The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-07-12
Russio's War
 Plants Shown ToAmericons
BY HARRISON SALISBURY fEH..aAaA n....n aAnaa Hnnnnnmnaaananl


 Samarkand, USS.R., July 12. - (UP)-The world has seen ample evidence of the heroism and strength of the Russian Army but only today, after an unprecedented, 6.000-mile tour of the vast secret industrial and agricultural installations east of the Ural Mountains. Can corre- Spondents give the story of the mir acle of production and supply be-. hind Red Army victories.
 The heroism and ability of the Soviet home front complements that of the Army like two hemispheres of globe. Accompanying Eric Johnston, president of the United States Chamber of Commerce with Marshal Josef Stalin's personal ap- proval, American correspondents for the first time have seen the farms and forges of the hitherto -blacked. out sphere.
 These were the arSenals of which the world heard the rumorS Adolf Hitler either discounted or disbe- lieved. Many of these factories did not exist, in fact, when Hitler turned on Russia in l94l. They were up- rooted - workers and machines and transplanted east of the Urals or built from scratch.
 Almost overnight, the Russians had to construct vast barracks and sod hut shelters to house the evacu- ated populace from the west. All but the most essential buildings had to be taken over and hundreds of new buildings thrown up hastily to house migrated war plants. There were shortages of water, food, shell ter and fuel and suffering was great. But every expedient was used and determination won through.
 In some places, the schools be- came living quarters. One hospital bacame a parachute factory and airdrome hangarS became aircraft plants.
 Heavy steel mills were moved eastward, piece by piece, and set up within 45 days. If life at the Soviet front was hard and danger. ouS, life at the Soviet rear was hard and grim.
 The Americans could not help but be struck by the vast peace. time production potential which has been created. With negligible ex- captions, industry which has moved to the rear will remain there while production on the original western sites is resumed. This will double Russian production of many lines and have the effect of another five year plan in building up the re. sources of the Urals, Siberia and Central Asia.
 Here in Samarkand, whose l4th century artisans hammered gold, silver and steel into sword and armor for the warriors of Tanner. lane the Conqueror, descendants of those workmen today are laboring over ruddy forges to make parts for tanks and tractors.
 Samarkand's production is only a drop in the flood of tanks, artil- lery, guns, shells. planes and food which is pouring from the Urals, from Siberia and from Central Asia to the Russian front. But the mobilization of these artisans is typical of what Is undoubtedly the most total mobilization which the world has ever seen.
 During the last two weeks, we have travelled by airplane. train and automobile over this previously guarded area. Everywhere the story was the same, whether in the Ri. gantic blast furnaces of Magnito. gorsk. the bustling aircraft factories. the lush, subtropical acres of Kaza. kistan or the primitive smitl1ys of ancient Samarkand-an all. out war effort.
 But already the managers of Rus. SiaS agricultural and industrial en- terprises are turning thoughts to. ward peace. The manager of the Sverdlovsk artillery plant wanted suggestions from Johnston for civil. Ian by.products which could be manufactured from the scrap of gun production. Uzbekistan officials were anxious to get American tur. pines in order to resume soil re. clamation projects.
 The high tide of civilian miera- ton eastward long since has pass ed. Millions who found refuge from the Germans and an opportunity to resume war production beyond the Urals now have crossed back to their liberated homes. Sverdlovsk, which doubled its pre.war population of poo, 900, now has a population of 7S0,0o0; Novosibirsk swelled from 450.0O0 to more than 800, ,000 and now is down to 100000.
 The morale and enegry of the So- viet homefront matches that of the army. You see that in the young. sters who swarm over a Douglas licensed DC-3 in a plane or in the women and girls trudging out to