THE AGREEMENT OF 23 NOVEMBER 1945 – A DETAILED ARTICLE-BY-ARTICLE ANALYSIS
The agreement between the Government of the Czechoslovak Republic and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was signed in Prague on 23 November 1945. It was concluded for a period of twenty years and classified as strictly confidential.
Article 1
The Czechoslovak government shall establish a state enterprise for the exploration and exploitation of all deposits containing radioactive elements.
Practical impact:
This led to the creation of the state enterprise Jáchymov Mines and the concentration of all uranium-bearing deposits under state control. Uranium was removed from the ordinary ownership regime and became an exclusively state-controlled raw material.
Article 2
The Czechoslovak government shall take all necessary measures to maximize mining output.
Practical impact:
This constituted a commitment to increase production regardless of domestic economic priorities. Mining activities became subordinated to the requirements of the Soviet atomic program.
Article 3
The Soviet Union shall provide technical assistance and specialists.
Practical impact:
Soviet advisers entered the management structure of the enterprise. The transfer of expertise simultaneously served as a mechanism of control.
Article 4
A permanent Czechoslovak-Soviet commission (2+2 members) shall be established. The commission shall prepare plans, address issues concerning the implementation of the agreement, and determine prices.
Practical impact:
This resulted in a de facto loss of full sovereignty in matters of pricing and planning. The commission became a key instrument of power.
Article 5
The commission shall determine what portion of production remains in Czechoslovakia. The remainder of the ore shall be delivered to the USSR. Fifty percent of the radium processed in the Soviet Union shall be returned.
The accompanying protocol further stipulated that, during the first five years, no more than 10 percent of production would remain in Czechoslovakia.
Practical impact:
The overwhelming majority of production was destined for export. Czechoslovakia had no freedom to dispose of this strategic raw material according to its own interests.
Article 6
Approval of the appointment of Soviet specialists to managerial positions.
Practical impact:
This established Soviet influence institutionally within the management of the mining enterprise.
Article 7
Exchange of scientific knowledge.
This was a formal provision whose practical significance remained limited due to the asymmetrical nature of the relationship between the two states.
Article 8
Validity for twenty years.
The agreement created a long-term framework that survived even the political upheaval of 1948.
The economic aspect of the agreement was of fundamental importance. The price was defined as “production costs plus a normal percentage of profit.” In practice, however, pricing was determined by the Soviet side and was later estimated to have been approximately 15–20 percent below world market prices. Estimates of the resulting economic losses amount to hundreds of billions of Czechoslovak crowns in contemporary value.
The agreement therefore represented a combination of formal cooperation and actual asymmetry.
