Modernization of the Pipe Industry Impacted by the Construction of the Druzhba Oil Pipeline: Based on the Reports of Policy-Making Bodies in the 1960s

The article is devoted to the modernization of the USSR pipe industry in the 1960s in the context of growing demand for pipes in the defense, nuclear, and space industries. The authors study the role of decision-making bodies, as well as the USSR State Planning Committee, in coordinating intersectoral actions. Particular attention is paid to the problems that hindered the development of pipe production and the measures taken to solve them. It was noted that the construction of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the 1960s signifi cantly accelerated scientifi c and technological progress in mechanical engineering, metallurgy, and petrochemistry. The authors analyze memos, transcripts of meetings of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers, as well as correspondence between various departments and regional bodies. An analysis of the documents made it possible to trace the decision-making process at the highest level and identify factors infl uencing the development of the pipe industry, as well as to reveal macroeconomic processes in the economy of the USSR. The study showed that policymakers’ interest in the pipe industry, which began in the 1950s, was signifi cantly reinforced in the 1960s, laying the foundation for the USSR to become one of the world’s leading pipe producers.