Agreement Concerning Cooperation between the CSSR Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Committee for State Security of the USSR

Top Secret

AGREEMENT

concerning cooperation between the CSSR Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Committee for State Security of the USSR

The CSSR Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Committee for State Security of the USSR, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, guided by a desire to strengthen and develop the cooperation between them in ensuring the state security of their countries and the entire socialist commonwealth, combine and coordinate their efforts in the struggle against the imperialist countries and the subversive work of enemy special services on the basis of the principles of socialist internationalism, in accordance with the obligations of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics per the Warsaw Pact concerning friendship, cooperation, and mutual aid, have agreed concerning the following:

Article I

1. Attaching special significance to the expansion of cooperation in the sphere of the state security of both countries the Parties have agreed to cooperate in the following forms:

- an exchange of the information acquired;

- rendering mutual aid in carrying out agent operational, special, and counter-propaganda measures directed at exposing and disrupting the plans and designs of the enemy;

- an exchange of delegations and experience of operational service activity;

- performing reciprocal deliveries of special equipment through appropriate foreign trade organizations or on terms of the existing agreements between the Parties;

- granting aid in training personnel.

2. Other forms of cooperation might be determined by mutual consent of the Parties.

Article II

1. The Parties will mutually exchange:

- intelligence information of a political, strategic military, economic, and scientific and technical nature, primarily about the US and their NATO allies, about signs of enemy preparations for a sudden nuclear missile attack;

- information about the special [services], including the technical services of the enemy, their professional personnel composition and intelligence network, the forms and methods of activity, centers of ideological subversion, reactionary émigrés, and Zionist, nationalist, terrorist, and other organizations carrying out malicious activity against the USSR, CSSR, and other countries of the socialist commonwealth;

- information about the provocations of enemy special services against citizens of both countries; information received in the course of an investigation about cases of exposed officials and agents of the special services being used by the enemy against the CSSR and USSR or having ties on their territory, and also information about contacts of Czechoslovak and Soviet citizens with citizens of capitalist countries suspected of hostile activity against the countries of the socialist commonwealth;

- the experience of fighting the subversive activity of the special [services], including the technical services of the enemy, ideological subversion, acts of terrorism, and also the hostile actions of anti-socialist, nationalist, clerical, Zionist, and revisionist elements;

- the experience of using computer equipment in the practical activity of the organs of state security, and also the software used in developing and exploiting automatic information systems (AIS);

- information about the most important decisions of the Collegia and regulatory acts of the CSSR FMVD and USSR KGB of mutual interest.

2. Information received in the course of exchange cannot be passed to a third party without the agreement of the sending Party.

Article III

1. The  Parties will coordinate efforts and give one another mutual aid:

- in carrying out operational measures for the intelligence penetration of important enemy facilities, first of all the US and their NATO allies, in seeking intelligence information about signs of direct preparations for a sudden nuclear missile attack on the countries of the socialist commonwealth.

- in performing long-term active measures directed at exposing and disrupting the aggressive designs of the enemy, and in achieving the coordinated goals of the policy of the CzCC and CPSU in the international arena;

- in the joint exploitation of the System of Combined Data Records (SOUD) about the enemy, and its improvement by including the main facilities of the enemy in the collection;

- in the organization of intelligence work in all sectors of effective operational cooperation on at the residency level in third countries;

- in counterintelligence work against enemy special services and institutions used as cover by them, centers of ideological subversion, émigré, Zionist, nationalist, terrorist, and other malicious organizations, in the exposure and termination of the subversive activity of their officials and agent networks, anti-socialist elements acting against the CSSR and USSR, and also in the preparation and realization of special measures to acquire important documentary materials of the enemy;

- in carrying out joint operational measures to expose and stop the subversive actions of the enemy in economic facilities, transportation and communications, and channels of international traffic and communications in a timely manner;

- in the development and realization of measures to protect the state secrets of the USSR, CSSR, and the other countries of the socialist commonwealth in the political, military, economic, and scientific and technical spheres;

- in the search for and checking on people who have committed or are suspected of having committed state crimes, conducting malicious activity, are objects of mutual operational interest, or in the investigation of separate criminal matters;

- in ensuring the security of Party and government delegations visiting their countries;

- in counterintelligence support of the most important objects of economic integration and the specialists of the CSSR and USSR working at economic facilities of the Parties.

2. in order to more effectively and rationally use operational personnel and resources in necessary cases the coordinated activities in the above areas and facilities will be done jointly or by that Party which has the more favorable opportunities to accomplish them.

Article IV

1. In coordination with the Mission the KGB Special Department for the Soviet Army Central Group of Forces will maintain contacts with the CSSR Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, exchange operational information with it, and conduct joint agent operational measures in order to ensure the security of Soviet military units, servicemen, and their family members temporarily located on Czechoslovak territory.

2. The Parties will also cooperate and use existing agent operational opportunities to ensure the security of measures conducted by the command of the Combined Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact, and also carry out the joint development of enemy special services conducting subversive activity against the Soviet troops temporarily deployed on CSSR territory. Take the necessary steps to stop leaks of classified information about the Armed Forces of the CSSR and USSR, and the Combined Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact.

3. in order to increase the effectiveness of the cooperation the KGB Special Departments [sic] for the Central Group of Forces can establish direct contacts with the leaders of the territorial bodies of the National Security Corps in locations that Soviet troops are deployed for the joint development and realization of operational measures and an exchange of information of interest to them.

Article V

1. The Parties will strengthen and expand cooperation between the border troops, take steps directed at increasing combat readiness and the organization of reliable protection of the state borders; within the framework of the corresponding intergovernmental agreement perform and improve passage across the border of various delegations, individual citizens, and freight in the interests of the further development of friendly relations between the two countries.

2. The leaders of the organs of state security of adjoining provinces of the CSSR and USSSR or persons authorized by them, and also the leaders of the intelligence organs of the border troops will maintain mutual contact, exchange operational information about questions of mutual interest within their competence, and in necessary cases develop and perform joint agent operation measures.

Article VI

The Parties are obligated to cooperate on questions of mobilization readiness in order to increase the level of preparation for activity in conditions of crisis situations and wartime:

- subunits of the organs of state security through a mutual exchange of information about the principles of the planning and practical realization of mobilization measures, [about] the procedure for material and technical support, the creation of conditions for the survivability of personnel, and also on other questions of mutual interest;

- through residency channels in accordance with Article 15, “The Protocol About the Main Principles of Cooperation of the USSR KGB First Main Directorate and the CSSR FMVD 1^st Directorate at the Residency Level” of 1985;

- the CSSR FMVD Mission attached to the USSR KGB and the USSR KGB Mission attached to the CSSR FMVD by coordinating the mobilization measures with the receiving Party.

Article VII

From now on the Parties will develop cooperation in the development and creation of models of special equipment, including their exchange of the documentation for them, in accordance with the existing agreement about mutual aid to supply the means of operational equipment.

Article VIII

The USSR Committee for State Security will train operations officials of the organs of state security of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in its own training institutions with compensation by the Czechoslovak Party for the expenses associated with their training and support. The number of those studying, the terms of their financial support, and other questions associated with the training will be coordinated between the Parties.

The mutual exchange of textbooks and scientific research in the field of operational activity will be done free of charge.

Article IX

The Parties will facilitate the strengthening and development of the bilateral ties of Party and youth organizations of the CSSR FMVD and USSR KGB in order to instill personnel with the spirit of socialist internationalism, mobilizing their efforts for a successful solution of the tasks with which they are faced.

Article X

in order to further improve the organization of military medical service to the officials of the CSSR FMVD and USSR KGB the Parties will continue the practice of a mutual exchange of the accumulated experience in this problem area by the method of treating individual kinds of illnesses, and also with passes for the rest of managerial personnel in the health resorts of one another in quantities coordinated between the Parties.

Article XI

1. in order to ensure the observance of the mutual obligations stipulated by this Agreement the Parties will continue the well-established practice of periodically summarizing the results of cooperation and coordination of the tasks for the upcoming period, and drafting long-range plans and a list of objects of mutual interest through intelligence and counterintelligence lines of work.

2. The Parties will maintain regular contacts and hold business meetings in accordance with annually approved plans to exchange experience and coordinate specific questions and measures.

3. The expenses associated with the stay of delegations and individuals sent for these purposes or on invitation will be charged to the receiving Party. When holding unplanned business meetings, as a rule all expenses will be borne by the Party which is the initiator.

4. The assignment of specialists to give technical assistance will be done through the appropriate organizations on the terms of the existing intergovernmental agreements.

Article XII

1. The Parties recognize it necessary to entrust the solution of the practical questions of cooperation and maintenance of communications between the CSSR FMVD and the USSR KGB to the Mission of the Committee of State Security attached to the CSSR Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, the strength of which is determined by agreement between the Parties.

2. The Parties have recognized it advisable to have a Mission of the CSSR Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs attached to the Committee of State Security, the composition of which is determined by agreement between the Parties, to solve the problems of counterintelligence support of CSSR citizens on Soviet territory and conducting joint measures with KGB organs.

Article XIII

1. The CSSR FMVD and USSR KGB take upon themselves the expenses to support the personnel of their Mission attached to the security organs of the other Party.

2. The CSSR FMVD and USSR KGB will grant the personnel of the Mission of the other Party premises and vehicle transportation for official needs, including vehicle repair, living quarters with furniture, municipal services, and medical service at their expense.

Article XIV

This Agreement enters into force from the day of its signing and will be effective for 15 years; at this time it will be automatically extended each time for the following five-year period unless one of the Parties declares its desire to terminate it by notification six months before the corresponding expiration date.

Article XV

The 10 February 1972 Agreement on cooperation between the CSSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Committee of State Security attached to the USSR Council of Ministers ceases to have effect from the day this Agreement goes into force.

Done in the city of Moscow on 30 August 1989 in two originals, one each in Czech and Russian, both texts having equal force.

[Translator’s note: the underlined text was entered by hand, as well as being underlined in the original]