MEDICAL TREATMENT AND CONDITIONS IN POW CAMPS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000400280004-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 22, 2013
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: April 2, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION Prog-4"c L
MANeff,TTIPM-TFFITAT
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..,1111A1-11.. III I L�I 1-1N.1 1.1 1%0
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT
PLACE
INFORMATION REPORT
DATE- DISTR. a_ APP. 5-q
Medical Treatment and Conditions in POW Camps NO. OF PAGES 5
ACQUIRED
DATE
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DAME OF INFO:
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THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFtCTINO THE NATIONAL DEPENDS
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MIANINS OF TITLK IS, SECTIONS 703
AND 7114, OF THII U.S. CODE, Al AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION ON REPS.
LATION Of ITS CONTtNTS TO OR ARCM? ST AN UNAUTHORIIID PERSON IS
PRONISITIO NY LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
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NO, OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)'
SIIPPI FMFNT Tfl
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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Immunization
two immunizations which
knowledge were to prevent typhoid fever.
at no time did
immunizations being given to any POWs in tne Widtt perore
2. The immunizations were given under the supervision of a 50X1
Soviet woman doctor by a German POW doctor in the can. Although
there were about 11.500 prisoners at Naksay at the time, there was
only one hypodermic needle availablefor the immunization of all the 50X1
prisoners. I all of the prisoners received this preventive
treatment because Soviet camp officials were concerned by the high
death rate that was cutting down the prisoner labor force. It was at
that time the Soviet camp officials express considerable
concern over typhoid fever and shortly thereafter. the immunization
_program took place. The two immunizations
in the space of a very short tire,Were given
number of days in between. in this camp for three years
and these two immunizations were all and to the
POWs received more than two
immunizations during their stay in this camp.
There were some prisoners in the Maksay can suffering from malaria
whoyreceived shots in connection with the treatment of malaria.
Rol:Ayer, only those prisoners who, had malaria received malaria shots
bees:dee there was not enough malaria serum to immunize all of the POWs.
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Prevalent Diseases
4. The most prevalent diseases in all of the POW camps
were, in order of incidence: dysentery, typhus, typhoid, and a disease known
as "kopfrose" Which was similar to an eczema of the head and which was
accompanied with high fever. There was also considerable malaria. However,
the worst Of all diseases was plain starvation which I believe caused more
deaths than any of the other diseases.
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Treatment of Patients
At the Marshansk camp, which had a capacity of 20 thousand to 25 thousand
POWs, there was one male Soviet doctor in charge whose responsibility appeared
to be to decide which of the POWs were able to work and which were not. The
treatment of patients at Marshansk was left to the feldshers. In addition
to Soviet feldshers at this camp, there were also Hungarian and Czechoslovakian
feldshers but there were no German feldshers. Treatment of the prisoners was
very limited and in some cases non-existent because of the lack of medical
supplies. no German POW doctors at Marshansk although there were
several Hungarian POW doctors.
At Maksay where the capacity of the camp was five thousand POWs, to the best
of my knowledge there was regularly only one male Soviet doctor in charge,
although at different times other male and female doctors appeared in the
camp. There were also about 20 POW doctors, including German, Rumanian and
Hungarian POWs and several POW feldshrs. There was also one dentist although
any dental treatment
. At one time in late 1946 there were over two thousand sick prisoners at
Maksay and even though it was impossible for the one Soviet doctor to see
all the patients to determine if they could work, none of the POW doctors
were allowed to decide whether a prisoner was able to work or not.
8. There was one Soviet feldsher at Maksay who was in complete charge of all
medication to sick prisoners. The 20 POW doctors were each given a certain
area of the camp to take care of as well as certain sick barracks. Patients
with contagious diseases were placed in special barracks. These doctors had
nothing to do except visit the patients and talk with them because they had
no access to any of the camp medicines and they were not allowed to make
diagnoses or to deCide which of the prisoners were unable to work.
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The usual method of treatment and medication was most inefficient. The
20 German, Rumanian and Hungarian POW doctors each night reported to the
Soviet feldsher how many sick prisoners he had in his particular camp area
and as far as possible, summarize the diagnosis in each case. At the same
time, the feldsher also received a report from the sick or hospital
barracks and he then compared the two lists and decided how to dispense the
medications he had available.
the only medication aispensea
the feldsher was aspirin in those cases where he personally thought it
necessary. Actually, only a small number of the persons on the two sick
lists received, aspirin from the feldsher, who always administered it
personally.
There were exce tions to this general procedure of the dispensing of
medication. one of these exceptions took place
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it was was at this time that a commission of medical doctors from Moscow inspected
camp; and just prior to the arrival of the
ugh the hospital barracks and
tor then said to one
d the next day a
During the next
ea, ons wgirmwsmmrn ge fever and
the medical facilities at the
Mosaoliconimission the head
KW happened
)OM1 of theHungarian POW doctor
woman doctor named (Thu) Goldstein
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n ections were penicillin.
hospital and had been at Meksay for some time,
k4u/.1. tae commission of medical doctors from Moscow made periodic vis ts which
were known about eight days before their arrival at the camp because the
Soviet doctor in charge always called all of the POW doctQrs and feldshers
into his office and told them that all the patients were to be washed, shaved
and toldto answer "We have enough to eat" if they were asked. During the
time the commission was in the camp, patients received fair treatment; but
after they had departed, it was the same story all over again, The head of
the medical commission was a general of the army and he personally visited
all of the sick barracks as well as the kitchen, in the
kitchen on one of these inspections and watched this general put' a spoon in
one of the soup 'caldrons, stir it around and sample the food. His remarks
were "Good food, good food" and he ate a liberal portion. That night, the
general, had a review of all the POWs and he asked one man why he was so thin
and looked so starved. The prisoner said the soup was thin and the general
said "I saw it today; what thick soup you have."
the
Diagnoses
12. AA I have stated above, the Soviet doctor in charge made all diagnoses
that were made and none of the POW doctors were ever allowed to make
diagnoses. Meksay was a POW labor camp and every prisoner who could
possibly do any work was needed. The Soviet camp officials were afraid
that the POW doctors, particularly the Germans, would feel sympathetic
for German prisoners and leave at the camp some sick prisoners who might
still be able to do some work.
13. Diagnoses were very inaccurate and were made without any real examination.
The routine procedure called for the sick prisoners to enter the doctor's
office where the patient was given a very brief opportunity to describe his
pains. The doctor then arbitrarily made his diagnosis. In some cases, a
patient's temperature was then taken and if it was 1040 or above, he was
sent to the hospital or sick barracks; but if it was below that, he was
usually sent back to his barracks and he had to go out and work the next
day. As I have mentioned above, except for unusual periods of time, the
only medication was aspirin.
14. There was only one regular examination period each day and that was between
Six and seven o'clock in the evening. However, the camp doctor did have
afternoon office hours for the sick patients in the camp. The evening Office
hour was for prisoners after they returned from work; but if any prisoner
became ill during the night, he still had to go out to work the next day
because there were no examinations in the morning and he had no chance at
the afternoon office hours.
Attitude of Medical Personnel Toward the Patients
15. The attitude of Soviet doctors eldshers toward German patients depended
entirely on the person. one Soviet doctor from Georgia at Maksay
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Who Waa terrible. He did not seem to care one bit about the German patients
and appeared happy if they 'died. On the other hand, Soviet doctors
and. particularlyfeldahers who expressed sympathy toward the patients and
helped them as much as possible with the limited supplies and facilities
eiVailable. At one time atMaksay, there Was a woman Soviet doctor who
aottallY was of German nationalityfrom the Volga and she was especially
sympathetic. She talked German to the prisoners; but as a result of trying
to hely them too much and showing too much sympathy, she herself was trans-
ferred from this camp.
16. Every once in a while, the camp commander would make the announcement that
there would not be any sick prisoners tomorrow and that everyone in the camp
would go out to work. So the next day there was no one sick, everybody went
out to work and that night, the prisoner population of the camp decreased by
the death of a number of prisoners during the day who were actually too sick
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Commander decided that there would only be 15 prisoners sick on a certain day
and he announced that all the other prisoners were all right and would go to
work. It_was all completely unreasonable.
Description of Hovital Facilities
17. At Marshansk, there was a main hospital in one of the permanent buildings but
it was used almost exclusively for sick Soviet Army personnel. The prisoner
hospital were barracks and in addition, there was a very primitive infirmary
which would not be recognized as such in the US.
18. At Maksay, a number of barracks served as the hospital. There was also an
infirmary which served as the doctor's office. Each barracks held up to 100
sick patients. Both the sick barracks and the regular prisoner barracks at
this camp were actually large holes in the ground over which a roof had been
placed and sand placed on the roofs. There were very few above-ground
buildings, except for the permanent stone buildings, because of the very
cold weather and snow cover. The hospital barracks were not heated and
there were no beds in them, the patients being stretched out in rows on
wooden planks over the dirt floor. There were no mattresses but every two
prisoners shared one blanket. Prisoners had very little clothing.
19. The floor level of the barrackswas about two meters below the level of the
ground and it was reached by steps at one end of the hole. All of the barracks
originally had woOden planks for floor covering but because previous prisoners
had taken up the planks during cold spells and burned them for heat, some
of the barracks only had sand or dirt floors. Plank floors that had been
burned were never replaced by the Soviet camp officials. Each barracks had
two windows in front and two windows in back, each about one foot above the
ground level. Double-deck bunks in the regular POW barracks provided
accommodations for 200 prisoners.
20. The German POW doctors in charge of the sick or hospital barracks tried to
keep them as clean as possible which was difficult under the circumstance
of partially dirt floors. The camp doctor did not care about cleanliness
and none of the prisoners were washed after the initial admittance except
on special occasions. Washing facilities for the prisoners were not made
available to the German POW doctors.
21. Sick prisoners were fed three times a day, receiving 500 grams of soup and
two pieces of white bread for breakfast and a small bowl of rice or a wheat
and barley mixture with two pieces of bread at the noon and evening meals.
The soup for sick prisoners was supposed to be better than what the so-called
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well prisoners received. The meals were sometimes served by German and
Hungarian feldshers if they were available or by other prisoners. This was
a coveted prison task because it afforded the opportunity to obtain extra
fOod in the case of those patients who had Just died but for whom a ration
had been provided. 'When the Soviet doctor from Georgia was the chief medical
officer of the camp, no German feldshers were allowed to serve the patients.
Efforts To Keep Camp Clean
22. The POWs in the Maksay camp did what they could to keep it clean and free
frOm lice but efforts in this direction were not very successful. Prior to
the use of Maksay for German POWs, it had been used for Soviet political
prisoners who left it in a miserable and very dirty condition upon being
transferred, from it. It was never possible to completely rid any of the
barraCks Of lice. Because of the dirt walls ankfloors, it was almost
itpobsible to keep the barracks clean. The only permanent stone buildings
at Maksay were the infirmary, the administration building, barracks for
Soviet personnel and the kitchen.
23. There was always a shortage of food at all of the POW camps
24.
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That was one of the worst parts of being a prisoner of war.
Attempts. to ProselyEbtinto Communist Party
In the four POW camps including Marshansk, Maksay,
and two other camps in the Orsk area, no attempts were ever made
into the Communist party. These four camps were known as labor camps and
the entire effort was directed toward squeezing out as much work from the
prisoners as possible. Although the prisoners were exposed on a regular
basis to Communist propaganda, no real effort was made to intensively
influence the prisoners to become Communists because there was no time for
this.
25. prisoners that in the rest camps, the treatment was
different and serious attempts were made to proselybseprisoners into the
Communist Party. There was one rest camp in Nednogorskl:Where the prisoners
were thoroughly indoctrinated but it did not make much sense because When a
German prisoner reached a rest camp, it was too late for indoctrination.
Moat of the rest camp prisoners died anyway:.
26. There was an anti-Fascist officer in the Maksay camp who seemed to be in
charge of disseminating propaganda. He organized what was known as a
"Red Corner" in each barracks and the POWs that were drafted for this
"Red Corner" detail put up slogans, pictures and other propaganda.
that the director of the "Red Corner" in one of the barracks
assigned was a German junior officer who definitely did not want this job
but was forded to do it. He was also forced to talk the Communist line in
lectures to the other POWs. However, there were other POWs in the "Red
Corner" who voluntarily joined the anti-Fascist office because the food
rations weFe doubled for these people.
27.
the Soviet camp personnel actually wanted to make
members of the Communist Party out of any of the prisoners. They wanted
to spread as thoroughly as possible Communist propaganda but membership in
the party was something else. What was actually wanted in the labor camps
was work, work, work.
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