STENOGRAPHIC REPORT ON THE FIRST REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF CHIEFS OF THE 1ST SPETSOTDELS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R000400030035-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 19
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 14, 2006
• Sequence Number: 35
• Publication Date: August 5, 1947
• Content Type: REPORT

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t 1i - AUG 5 1941
SUBJECT ; Stenographic Report on the First Regional
Conference of Chiefs of the lst Spetsotdels,
et al a
ORIGIN Captured German Document
EVA LUA TI ON Documentary
DATE OF INFO: 15 - 17 March 1940
DATE 25 July 1947
9 3
REFERENCE CENiE~I
Note: The following pages have been excerpted from a stenographic
report in Russian of the ;proceedings at a three-da;; conference
of NKVD Record and Dossier Sections held in Moscow in llareh, 1940.
Problems of administrative and intelligence interest were discussed,
with the keynote of the conference the desire of the Moscow NKVD
Headquarters to. improve the efficiency and accuracy of the work
of the record sections.
Present at the conference were chiefs of and key workers
in record sections (1st Spetso,dels) attached to the NKVD direct-
orates for CE in transport (DTO), for CE in the Red Army (00 ),
for CE in Soviet Industry (GEU)g for prisons (GTU) and for State
Security (GUGB), as well as representatives from the 1st Spetsotdel
Center in Yoscowwa Speakers from this last organization gave the
pitch. for the choir; the president of the conference and a speaker
who gave the conference a final going-over at the last neetin r
were also from I.ioscow Headquarters e
Although the report is primarily of counterespionage value,
it has definite political interest for its detailed description of
f< small but significant segment of Soviet bureaucracy at work.
Its detailed presentation of administrative discussions throws
a revealing light on the procedures, the efficiency, and the
professional motivation within e highly important division of one
of the key Soviet r2inistriesa
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STIE110GhAP1LIC REPORT ON TIU FIRST REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF
CHIEVS: OF THE 1st SPETSOTDP.LS, at al.
15 - 17 March 1940
First Regional Operational Conference of chiefs of 1st Spets-
otdels, NKVD-UNKVv; workers of the statistics group of the
D'TO (Dorozhno- Transportni Otdel - Railroad and Transportation
Section); Special Sections (Osobenny Utdel); representatives
of the cities of Moscow, Leningrad, Orel, Kalinin, Gorky,
Rzhev, Kaluga, Vologda, Yaroslav, Arkhangeiski, Murmansk,
Petrozavodsk, Ivanov, Kursk, Kirov, Ryazin, Tula; supervisors
of Dossier Groups of sections of GUGB (Glavnoye Upravleniye
Gosuderstvennoi i3esopasnosti - Central Directorate of State
Security), GEU (Glavnoye Ekonomicheskoye Upravleniye - Central
Economic Directorate), and GTU (Glavnoye T'yuremnoye Upravleniye
-Central Prison Directorate), 15-16-17 March, 1940.
The plan, approved by B'"?RIYA, Lavrenti P.I. aims to fulfill
the order of the People-s Commissariat #00750-1930, which orders
the reorganization of the lst Spetsotdel. Discussion on the
improvement of lst Spetsotdel work will be held.
Report of TITOV, Chief lst Spetsotdel, T.Soscow Oblast:
In March 1939, the condition of agentainformer-net dossiers
was as follows: no centralization of these dossiers, some card
files were located in the UNKVD, a general card file did not
exist. Under this system It was impossible to know whether or
not there was a dossier on an agent. Upon checking, it was dis-
covered that sections and regional divisions did not know who all
their own informers were.
Anti-Soviet dossiers brought to light through exploitation
of official observation files (delo-formulyar) are incorrect.
The Investigation dossiers (uchet sledstvennix del) con-
nected with the mass arrests of 1937--36 were found in very bad
condition. Dossiers of those arrested ,were not kept up daily
and on the strength of this information, periodic corrections
were instituted by sections, regional sub-sections, and prisons.
The names of some persons who had been convicted in the distant
past were included, and we found that names of other persons
arrested had not been entered and so were not mentioned at all.
r% Ir
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 The general information card file (obshche-sprsvochnasyR ):
In the Ukraine, due to the stresses of war, the files were
in poor condition. The archives were very large and were in
such bad shape when we received them that much material still
can't be found. Alphabetization was incorrect, material was
misfiled.
An important chief of the sixth subsection of the 1st
Spetsotdel of the People's Kornraissariat of the Canter offered
us a "lesson", I can not call it anything else, on how to cut
out our weak spots--w? did not listen to hire.
Voice from the
Has he a doctorate?
311111 1OV:
I think that he has a doctorate and is a specialist in
this field and will be able to clarify this question.
Voice from the seats: Ile needs to have an extension of time for that.
Sf1 UIJOV :
It goes without saying that when new leadership arrived
with order s, directives, etc., our work was put on the right
track.
In the .1estern oblasts there are thousands of people who
have not been entered on dossiers, especially those persons
living in the border regions.
Not long ago, a comrade came frorra the Center to Lvov, worked
there a month without the Ukrainian SSA knowing anything about
it.. When he left, he left the files all messed up.. You people
would like to draw conclusions about the work of the Lvov Oblast
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SI.aR21OV:
Many directorate chiefs write their documents from the
reports of their workers, oftentimes poorly qualified; this
leads to nistakes and the misuse of terms.
PRAVIKOV (1st Spotsotdel Center NI:VD/U ="',R}:
NKVD circular #206 of 23 October 1938 deals imprisoned
foreigners. Every 1st 3petsotdel and dossier group must l.riow
all about this circular. Forty-eight hours after the arrest of
an alien, the following documents must be sent to 1st Spetsotdel
NI.VD/US R: two dossier cards--form #1, photographs, national
passport, disposition of his case,
In all of the talks today I have heard nothing about
dossiers of imprisoned foreigners. The NKVD organs in the out-
lying districts are completely lacking in dossiers on iiprisoned
foreigners. The 1st 6petsotdel and dossier groups of DTO and
00 paid no attention to the problems of making dossiers on
foreigners. All of you present know that the 1st Spetsotdels
of NKVD-UNKVD. are charged with a large and responsible problem
in organizing and setting u]p dossiers on imprisoned foreigners,,
All of you comrades sitting here should know that Narkom
(Narodni Kommissar-Peoples= Commissar) and his assistant almost
daily request from the 1st Spetsotdel Z1hVD/USSR documents on
foreigmers whose citizenship is proved by their national documents.
Many chiefs of 1st Spetsotdels NL.VD/UNKVD have made and are
making serious mistakes in regard to the problems of dossiers
of foreigners and aliens.
GERTSOVSKI:
Comrade TSVETEOV has some proposals to make.
TSVETKOV:
Socialist competition is one of our best means of improving
work, and fulfilling NKVD orders.
A worker does six hundred records and goes home Another
worker at the end of the day has done less and realizes it.. The
latter will work overtime in order to do more than six hundred
so her work does not trail,
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Socialist competitions must fulfill the followin,.; points:
1. Improve our operational dossiers.
2. Raise the qualifications of "Chekhist" work in
relationship to the technique of doing our operational work.
3. Raise our true (Communist) political level.
4. Raise the general cultural level of our co-workers.
5. Improve our war preparations.
SOLOVEV (Special Section (00) Center) :
the dossier group of the Special Section has two crrd
files of agents: one by family name and one by pseudonym,. If
one were to ask how many agents were in any special group,
division, etc., there would be no answer as the files ,ere not
kept according to groups
We have two basic complaints against the 1st Spetsotdel:
1) they try to got our archive to do some of their work; 2)
the 1st Spetsotdel always seizes all the forms and blanks first.
Morning Session: 16 t.7arch 1940.
D1NISOV (1st Spetsotdel Center):
The purpose of this conference is to improve our work.
I would like to talk about the All-Union Search Section.
Order #00310 for 1939 places on the 1st Spetsotdel the respunsi-
bility for sending bulletins to the All-Union Search Section
about ospecially important goVernment crira1_nals not located by
the courts.
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Much work is involved here as there are many very dangerous
counter-revolutionary elements to this day on Soviet territory.
However, the issuance of bulletins (man-wanted notices) has been
poorly handled. Failure on the part of 1st Spetsotdel to check
data regarding the person-wanted has resulted in sending out
bulletins on persons dead or already in prison. Matters regarding
search should be referred to the 3rd Spetsotdel, not the lst.
It is very important to complete all PNEVD orders. Courade
STALIN, in his historic speech at the eighteenth Part,; Uongross,
said: "Do not forget capitalistic encirclement; remember that
foreign intelligence systems will send spies to our country;
remember this and strengthen our intelligence; help to destroy
and uproot the enemies of our people."
Some comrades are not clear as to what problems may be used
for work by a Socialist competition. Here are some problems
decided on by the Party meetings (partsobraniya) or Party office
(partburo) as basic problems for condluding a Socialist agreement:
1) There was a daily contest for fulfilling the
monthly operational plans for each section. Work was systematized;
for each two hours of work, the workers received ten minutes' rest.
To raise the cultural level of workers in the
operational "Ghekhist" section, every fifth evening was spent
on general cultural study and two hours of "Chekhist" study;
during the day, several comrades took courses in foreign languages.
2) There was a contest against waste. Many workers
were dismissed for mistakes. Young workers were helped. If
there are questions, cone and see how we worked out our problems
and did away with disorder in the 1st Spetsotdel.
Regarding dossiers on agent nets, we, the 1st Spetsotdel
of UPIKVD in Tula Oblast, have the following proposal: Organize
the dossiers of agent nets according to installation (school,
factory, etc.) and place of residence,
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DOROFE MN (Gorky Oblast):
The lst Spetsotdel LTIKVD of the Gorky Oblast did not
establish the special card file on street dossiers. This was
taken from the DTO of the Gorky Railroad and continued. If the
operational section requests information on some parson living
on some certain street, we can look and see that an agent lives
on that street. We order him to make contact with the suspect
if possible.
Wo have done away with the street dossier as we found it
took up much time and had little value.
Thin problem is interesting; and important; however,
keeping; dossiers accordin;; to locale and street is good only
when the educational level of the workers is high. As-yet this
has not been achieved. A change to alphabetical dossiers will
be trade.
Comrade MARKUSIMV has a proposal to abolish the practice
of marking in the log book the r.zovonent of work from one section
to another, the assignment of work to the archives, etc.
The log book is a fundamental document. By use of this
document, it is always possible to know where and when a document
was sent. Cards are destroyed when no longer needed, but the log
book is more permanent.
The document log is always to be kept. Cards and documents
are to be kept for a limited time. Cards are easily destroyed.
A book will always show where documents were sent.
A group of comrades from the Kirov Oblast and DTO propose
to carry a unified dossier of anti-Soviet elements who are
listed in alphabetical records.
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ZIIURI~i (DSO Kalnin RR) :
Order 1001223 clearly says that persons listed in such
records will riot be carried on a unified dossier. However, the
book on operational dossiers says they will be. I think they
should ben
ZASLAVSKI (Moscow Oblast):
I disagree with Zhurin as his suggestion would cause an
overload of work.
ale of the let Spetsotdol Center feel the need to unify mass
dossiers.
I feel this question must be turned over to a corunission.
For Special and Transport oections this problem can definitely
be decided irinediately. Regarding UNKVD, we will gait half a
year and will send comrades to Ryazan and T"oscow Oblasts, check
results and disseminate the results of their experiences to
all UNIVD organs.
Comrade KOZOKHOTSILI proposes introducing a quarterly
accounting of let Spetsotdel of NKVD-UNKVD before 1st Spetsotdel
of NKVD/USSR about work on operational dossiers.
KOZOKHOTSKI (Kalinin Oblast) :
I have a second proposal: All chief of 1st Spetsotdels
must pres,..nt to their supervisors sum.taries from time to time
about conditions of the operational dossiers,
TITOV (Moscow Oblast):
Vle have already done it and since no one is prohibited from
doing it, there is no point in getting directive approval.
Comrade TITOV is absolutely right.
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I VANOV:
TITOV proposes that when 1st Spetsotdel NKVD/USSR requests
records for inspection, they should not be allowed to keep them
in their central archives.
?,SAL`T' aEV :
I agree with TITOV.
DOKUCI1ttVA (DTO Trans-Caucasian RR):
I think the 1st Spetsotdel should keep records,
GERTSOVSKI :
This problem must go to a Commission for docision.
IVAPIOV:
There is a proposal to organize within the 1st Spetsotdel
an organizational-instruction subsection, and a second proposal
from the LSoscow Oblast that all rational proposals on techniques
of working with dossiers be transmitted to the outlying districts.
G '' TSOVSKI :
An or-anizational-instruction subsection has already been
formed. The second proposal must be adopted,
Evening meeting: 16 March 1940.. Discussion on instructions in
archive work.
As regards the system of keepin materials in our archives,
it differs from that of the government archives, such as archives
of the Revolution, October Revolution, archives of wear :iistory,
Red Army, etc. Vie cannot use the instruction their workers receive
as it is written in such technical, difficult terms that our
workers could not absorb it should we completely take over their
system.
In looking through the work which the archives usually
handle, we can see that in twenty years the archives have not
been revised. It is unknown what materials in.the archives
are missing, in what number, how important. To this time no
one knows this and t.iis must be learned,
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There is still another job: the weeding out of material
which has completely lost its values i!ork will improve after
this has been done. The instructions will-be in the following
form, : description of the backlog, how each is formed, how kept
and used. General breakdovm: keeping of materials, revision
and weeding out, order for using . iaterials, Intra-archives,
inquiry work, etc.
GERTS OV;IIa :
Comrade DA ITAKOV will speak on the problems in the work
of lst Spotsotdels.
BASIITAKOV (Center of 1st Spotsotdel ):
First of all, I must excuse myself for being present for
such a short time at the conference. This did not occur because
I did not want to be present---I had a great desire to be here
--but circumstances were such that I could not be here. Con-
cerning the course of this regional operational conference I am
able to judge from material with which I have just become
acquainted and from impressions of comrades who were present
here and who shared their Irapressions with me...
Above all,, it is necessary to any that several comrades
were not sufficiently seriously prepared and had not reflected
long enough about questions. They might have offered more
questions and proposals. This does not concern all comrades
and it is not by accident that some of the comrades have taken
a sufficiently active part in this operational conference, such
as Comrades TSVETKOV, TITOV, KRIVITSKI, SI.HIRNOV, and others.
But another group of comrades sat here and were silent.
As the first of this group we have Comrade P",ARTINEE`T''S. He
keeps us in complete ignorance. t'/e have no information on what
he is doing there in Rostov. The 1st Spetsotdel in Rostov is
a big Spotsotdel and the oblast Is very big. He r.i.ght at least
come forward and relate the important details of his work.
Concerning Comrade GROG OV of Vologda matters are very
unsatisfactory. We judge this from the protocol of the opera-
tional convention. The chief of the directorate said straight
out that Comrade GROIIIOV does not set an example for his co--
workers, he is very sluggish in doing his tasks, and he very
feebly carries out his work as chief of a section.
Several comrades are not sufficiently self-critical con-
cerning themselves and their work, as, for example, Comrade
1OROZOV. He asked very few questions at the regional opera-
tional conference, but it is possible that he can ask more
serious questions and speak more self-critically concerning
hims e3A$pro3.e21 UOfti) / N~9izd3t,~-F 3R 3e 5B~OQ A843 i~ s5t
operational conference.
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Chief of tJNKVD/LO (Leningrad Oblast in 1939 was GORLIDZE,
who made the statement: "The 1st Special Section is my ri 1-w.
hand,". ..
Difficulty has been experienced in teaching younger
workers to write and to apply themselves to document work. They
must have daily practice in getting used to our techniques and
learning to love our work. Every document, whether its source
is the top or the outlying districts, is a contribution to the
Russian heritag=e. One letter can play a most important role--
a single piece of carelessness must be paid for later. Card
files with errors will fail. Also, it is not only necessary
that each worker know his own work, but he must also know that
of the Whole section. For this purpose a textbook on opera-
tional dossiers, orders and instructions has been printed,
Conversation with I3EItIYA, as related to the conference by IVSIITAKOV:
I must tell you that the People's Kommissar, Lavrenti
Paviovich, pays much attention to the work of the 1st Spetsotdels.
From time to tires he asks me: "Do you know how many arrests you
have made?" I say: "In Moscow, yes". "But in the Moscow Oblast/"
"I do not lmow." "It is necessary," he said, "to know". After
several further questions Lavrenti Favlovich said: "You oug=ht to
teach then to work like a chronometer. Do you know what a chrono-
meter is?" I said: "I kriow." (That is what I keep tellink you,
comrades, accuracy, exactness, legibility in your work.) You
must,," said Lavrenti Pavlovich, "give what information you have
within one to two minutes, with exactness and truth so that
there may be no misapprehensions. Information that you should
give is: 1) when arrested, 2) where arrested, 3) by whom senten-
ced, 4) for how long sentenced, and 5) where he is."
BASHTAKOV makes his point from the above:
As it is now with us, comrades, this is the way we give
information--the man was condemned at some time or other, he
is to be found at some place or other, and when we do get
around to an examination with Any thoroughness, it develops
that the men has already died. I tell you this so you will
work like a chronometer, quickly and a ecura telly .
At 1645 Comrade GERTSOVSK.I closed the first
Regional operational conference of the chiefs of the
lst Spetsotdels of NKVD/UNKVD, of workers from the
dossier subsections and of groups of the DTOts railways
and 00's of military districts and of the Itavy.
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