USE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS ON SOVIET CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS (DOI: 1976)

Created: 8/25/1982

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE USSR.' SPECIFICALLY. OH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECOND TRANS SIBERIANM--HH1CH AT TIMES QCCUPIEO THE SERVICESORKERS AT ONE TIKI. MORE THANERCENT OF THE "CRIMINALS" WORKING ON THC PROJECT MERE "POLITICALOURCE COMMENT: THEOT TERMPOLITICALNSTEAD GROUPING ALL PRISONERS IN THE CATEGORY OF FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS REPORT, THE TERM "POLITICAL PRISONER" HILL BE USED TO SIMPLIFY TERMINOLOGY.1

2. POLITICAL PRISONERS WORKING ON PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE USSR IN THE EARLY ANOID THEMOST MONOTONOUS. MENIAL, AND PHYSICALLY DEMANDING WORK AT THE SITE. TH OSE INDIVIDUALS LASSIFIO ASRIMINALS" WERE, FOR THE MOST PART, THE "OVERSEERS" ANO "CREW LEADERS" WHOIERARCHICAL SCALE OF FORCED LABOR HERE SUPERIOR TO POLITICAL CRIMINALS. THIS GROUP WOULD GENERALLY BE GRANTED THE CREDIT FOR "SUPERIOR" WORK Oft ACHIEVEMENT ON PARTICULAR PROJECTS ANO WERE FREE TO USE PHYSICAL FORCE. IF NECESSARY, ON OCCASION TO KEEP POLITICAL PRISONERS WORKING. POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE THUS GENERALLY REGARDS0 AS EXPENDABLE.

-3; ALTHOUGH THE POLITICAL AND COMMON PRISONERS USUALLY SHARED THE SAME LIVING QUARTERS, COMMON CRIMINALS WERE GENERALLY PROVIDEO WITH BETTER CONDITIONS IN THE FORM OF SLIGHTLY LARGER ROOMS. SOMETIMES ADDITIONAL FOOD ALLOTMENTS, ANO OCCASIONALLY LONGER REST PERIODS WHILE IN THE LIVING QUARTERS. AT LEAST ON THE BAM PROJECT, MURDERERS ANO RAPISTS HERE ROUTINELY AFFQRDEO BETTER LIVING CONDITIONS THAN WERE POLITICAL PRISONERS. AS WELL AS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME TEAM AND CREW LEADERS. POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE GRANTEO ABSOLUTELY NO COMPENSATION, MONETARY OR OTHERWISE. FOR THEIR SERVICES.

LL PRISONERS, POLITICAL ANO OTHER. HERE NOT PERMITTEDTHE LIVING COMPOUND HITHOUT PERMISSION FROM NON-CRIMINALSUPERVISERS. POLITICAL AND COMMON CRIMINALS HERE.IN THE SENSE THAT THEY HERE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL FROM ONEANOTHER IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONSTRUCTION NEEDS ANO

5. OMLBBtOMMENT: SOURCE HAS NO DIRECT KNOWLEOGE OF THE TYPE OF SOVIETHICH IS CURRENTLY BEING USED ON THE NEW SIBERIAN TO WESTERN EUROPE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. HOWEVER. HE CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THE SITUATION AS TO MORKER HAKE-UP ON THIS PROJECT CAN IN ANT HAY BE OIFFERENT FROM WHAT IT WAS ON THOSE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WITH WHICH HE IS FAMILIAR. ESULT. SOURCE CLAIMS ME IS "ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE" THAT PAROLED COMMON PRISONERS, COMMON PRISONERS. ANO POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE CURRENTLY BEING EMPLOYED ON THE GAS PIPELINE PROJECT.I

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