(UNTITLED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00423R001300690002-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 5, 1999
• Sequence Number: 2
• Content Type: LIST

Approved For Rel - 0423R001300690002-0
1. "In her drive to increase the volume of exports, Poland has scored some minor
successes recently /prior to 22 Dec 537 but also has met with serious setbacks
due entirely to her economic dependence on the USSR. with the resultant pressure
on Polish industry.
Exports to the UK
2. "The following import licences were recently granted by the British Board of Trade:
(a) Canned fish, canned fish roe and caviar - unlimited quantities from
Poland, other satellite countries and the USSR, starting 1 Jan 54
(Open General Licence). On behalf of Poland, ANGLO-DAL is conducting
negotiations, but the exported quantities will not be very large as
most of the Polish offers are for freshwater fish which are not very
popular in the UK.
(b) Large quantities of onions in brine against individual licences grant-
ed to bona fide British importers, valid for the first half year of
of 1954: from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Rumania and the Soviet
zone Germany, and also from the USSR.
Exports to France
3. "On the basis of the last LFranco-Polish7 commercial agreement, during the year
1954 Poland will export following items to France:
- Cotton, rayon and woolen textiles to French overseas possessions
- Certain types of timber to French North Africa
- Paper pulp, matches
- Coal
- Soya beans
- Salted pig casings
- Down and feathers.
4. "French exports to Poland will include: iron ore, superphosphates from North Africa,
mining machines and tools, electric equipment, spare parts for French motor vehicles,
certain dyes, drugs and pharmaceutic chemicals.
Exports to Far and Near East
5. "ivarkets in the Far and 'INTear East 5ic7 are now receiving offers from the Polish
state-company RCl.B P X for Polish sugar. The offers are for quantities from
10,000 to 25,000 tons per single contract to private importers, and are separate
from governmental bulk purchases of Polish sugar on the grounds of the respective
trade agreements. It is understood that the quality of this sugar is quite sat-
isfactory. The latest offers are the result of the success of the autumn 1953
campaign in Poland.
Approved For Release 1999/09/10 : CIA-RDP83-00423R001300690002-0
 Approved For Release 1999/09/ 0 : CIA, _- R001300690002-0
- 2 -
b. Olt does not seem that the good sugar production of 1953 will bring an increase
of sugar supplies for the internal Polish market. A large proportion of the
sugar quota for 'domestic use' is directed to various factories producing; sweets,
biscuits, chocolates, fruit preserves and juiccs for export.
Offers of Polish textiles
7. "Large offers of Polish cotton textiles are being, made by the state enterprise
Cb;71BE, particularly to buyers in the Far and Near East and also- through the in-
Feanediary of British exporters - to South Africa and Ceylon. These comprise most-
ly cheap printed fabrics, shirtings and cotton flannel. The prices demanded are
quite cheap, and the sai+r0les have shown a g
ood finish and very attractive patterns.
71
Some deliveries have already been contracted.
B. "It has become obvious, however that CT TEBE shall have great difficulties in ful-
filling these contractual obli,gat1_oi s, and it is uncertain whether, in spite of
low prices, it will be possible to introduce Polish cottons to the international
markets in large quantities. The reason is that recently the quality of these
products has become incomparably worse. Also, such large quantities have had to
be exported to the U,'.il and China that the delivery of fabrics purchased by other
importers is unavoidably delayed, sometimes as long as four or five months.
9. "The reasons for the lowering of production standards are:
(a) Polish factories depend almost entirely on Soviet raw cotton, most of
which is of very bad quality. In addition, there are long delays in
deliveries.
(b) Under the pressure of various commitments, especially in view of the
new obligations towards WSR and China, Polish factories have been
ordered by the goverminent to work at the greatest possible speed. Con-
sequently, the manufacture of weaving yarn is very bad; the yarn often
breaks on the machine and knots appear in the fabric. The same happens
in weaving workshops: because of the required speed many faults appear
in the finished fabric. There are often seven knots in one meter of
material. Printing is also done very quickly, which causes many faults
in patterns: colors overlap..; the lines become smudged or erased.
10. "Although the situation should really be :bruroved at its source - i.e. supply of
bad. raw materials from the USSR, delays and pressure for speed - the Polish author-
ities try to cope by the usual means of setting targets of 'the greatest speed and
the best production', which the workers are expected to achieve by superhuman
efforts. Trade unions of textile workers and the managements of textile factories
and workshops are called upon to help save this branch of Polish exports, which
stands in great peril despite the really competitive prices at which the goods are
offered."
Approved For Release 1999/09/10 : CIA-RDP83-00423R001300690002-0