PROPOSED EXTENSION OF EXTERNAL RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY OF THE USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62S00346A000100130028-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 14, 1998
• Sequence Number: 28
• Publication Date: April 16, 1957
• Content Type: MF

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161 1957
MINGRANDUM FOR: Executive Secretary
Economic Irtenigence Committee
SUBJECT Proposed Extension of External Research Project on
the Agricultural Economy of the US
. Sub vet undertaken by
ic scheduled to expire by the end of
pp By that time work on the project will have reached
a point penuittleg the presentation of a aeries of articles or mono-
graphs. In addition, mmeh information will have been :provided to
ORR for incorpoeation into the interdepartmental EIC paper entitled,.
"Policies, Performance, and Proepects of Soviet Agricultyre."
2. Researeh to date on subject project has uncovered a. con-
siderable body of unclaseified data on additional topics which CRR
has not been able to develop and which would be valuable additions
to the research underway or to be undertaken within ORR. Therefor
this Office iS nropoeing to extend the project
on a reduced scale beyond its present scope anddnration to
include research on the following significant aspects:
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a. Reaearch eteasibe done on the turnover tax on agriceitural
products, including both the theoretical and practical aspects of
that tax. A theoretical analysis of the tax is important to the
construction and evaluation of national income statistics; and to
the use of natioeal income statistics, and to the use of national
income data in the study of groyth and in the aralysis of the come
positiop of output. It is probable that the turnover tax shou/d
be accepted as a factor payment; but the continued acceetance of
this view requires more careful and extensive analysis than has yet
been undertaken.
b. The second area of research would cover rural consump-
tion. In the last 2 to 3 years; the Soviets have taken steps to
spur agricultural output by increasing procurement prices and by
adopting other devices designed to increase the incentives of the
peasant. A oomparison of present rural levels of consumption with
earlier periods and vith urban levels of consumption will help in
evaluating the effectiveness of these veasur6a.
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c. Various agricultural income aeries have been developed
during the present reearch project. These series would be carried
forward an additional two years. These series not only increase our
understanding of the agricultural situation, but assist in making
national income estimntes. The' proposed study of rural consumption
(b above) is closely related to the :Income problem.
3. The additional research proposed will not duplicate research
called for in the present project and will, as is the present project,
be based on primary unclassified sources and will be organized for
easy integration with classified research conducted in (RE. The
project will continue to be headed by
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and monitored by 0 Chief of
the Agriculture Branch, ORR. It is estimated that the additional
i 25X1A1a research proposed will cost and at the planned scale of
effort will require t7to years to complete, terminating in September,
1959
4. It is requested that appropriate EIC coordination be effected
on the -Proposed extension of subject project.
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Assistant mrctor
Research and Reports
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