"Burma has an agricultural economy, but has long been considered a potentially mineral rich region, with its oil, gas, lead, zinc, silver, tin, and tungsten resources in 1965 less than fully developed. Mineral output had fallen behind that of neighboring Thailand, whose production in 1964 was of about the same order of value. Production of crude oil, the major item, failed to keep pace and output declined in 1965, and petroleum refinery output, which was partly from imported crude oil, strained to supply domestic demand. At the same time, greater efforts went into increasing crude oil supplies by exploration and secondary recovery experiments. Cement and salt production continued at a steady level, but metallic output appeared to be declining. In trade, payments for some imports were withheld, which led to temporary constraints by suppliers, even though the Government?s Central Deposit financial reserves position appeared quite sound. Following completion of Japanese war reparations in April, Japan initiated a 12-year $140 million economic assistance program. Mainland China assisted Burma with the construction of bridges over the Salween River at Ta-Kaw, at Kunhing, and at Kunlong. The U.S.S.R. offered assistance in mining, was interested in a dam to be built on the Baluchaung River, near Mobye, Kayah State, and helped with the construction of the Kyetmauktaung dam. This assistance moved the anticipated completion date to August 1966. Burma?s gross national product was probably even lower in 1965 than the $1.63 billion reported in 1963-64, its mineral industry contributed an estimated 3 percent of the overall product. For this country of about 25 million people, only metallic lead and silver had international significance and the country?s output of each of these was less than 1 percent of world demand..."