The idea of building a metro in Almaty was discussed back in the 60s

April 18, 2024

ELENA SYZDYKOVA, SENIOR RESEARCHER AT THE ARCHIVE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
The funds of the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan have been replenished with new valuable documents.

Kazakhstan - USA: documents show

Today, the Presidential Archive is not only the country's largest repository of documents fr om the National Archival Fund, but also serves as a scientific, methodological and coordination center in the field of document management and archival affairs. One of the important areas of activity of the Presidential Archive is the development of international cooperation and strengthening of positions in the global archival space. In this regard, the recent visit of the delegation of the Presidential Archive to the United States of America, which took place with the assistance of the Kazakh Embassy in the United States, is interesting. As archive director Aliya Mustafina notes, the visit was, in fact, the first official trip during which Kazakh archivists became so closely acquainted with the American archival system.
The purpose of the visit was to exchange experience, study the approach to archive management, familiarize with modern digitalization methods and new technological solutions, as well as discuss the opportunities and prospects for cooperation between the archives of the two countries. Our archive staff visited NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) of the USA, the NARA National Archives and Museum, the Library of Congress in Washington, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, the Public Library, Headquarters and the United Nations Library in New York. During the trip, meetings were held with American colleagues, including Deputy US Archivist William J. Bosanko, researcher Sarah Cameron, Director of the Department of the Middle East and the Turkic World J. Weeks and others.
The delegation participants were particularly impressed by the technological equipment of the US National Archives, innovative approaches to creating electronic archives, and existing digitization and conservation laboratories.
The result of active contacts was the donation by NARA archivists to the Presidential Archive of copies of archival documents containing information on the history of Kazakhstan in the 20th century. The transfer took place during the delegation's stay in College Park (Maryland). Here is the second building of the National Archives (Archive II), wh ere NARA Research Executive Director Chris Naylor and Research Archivist David A. Langbarth presented documents to representatives of the Kazakh delegation.
Previously, the records were classified, according to the American system they had the status of Limited official USE (“Limited official use”), which corresponds to the status “For official use” in Kazakhstan’s records management and archival practice. Today they are in the public domain and are stored in the US National Archives.

Cold spring 1964

Some of the records are reports from employees of the American Embassy in the USSR (Moscow), who in May 1964 toured the capitals of the Central Asian republics, visiting Alma-Ata (Almaty), Frunze (Bishkek) and Tashkent. The main purpose of the trip was to get acquainted with the educational system and scientific institutions, at the same time, related information remained in the records.
For example, a message was recorded that the winter of 1963–1964. in Almaty was the most severe in the last 55 years. “It was observed,” the document notes, “that in none of the extensive orchards were there any buds or flowers, and in the fields adjacent to the city there were no signs of agricultural activity.”
There is a mention in the records of American diplomats of the start of construction of a large textile mill northwest of Almaty. Having visited the Alma-Ata knitting factory named after. Dzerzhinsky, the delegation was met by the deputy chief engineer for equipment Moiseev and the secretary of the factory party organization Karasova. The diplomats were introduced to the history of the factory, which was created in 1941 as a result of the evacuation of industrial production from Moscow (Ivanteevskaya Knitting Factory - E.S.). After the end of the war, part of the factory returned to Moscow, the other part remained in Alma-Ata. Later, four branches were created on its basis. In 1963, four enterprises merged.
The author of the entry draws attention to the fact that the economic effect expected as a result of the merger of production facilities was achieved. A further large-scale increase in production was to occur following the installation of new equipment and expansion of the production area. There is data on the number of workers, national and technical composition of personnel, shift work schedule, wages and net profit of the enterprise. The source reports on the peculiarities of the organization of clothing production: the workshop included 25 lines, each of which employed 8–10 people. A fairly high speed of production operations is noted: on each line the plan was exceeded by 105–115%, and the quality level was from 75 to 91% (clothes without defects).
Information has been preserved about the industrial equipment of the enterprise, the basis of which was machines from the GDR, as well as machines from Great Britain, Czechoslovakia and Soviet production. A kindergarten and a school for the children of employees were built near the enterprise. The enterprise workers themselves lived in new apartments in multi-storey buildings, which were located not far from the factory.

Another document of interest is a report on the trip of American diplomatic mission employees and a short stop in Alma-Ata in the fall of 1970. During the trip, the visitors met with the first deputy chairman of the city executive committee, Andrei Statenin, and were received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kazakh SSR. Respondents noted three areas of concern for city officials: air pollution, housing, and transportation. Comparing the geographical conditions of Almaty and Los Angeles, Statenin drew attention to the location of the cities in a basin, partially surrounded by mountains that impede the free movement of air masses. Almaty does not yet have as many cars as Los Angeles, Statenin said, but due to the increase in the number of personal vehicles, the city is already facing air pollution problems. How was the problem solved? City authorities signed a decree prohibiting the construction of heavy industrial enterprises within the city, all thermal power plants - from industrial facilities to individual houses - began to be converted from coal to natural gas, and preference was given to trolleybuses in the public transport system. An attempt was made to improve the public transport system in order to minimize the need for citizens to purchase private cars. The document records that it was at this time that the possibility of building a metro was considered, although until quite recently engineers believed that building a metro in a seismic zone was problematic. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kazakh SSR, the delegation was received by the head of the protocol department A. Isenov and the head of the passport and visa department K. Kabdeshev. At that time, these two departments, in fact, made up the entire Kazakh Foreign Ministry. K. Kabdeshev, who speaks excellent German, spoke about the German population living in the republic. Half a million Germans were resettled during the war to the territory of Kazakhstan, most of them lived in the Chimkent (now Turkestan) region, the Caspian region. The guests asked about language development and educational preparation. “They don’t have schools (separate schools for teaching German children - E.S.), but in many schools German is taught as a foreign language,” K. Kabdeshev’s answer was recorded. He also said that certain categories of the German population were allowed to return to Germany, in particular those who were separated from their families. Kunaev's status Of particular interest among the documents received by the Presidential Archive are materials on the visit of Soviet statesmen to the United States in 1960. The Soviet delegation included the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR Dinmukhamed Kunaev. The visit was reciprocal. In the summer of 1959, a group of American governors led by Leroy Collins, governor of Florida, visited the Soviet Union. The USSR delegation was headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR and candidate member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee Dmitry Polyansky. Among the members of the delegation were major Soviet leaders: the chairmen of the Councils of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR Nikifor Kalchenko, the Azerbaijan SSR Mamed Iskenderov, the Georgian SSR Givi Javakhishvili, as well as the chairmen of regional executive committees from seven regions. After N. S. Khrushchev's visit in September 1959, this was one of the most representative USSR delegations to ever visit the United States. The participants of the visit stayed in the United States for 22 days - from January 29 to February 18, 1960. During this time, a number of important meetings took place: with Governor Nelson Rockefeller, UN Deputy Secretary-General Andrew W. Cordier, Secretary of State Christian A. Herter, and Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court Earl Warren. On the final day of the visit, the Soviet leaders were received by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Much later, in his memoirs, Dinmukhamed Kunaev wrote about this trip: “Taking into account the need for further development and strengthening of friendly ties between the Soviet and American peoples, we spoke in favor of the advisability of creating the USSR-USA society and the need to more energetically establish direct contacts with representatives of business and US cultural circles. Many years have passed since my trip to the USA. Major positive changes have occurred in Soviet-American relations. Remembering our trip today, I feel a sense of moral satisfaction. It comes with the understanding that at that extremely responsible, difficult and very controversial time, our delegation still managed to make its contribution to the creation of new relations between the USSR and the USA.” The archival documents of the US National Archives preserve the emotional characteristics of those who met the Soviet delegation. Several messages from reports, telegrams and notes concern Kunaev himself. Respondents noted his genuine interest in everything around him, local attractions, and his communication skills. In the biographical information compiled by the Biographical Information Department of the State Department, it was stated in relation to Dinmukhamed Kunaev: “Kunaev gives the impression of a sociable person with good organizational skills. In personal relationships he is friendly and pleasant, and also has a strong ability to take an active part in negotiations." The source also suggested that Kunaev apparently knows and speaks English, since he maintains a conversation “even before his translator has time to fully translate.” Kunaev has excellent knowledge of information and is well versed in all the nuances of management, the document reports. In a telegram compiled during the delegation’s stay, the accompanying US Ambassador to the USSR, Llewellyn Thompson, wrote: “I was very impressed by Polyansky, who is gaining popularity, and I believe that it would be a good idea to arrange for Bohlen or some other Russian-speaking official officially spoke with him and possibly Kunaev during their visit to Washington.” Another employee from the escort service noted the “increase in status” of Kunaev that he noticed during the several days of the Soviet delegation’s stay. So, Polyansky became the first to represent Kunaev, and it was they (Kunaev and Polyansky) who laid wreaths on Lincoln’s grave. A careful examination of the documents gives reason to believe that even presented selectively, they contain interesting details that confidently complement our ideas about the development of urban culture in Kazakhstan, attempts to resolve current economic and socio-ecological problems on the part of the local and republican administration. Information about Dinmukhamed Kunaev serves as a significant addition to the documentary array that is today stored in the funds of the Presidential Archive. Let us add that in October 2023, documents from the personal archive of D. A. Kunaev were transferred by his nephew Diar Kunaev for state storage in the Presidential Archive. Now the National Archival Fund of Kazakhstan has been replenished with new valuable sources.