V. Chebrikov, 'Order of the Chairman of the State Security Committee of the USSR, Moscow, regarding Measures To Improve The Preventive Work Conducted By The State Security Services'

Classified

ORDER

Of the Chairman of the State Security Committee of the USSR

Moscow

Regarding Measures To Improve The Preventive Work Conducted By The State Security Services

I am forwarding the letter of the Collegium of the KGB of the USSR “On Measures to Improve Preventive Work Conducted by the State Security Service” and

I HEREBY ORDER:

1. Based on the requirements of the CPSU Central Committee, the Constitution of the USSR and Soviet law, and in accordance with this letter of the Collegium, as well as orders and directives of the KGB of the USSR, all management and operative personnel of the central apparatus of the KGB of the USSR, as well as of KGB local offices, command personnel and officers of the intelligence units of the border protection troops of the KGB of the USSR are to take additional measures to continue the improvement of preventive work, which is an integral part of operative work and is an important means to achieving the objective, posed upon the agency and the KGB troops, of protecting the Soviet State and society from subversive activities of the enemy as well as hostile elements inside the country.

When conducting preventive work, to ensure observance of socialist law, to disallow unjustified usage of preventive measures against soviet citizens, as well as the use of preventive measures with respect to persons who should be criminally charged for committed crimes.

2. Heads of subdivisions at the central apparatus, local KGB branches as well as heads of the border protection troops of the KGB are to discuss the practical conclusions that stem from the letter of the Collegium of the KGB of the USSR at the collegium meetings, heads of KGB directorates’ councils, military councils of border districts and daily briefings of the relevant subdivisions, as well as determine specific steps towards increasing the efficiency of preventive work.

3. Heads of local KGB branches are to communicate the contents of the letter of the Collegium of the KGB to first secretaries of Central Committees of the Communist Party of the Soviet republics, to the party offices in territories and regions, to heads and members of military councils, military commands, military districts, air defense district, fleets, individual armies and equivalents, heads of political offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD)^[1], Main Directorate of Internal Affairs, Directorates of Internal Affairs, as well as directorates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ troops.

4. To report on a regular basis on the status and results of preventive work to the respective [communist] party offices, military councils, command and political offices of the army and the navy, internal troops, as well as to the leadership and political offices of the MVD , Main Directorate of Internal Affairs and Directorates of Internal Affairs.

5. To authorize the following officials of the operative units of the central apparatus, as well as of the KGB and its troops, to make decisions with respect to conducting preventive activities:

a) With respect to conducting preventive measures based on operative and investigative information that involves usage of mass media, as well as with respect to Soviet citizens who are an object of monitoring and are registered in the operative database, or with respect to whom a tip was received, including when discussing their misconduct with the participation of the public at their work place, as well as in subdivisions of the MVD, the Army and the Navy, as well as when it involves giving an official warning – decisions shall be made by chairmen of the KGB of the Soviet and Soviet autonomous republics, heads of KGB directorates in territories and regions, heads of directorates of special operations as well as heads of special operations departments in different military branches, districts, fleets, individual armies and equivalents, commanders of border protection troops in border districts, heads of main directorates, independent directorates and departments of the KGB of the USSR, and their respective deputies;

b) With respect to conducting preventive measures against Soviet citizens who are registered in the operative database without involving the public [in discussion of their misconduct] and without giving the official warning – decisions shall be made by officials at the local KGB branches, border protection troops, and subdivisions of the central apparatus of the KGB of the USSR, who are authorized to make decisions pertaining to initiating and closing respective monitoring cases.

c) With respect to conducting preventive measures against Soviet citizens with respect to whom a tip was received, and when the public is not involved [in the discussion of their misconduct] and the official warning was not given:

- At the Central Apparatus of the KGB of the USSR – decisions shall be made by heads of the operative departments of the main and autonomous directorates, heads of operative departments of directorates and services that are part of the main directorates, and their respective deputies;

- In territorial branches of the KGB – decisions shall be made by heads of autonomous operative departments, as well as operative departments that are part of the KGB directorates of the Soviet republics, heads of operative departments of the KGB of autonomous republics, heads of operative departments and departments that are part of the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth services of the KGB directorates in the territories and regions, heads of city departments and branches of the KGB and KGB directorates, and their respective deputies;

- In the military counterintelligence services – decisions shall be made by heads of special operations departments of the KGB of the USSR in divisions, brigades, and their equivalents, and their respective deputies;

- In the border protection troops – decisions shall be made by heads of the border protection units, of the individual checkpoints, as well as their deputies who are responsible for reconnaissance.

4. To introduce the following record-keeping procedures for the preventive activities and persons with respect to whom preventive measures are applied:

a) In all instances of conducting preventive measures against persons with respect to whom there is an open operative monitoring case or an initial tip was received, a well-grounded statement needs to be prepared that should contain the nature of the misconduct as well as justification of the feasibility of the use of specific preventive measures against the person who committed the misconduct. The statement needs to be approved by a respective official, who is authorized to give permission to use preventive measures based on clause 3 of this order. Preventive measures against members and candidates for membership in the CPSU have to be conducted in coordination with the city and regional party committees, with, equal to them, party committees of ministries, state committees, agencies, institutions, enterprises and organizations, political offices of the military where these individuals are registered as members, and when needed, with the supervising [communist] party offices;

b) An operative shall compile a report based on the results of the completed preventive action and submit it to the official who authorized it. The report should state when, where, and in what form the preventive action was taken, what was the behavior of the subject of the preventive action; whether his written statement was taken; and whether there is any need in the subsequent monitoring of him;

c) Registration of individuals against whom preventive measures were taken shall be done in the tenth departments, divisions and groups of the KGB, and KGB directorates in conformity with Para.54 of the Operative Record-Keeping Manual approved at the Council of Ministers of the USSR by the order of the chairman of the KGB No.0076, dated July 12, 1977.

5. Be it resolved that statistic reports about preventive work in the KGB directorates, as well as in military counterintelligence agencies shall be prepared by the operative record-keeping offices in conjunction with the counterintelligence units in the form set forth by the order of the chairman of the KGB No.0150 dated March 20, 1973 and approved by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The reports shall be submitted to the Tenth Department of the KGB of the USSR on an annual basis no later than January 10 of the year following the reporting year without any accompanying explanation notes.

6. The First, Second and Third main directorates, Fourth, Fifth, Six and Seventh directorates, Investigative Department, and Intelligence Branch of the Border Protection Troops of the KGB of the USSR, are to consolidate on a regular basis, along their respective lines, preventive work practices of the agencies and intelligence services of the border protection troops of the KGB; based on the results of the consolidated reports to constantly take steps towards improving the effectiveness of the work.

The Inspectorate, in conjunction with the interested sub-divisions of the central apparatus of the KGB of the USSR, as well as The F.E. Dzerzhinsky Higher School of the KGB are to prepare and publish reviews of the preventive work conducted by the state security agency and the intelligence branches of the border protection troops, and publish these materials in the KGB Digest.

7. The Dzerzhinsky Higher School of the KGB in conjunction with the operative subdivisions of the KGB central apparatus and of the local KGB branches, are to improve the development of the theory of the preventive work of the KGB and to prepare and publish in 1984 a study guide on this topic. 

8. To repeal the orders of the Chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR No.0177-1964, and No.0280-1966, sub-clause “c” of clause 1 of the KGB order No.0072-1972, paragraph 2 of clause 10 of the Decision of the KGB Collegium under the Council of Ministers of the USSR announced by the Order of the Chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR No.0038-1977; clause 3 of Addendum No.2 to the Order of the Chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR No.0076-1977; sub-clause “b” of clause 5 of the Order of the Chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR No.0019-1978 and clause 13 of the Addendum for the same order; clause 6 of Addendum No.2 to the Order of the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR No.0323-1982, as well as clause 8 of Addendum No.2 to the Order of the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR No.0412-1983.

Paragraph 3 of the Instruction Manual approved by the order of the Chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR No.0150-1973 shall be amended to read as follows:

“3. The authority to decide on the issue of whether to use the official warning shall be given to the KGB chairmen of the Soviet and Soviet autonomous republics, heads of KGB directorates in territories and regions, heads of directorates of special operations as well as heads of special operations departments in different military branches, districts, fleets, individual armies and equivalents, commanders of border protection troops in border districts, heads of main directorates, independent directorates and departments of the KGB of the USSR, and their respective deputies.”

9. To communicate this order and the letter of the Collegium to the leadership and operative personnel of the state security agency, commanders and officers of intelligence branches of border districts, units and border checkpoints, faculty of the specialized departments in the KGB educational institutions. 

Chairman of the Committee

V. Chebrikov

[signature]

^[1]Translator’s note: “MVD” is a Russian acronym for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.