Northern (N): Soviet Union (NS). Building Programme and Housing Problems in Soviet Union

A file containing documents relating to the Soviet construction industry. Documents in the file include a despatch from the British embassy in Moscow concerning a Soviet decree "on the expansion of housing construction in the U.S.S.R." This decree considers the causes of housing issues, and outlines plans for ameliorating the situation. The despatch analyses the decree and the industry, including ideological approaches to project management. The file also contains copies of American despatches discussing Soviet housing problems, including analysis of the expansion decree, and a report of American diplomats' visit to the "Gorki initiative", which involved factory workers building their own accommodation during working hours. These despatches contradict themselves on the causes of the Soviet housing shortage: the first blames the lack of labour for the crisis, and the second blames the lack of building materials. The British embassy's view is that the second reason is the more persuasive.