 1 (2 pages)
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
DATE OF INFO.
ACQUIRED
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT 50
U. S. C., 31 AND 32 AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION
OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PRO.
HIBI TED BY LAW. REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
THIS .DOCUMENT lIAS All ENCLOSURE ATTACHEb-1
00 EIOT DETACH
The attached material is forwarded to you on loan.
99rF1 CA? 2=1
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 25XFEPORT
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
1''342
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DATE DISTR. 26 January 1953
Distribution: ORR (Loan)
OSI (Retention)
S
94 aft-
9PLOgt~gf
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Approved For Release 2005/02/17 : CIA-RDP83-00415RO14000080007-0
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1 Sn a of the richest oil fields ix O zgp A e located A._ _--- _ _e . v,,e ,duet
outside Vienna.' Under Soviet direction these million tons
duejDA
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exercised control over the remaining 25p used by the Austrian economy.
Early in 1952 the Soviets issued a stern order to the Austrian oil well opera-
tors to increase their. production of crude oil. As a result, the wells are
being operated twenty-four hours a day. As of 30 June 1952, the rate of oil
production from, these wells was four Million tons per year.
Results of a survey of Austrian, coal deposits just completed for the Austrian
government show only twenty-one coal mines in all of Austria. In general,, the
coal from these mines is of poor quality and much of it can be burned only with
great difficulty. The survey showed that the total deposits available in these
twenty-one mines are less than the normal, yearly production of brown coal in
Germany., For this reason the Austrians are seriously concerned over the fuel
shortage and over their predicament of not being free to use their oil in
exchange for coal.
L. The Soviets have created further problems for the Austrians in directing the
production of gasoline by the cracking of petroleum. Just outside Vienna in
the Soviet Zone is an old thermal cracking plant which is operated.by the
Austrians under Soviet supervision. This plant has been producing 30% gasoline
from cracked.petroleum containing 7rj, gasoline. The Soviets insisted that the
gasoline production of this plant could be doubled. Austrian engineers tried
to explain the physical impossibili",y of doing this with the equipment on hand.
The Soviets forced them to double the input of crude oil through the cracking
plant with ,the result that the gasoline yield fell to 7%, which was the gasoline
content of the crude oil before cracking. The Soviets then demanded that the
operators increase the input tenfold. Since this was far in excess of the,
plant's capacity,, the cracking chamber simply acted as a pre-heater for the
distilling column. Consequently, although the Soviets are still getting only
7% yield from the total input oi' crude oil, they insist that since the input
was increased ten times, they now are obtaining ten times '~0%, , yield of
sae 1, pros k t3 ~ 9a~Q4~~~/$ e 9 ?1?3 4j5%~.fi & under-these
conditions and the gasoline that is obtained contains some diesel oil.
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5 , Another instaaide -of Soviet complications is their attempt to ex rac gaselioe
_rrom rovPA 9[ i9 R@Q?4 1 Ja ~ i-~P4P4~tiR @4~.86~O Ao liras ands
usually no attempt is made to extract it. The So'ists recently ordered the
Austrians to e;ctract this dine. A Soviet. p raleum- expert required the
Austrian operators to pass the taut gas through a tower of activated charcoal
to extract the gasoline. The gas came out of the wells at a pressure. of 200
atmospheres end sines the tower is not designed for such high pressures, the
gas bleu out all the charcoal. Under Soviet orders, the Sao that comas out
of the wall is first expanded to atmospheric p3essure, then passed through
the extractor, and finedly compressed back to 200 atmospheres pressure by
electric power.' The amount of gasoline thus obtained is said to be negligible.
6. Samples Qf oil, coal, and natural gas are sent by the Soviets to Professor
Peters* at the Technical University of Vi#nda for testing beasuse this
institution has a testing. laboratory supported by the Austrian government.
So far, the Soviets have not paid for this service although they promise to
do mo. The samples come mainly frau thl Soviet operated oil and coal fields
of Austria. Soviet operated factories using this oil-and coal also submit
samples to.this laboratory for analysis without paying for the service.
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Approved For Release 2005102117 : - - 15R014000080007-0