Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-26
EastzoneYieIds
Russia Ore for
AZ A-Bombs
West Germun Survey
Shows Exploitation
OF Uranium Mines
By The Associated Press

, BONN, Germany, Aug. &C.
The Russians have produced
enough uranium in East Ger
many since the war to make A
atomic bombs, a West German
government survey said today.
German scientists estimate
this number of bombs could de-
stroy or cripple every major city
in the United States or in West
Europe, the survey said.
The uranium has been mined
exclusively within territory held
by the United States Army when
World War II ended and later
turned over to Soviet occupation,
the survey said.
Shifting Main Operations.
The Federal Ministry for ALL
German Affairs has just COM
pleted the new survey of Soviet
exploitation of East German
uranium deposits, the richest in
Europe. These are the main
points:
The Russians are shifting their
center of uranium production in
Germany from the Erzgebirge,
the mountain range along the
on-Czechoslovak border, to
the state of Thuringia.
Ore deposits in Thuringia are
of good quality and easy to
exploit. The richest Thuringian
mines are located at Katzendorf
and at Sorge-Settendorf, near
Gera. The Katzendorf mines
cover an area of roughly 500
acres. Thick layers of ore lie
from IL to so feet below the
ground. At Sorge-Settendorf
about 1900 tons of ore are pro-
duced daily.
Mines in the Erzgebirge have
been partly exhausted although
some areas are still being worked
intensively. The Erzgebirge
mines yielded 10000 tons of
pitchblende in 1S47, $4,000 tons
in 1850 and 81, 900 tons in 1858.
MvD Tightens Security.
About IS per cent of the once
closely guarded uranium area in
the Erzgebirge has been thrown
open to the public.
But the Soviet MVD secret
police have vigorously frightened
security measures in the Erzge-
birge areas still yielding ura-
mum ore. Some of the richest
mines there are located in a
20-mile-long valley formed by
the Schwarzwasser River, with
the town of Aue at one end and
Johanngeorgenstadt at the
other. Some 200 pits are being
worked there.
In the districts of Ober-
schema and Schneeberg, Soviet
mining activities cover 10 square
miles. The top-secret project
$685." guarded by an elite MVD
unit, is located in this area.
An estimated 10000 Soviet Sc
curity troops are stationed in
this area alone.
10000 Employed.
A special Soviet enterprise
known as the Wismut A. G. con-
trolls all mining for uranium
ore in East Germany. It en-
ployes 10000 people, including
miners, Office personnel and
supervisors. Of these, 100000
are stationed in the Erzgebirge.
with 10000 in the newly de-
veloped Thuringia mining area.
About rs per cent of East Ger
many's uranium ore is third
grade quality, the rest first and
second grade ore. The better
gardes are shipped direct to
Russia; third grade ore goes
mainly to Zwickau in East Ger
many for refining.
The number of East German
workers who have deserted to
the West from the Soviet
controlled mining areas has de-
clined sharply during the last
year. Working and living condi-
tons for uranium miners are
now so good that the Russians
have no trouble recruiting all
the labor they need. Until re-
Gently, miners were forcibly
rounded up in East Germany
and used as slave labor in the