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.Technical assistanceagreements were made for Vultee attack bombers, the Consolidated Catalina, theMartin Ocean flying boat and Martin bombers, Republic and Sikorsky amphibians,Seversky amphibians and heavy bombers, Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 transports, theDouglas flying boat, and other aircraft.Kilmarx has well summarized this acquisition:The objectives of the Soviet Union were more straightforward than its methods.Bymonitoring aeronautical progress and taking advantage of commercial practices andlax security standards in the West, the Russians sought to acquire advancedequipment, designs, and processes on a selective basis.Emphasis was placed on thelegitimate procurement of aircraft, engines (including superchargers), propellers,navigational equipment, and armament; specifications and performance data; design,production and test information and methods; machine tools, jigs and dies; semi-fabricates and critical raw materials.Licenses were obtained to manufacture certainmodern military aircraft and engines in the U.S.S.R.At the same time, a number ofSoviet scientists and engineers were educated at the best technical institutes in theWest.Soviet techniques also included assigning purchasing missions abroad, placinginspectors and trainees in foreign factories, and contracting for the services of foreignengineers, technicians and consultants in Soviet plants.21In 1937 the Soviet Union possessed the world's first commercial plane able to fly theAtlantic Ocean nonstop, with a payload of 7,500 pounds.Known as the Martin OceanTransport, Model-156, with four 1,000 horsepower Wright Cyclone engines, it wasbuilt by the Glenn L.Martin Company of Baltimore.Model-156 cost the SovietUnion $1 million.Although capable of being flown directly to the Soviet Union, itwas flown only to New York, then was dismantled and shipped to the USSR by boat.Also in 1937 the Martin Company agreed to design a Soviet bomber.Loy Henderson,the U.S.charge in Moscow, reported:& since January 1, 1937, the Embassy granted visas to fourteen Soviet engineers andspecialists who are proceeding to Baltimore to the Glenn L.Martin factory.Thisinformation would appear to be significant in view of the statements that the MartinCompany is to design and develop a new type of large plane for the Soviet air forceinstead of selling somewhat obsolete models which may have been released for exportby the American military authorities.22In May 1937 the New York Times reported a $780,000 Soviet contract with SeverskyAircraft Corporation involving construction of, and manufacturing rights for,Seversky amphibians, which then held the amphibian world speed record of 230.4miles per hour.Under a technical-assistance agreement, Seversky Aircraft providedassistance for manufacture of these planes in the Soviet Union at the rate of ten perday.Alexander P.de Seversky, president of the company, then informed the StateDepartment that the Soviets had contracted to purchase from the company a largenumber of bombing planes of a new type to be designed by him.After being informedthat a license would be granted if the planes involved no military secrets, Severskysuggested that the War and Navy Departments might object to its exportation"merely" on the ground that the new bomber would be superior to any bombing planethen in existence.Seversky indicated that he intended to address his request for anexport license to the State Department, "in hope that the Department might expediteaction in this."The first domestic flying boats under the Soviets were constructed at Leningrad andTaganrog.In 1932, Plant No.23 in Leningrad produced 18 Avro 504-L seaplanes and40 Savoia S-62 scouting flying boats, the latter under a license from the SocietaIdrovolanti Alta Italia of Milan  an outstanding designer of high-performance flyingboats.Also in 1932, Taganrog Plant No.31 produced 196 flying boats: 150 scoutingHD-55s and 46 MR-5s, both built under license from Heinkel.The Soviets alsoacquired a license from the Macchi Company of Italy to produce the MBR series ofRussian flying boats.Then in 1937 came an agreement with the Consolidated Aircraft Company of SanDiego for technical assistance for Catalina flying boats under supervision of EtienneDormoy.With the Catalina flying boat we once again see the extraordinary ability ofthe Soviets to acquire anything they set their hearts on.The very first commercialConsolidated PBY ("Catalina") off the assembly, line in San Diego was sold to theAmerican Museum of Natural History  which promptly transferred it to theSoviets.23 This is not the first time the American Museum of Natural History turns upin the Soviet files.In 1919 a shipload of Soviet propaganda was seized  en route tothe United States and addressed to the American Museum of Natural History.24Also in 1937-38, the Vultee Aircraft Division of Aviation Manufacturing Corporationof Downey, California built a fighter aircraft plant for the Soviets in Moscow.Equally as important, the Soviets acquired rights to build the famous Douglas DC-3,probably the most successful transport plane in the history of aviation [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]