ESTONIAN AND LATVIAN STATE STEAMSHIP COMPANIES --- MMF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000300340010-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 14, 2001
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: March 26, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2001/04/12 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA000300340010-0
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECRET
SECURITY INFORMATION
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form Is prohibited.
USSR (Baltic Sea)
REPORT NO.
_ 25X1A
E
DATE DISTR
26 March 1953
SUBJECT
DATE OF INFO
stonian and Latvian State Steamship
Companies --- MMF
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NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
RD
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REFERENCES
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THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1.. The Estonian and the Latvian State Steamship Companies as they were set up re-
tained their titles for political reasons, although they had no actual independ
once; instead, they operated entirely under the Baltic Steamship Company. Their
leading personnel had been replaced by Russians. Rank and file Estonian and
Latvian employees were not trusted by the Ministry of the Merchant Fleet and re-
ceived extensive political indoctrination at the hands of the large political
departments of both companies. Both companies operated at a considerableAM
Annual transport plans were never fulfilled. Rumors had persisted since that both companies would be liquidated. MMF submitted?a p rotQC
for their liquidation to the USSR Council of Ministers.
was io za.na reasons ror justirying such liquidation. What the MMF wanted to
do was to reorganize the companies as the Estonian and Latvian Agencies of the
Baltic Steamship Company. However, the decision of Beriya, MMFboss in the
Council of Ministers, was that reorganization would be put off until a later
25X1X date.
Estonia? State St2aLmshi l Cary
2. The Estonian State Steamship Oompan}v LTetonskoye Gosudaretvennoye Morskoye
Parokhodety was subordinate to the MMF through the Chief Directorate of the
Northwestern Fleet. Its administrative offices were in Tallinn. The director
was Capt. let Class (MY) Samson, who had two deputies and a head of the Political
Department. The Estonian State Steamship Company was created in 1940 after
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 Approved For Release 2001/04/12 : CIA-RDP80-00810A000300340010-0
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
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Estonia was annexed to the USSR . Until ' then it had been a private
enterprise called the Estonian'Steemship Company, Thereafter,
until the middle.of 19k5; the: 'company was actually a part of the
Baltic Steamship Company; Only from the middle of 19+5 on ,did it
operate as a pseudo-independent company, The company maintained
freight and passenger transport lines between-.Estonian and Latvian
ports and Leningrad; A large part of the activity was the transport
of bituminous shale- ?n:'rare...occasions some of the . company's ships
made .t :jps to foreign countries", . The company's.:, whole- fleet consisted
of about 8 to 10 ships,, 'The company's 1951 transport playa called
for the transport of 840,000 to 1,000,000 tons of freight,
The administrative organitatie+n"of the Estonian State Steamship
Com
an
Ad
p
y
m nistra:tioi was similar to that of KaspFlot ' fee CS-K 267
The T/O of its ad
i
m
nistrative personnel called for approximately
180 employees,
a. Under the first deputy, who was the company's Chief Engineer,
were the following sections :
.(1) Marine Engineering
(2) Designing
.77
(3.) Technical Supply
(4) Transport. Motor Pool
,(5) Construction
(6)
Billeting
Under the second deputy whoWas the Chief: of Operations, were
the following sections:
(1) Commercial,
(2) Signal
(3) Maritime inspectorate
Directly under the Com ar Director were the following sections:
(1) Personnel
(2) Mobilization
(3')' Secret Document and Cipher
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
Planning and Economic
Labor and Wage
Accounting
Administrative
Under the Read of the Political Department were the following:
(1) Editorial Office of the newspaper Estonskip Moryak
(2) Printing Office
Attached to the company was a detachment of military guards
(VOkhr) ' and Tallinn's Regional Office of TorgMorTrans.
SECRET
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vin: -State Steamshp. o>sb g,
The ad istrat ve off:teers Of the Latvia" State S amsnip ,C~d y
were located im Ri a. The .director used to be (inu) S.aer, bit be
.s aw,rreasted in 1950.
successor, Tate company naa been crea>rea in zne same W
Eo.6niaa ,State $tsea ip ompainy. It dim aired the same transport
sines as its Estonian: counterpart, although its annual', transport
p ' normally' cazl*d: kor the, tian?port .of . only,,, about 800, 006 tons ...
The
aonpy-!a . adaiaetrative organization : was., al*6ie3t -18entical.
that of. tbs. Estonian State Steamship Company:. The Latvian;,.company'
published newspaper 'Called: ,Latvia "I NOEAX-
.
The fleet of Latvian State . tea b Company consisted of about:-10
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SEQ.
to r^ ae a i`ips. ships: TURAYDA, AIRY BARBYLTS, ,
PROME.TEY, YAN S R STEL Up. and YENTA.' ,
Approved For Release 2001/04/12 : CIA-RDP80-00810A000300340010-0