Agreement about Cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Committee for State Security under the USSR Council of Ministers

[Translated from the Russian]

AGREEMENT

about cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Committee for State Security under the USSR Council of Ministers

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Committee for State Security under the USSR Council of Ministers, guided by a desire to strengthen and develop cooperation between them in activity to ensure state security, to join and coordinate their efforts in the fight against imperialist countries and the subversive work of enemy special services 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 decided to conclude an Agreement about the following:

Article I

The contracting Parties are obligated to mutually exchange:

- intelligence,[,]political military, economic, and scientific and technical information and materials about the enemy acquired by the security organs of both countries;

- operational information about the enemy, the forms and methods of the activity of his intelligence and counterintelligence services, the organizations of ideological subversion, and the subversive acts performed by them, the activity of reactionary emigrants, Zionist centers, and other organizations conducting hostile activity against the CSSR, USSR, and other countries of the socialist commonwealth, the personnel and agent networks of these services, organs, centers, and organizations, and also about the operational situation in countries which are objects of operational interest of the contracting Parties;

- the experience of fighting the hostile activity of enemy intelligence and counterintelligence services, ideological subversion, and also the subversive activities of domestic anti-socialist, nationalist, Zionist, and revisionist elements;

- information about the intrigues and provocations of enemy special services with regard to citizens of the CSSR and the USSR respectively, information and investigatory materials on cases of unmasked spies who were used by the enemy against the CSSR or USSR respectively and had communications on their territory, and also information about suspicious contacts of CSSR and Soviet citizens with representatives and citizens of capitalist countries;

- training aids, scientific research in the field of operational activity to ensure state security and sociological research free of charge, and also samples of operational technology and documentation for them developed by one of the Parties or obtained from the enemy, in accordance with existing agreements about operational and technical cooperation;

- information about the most important decisions of the Collegia and orders of the USSR MVD and KGB of mutual interest.

Classified materials, information, samples of operational equipment, or information about them received on a mutual basis cannot be passed to a third Party without the agreement of the Contracting Party from which it was received.

Article II

The Contracting Parties will mutually assist one another:

- when conducting intelligence measures concerning agent penetration of important enemy targets, the acquisition of intelligence information, and in the implementation of dynamic actions directed at the exposure and frustration of aggressive enemy designs. The measure of prime importance is the timely uncovering of direct preparations by the enemy for a military attack on the countries of the socialist commonwealth and the detection of the possible use by him of new types of weapons;

in counterintelligence work to penetrate special services, centers of ideological subversion of the enemy, émigré and other hostile organizations, and in identifying, developing, and halting the subversive activity of their officials and agent networks operating against the CSSR and USSR, and also in conducting special operations to acquire important enemy documents;

- in searching for people suspected of committing treason, or checking people suspected of malicious activity or objects of operational interest;

- in the development and implementation of measures to protect secrets relating to political, military, economic, and scientific and technical cooperation between the CSSR and USSR, and also their cooperation with other socialist countries;

- in the development of models of operational equipment in accordance with existing agreements about operational and technical cooperation.

In the interests of more effective use of the men and operational equipment in advisable cases the coordinated actions in the indicated fields and objects will be conducted jointly or by that Contracting Party which has the best opportunities to perform them.

ARTICLE III

in order to ensure the safety of Soviet military units temporarily located on CSSR territory the CSSR Ministry of Internal Affairs will maintain contact with the corresponding KGB special departments, exchange operational information with them, give them the necessary assistance, and carry out joint agent operational measures directed at shielding Soviet servicemen and their family members against the malicious activity and subversive acts of the enemy and his agent network.

The Contracting Parties will also cooperate and use existing agent operational opportunities to ensure the security of events conducted by the command of the Combined Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact.

Article IV

The governing bodies of state security of the adjoining provinces of the CSSR and USSR or persons authorized by them will maintain the necessary mutual contacts and exchange operational information about questions of mutual interest in their competence.

Article V

In order to ensure the performance of the mutual obligations envisioned by this Agreement the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the CSSR and the Committee for State Security will maintain regular contacts, consult with each other about questions of their activity, and when necessary hold business meetings at various levels to discuss and coordinate the areas and tasks of intelligence and counterintelligence work, specific questions, and measures.

The expenses associated with the stay of delegations mutually sent for these purposes according to a coordinated plan of business meetings or by invitation will be borne by the hosting Party.

The sending of specialists to give technical aid will in the future be accomplished through the appropriate bodies on the conditions of the existing intergovernmental agreements.

Article VI

The Contracting Parties recognize it necessary to coordinate their actions, quickly decide questions which arise in the course of cooperation, maintain communications between them, and from now on be implemented by the Mission of the Committee for State Security attached to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the CSSR composed of the leader of the Mission, his three deputies (for intelligence, counterintelligence, and attached to the Main Directorate of State Security of the [C]SSR MVD), seven operations officials, and the necessary number of technical workers.

The Parties have found it advisable from now on to have an Operations Group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the CSSR attached to the Committee for State Security composed of a leader of the Operations Group, five operations officials, and the necessary number of technical workers to solve problems to ensure the security of CSSR citizens on Soviet territory and to carry out joint measures with the KGB.

Article VII

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the CSSR bears the expenses for the maintenance of the personnel of its Operations Group, and the Committee for State Security bears the expenses for the maintenance of the personnel of its Mission.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the CSSR will grant premises and vehicular transportation for official needs, apartments with furniture, municipal services, and medical service at its expense to the personnel of the KGB Mission and the Committee for State Security will grant premises and vehicular transportation for official needs, apartments with furniture, municipal services, and medical service at its expense to the personnel of the MVD Operations Group.

Article VIII

This Agreement enters into force from the moment of its signing by the Contracting Parties, after which the Agreement about cooperation between the CSSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and the  Committee for State Security under the USSR Council of Ministers signed in 1962 ceases to have effect.

Article IX

The Agreement has been drafted in two copies, one each in Czech and Russian, each having equal force.

Done in Prague on [entered by hand: 10] February 1972