Called the classic espionage experts, the Soviet KGB practiced their "artform" with what appears little effective opposition for almost all of the decades of the Cold War.  Essentially proven by the theft of the U.S. atomic secrets, the fictional Moscow Center documented by authors like John LeCarre turned out not to be far from the truth.  The "Moscow Rules" penned by LeCarre¹ also has become an accepted name for the tradecraft used by the KGB, and indeed the term and specifics of tradecraft used by LeCarre is as recognizable to his readers as the initials of this real and at most times vicious and unrelenting agency of Soviet espionage.

In their non-fiction expose of the KGB's secrets, The Crown Jewels ², which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nigel West and Oleg Tsarev document the secrets exhumed from the archives of the KGB.  It portrays a agency of the Soviet Government not only a terror at home, but a terror across land masses and oceans alike, an agency just as effective outside the iron curtain as inside.

Improving and perfecting the tools of espionage known for centuries, the Soviet KGB built a well organized system to teach agents and leaders in the tradecraft, crafted a strategy to pursue secrets of all sorts, and then quietly and efficiently went about building the actual human network of officers who recruited agents and began a flood of covert and overt information past the seemingly impenetratable iron curtain.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, and the new open-ness established, West and Tsarev were able to invade the archives and to the surprise of few in the intelligence business found British secret documents and photographs as well as the thin trail of American atomic secrets.  Much of what was suspected as damage done was verified and today, because of the authors' efforts, we can truly see how effective the well organized and planned Soviet thrust had become.

This section of MILNET will be devoted to documenting the history and key activities engaged upon by the Officers of the KGB.
 

Early History

The Soviet Intelligence efforts began well before the Cold War and World Wars.  The beginnings, at least those that have real significance begin in 1918 when the CHEKA was formed specifically to provide intelligence to the government.  The primary concern was the effect of anarchists on the morale and leadership of the Russian Fleet.  Aleksi Filippov was assigned to assess the conditions in Finland, which provided a double advantage, he could also assess the Finish resolve to remain a neutral power.  As the Germans moved to take food and munitions from the Russian Army, Filippov, through his cover in banking, shipping, and financial circles was able to give notice and request emergency assistance.

Eventually the management chain in CHEKA realized that they needed, like most modern intelligence organizations, separate the covert ("illegals") intelligence gathering operations from the counter intelligence organization.  The idea of setting up places to base the illegals, rezidenturas, according to West and Tsarev, was first addressed at this time.

Using existing Foreign Missions, the spies would be under cover as workers in the missions, and have no diplomatic immunity.  Only the Head of Mission would know who the illegals were.  Along with the illegals, of course, were the legal rezidents.  The illegals were to operate independent of the legals, and thus required a different management chain.

Through the early 1920s, the Soviet Union's recognizition by first Germany and then slowly the rest of Europe allowed the setup of new Embassies, each with their complement of legals in the rezidenturas, and of course their illegals.  Quickly the Foreign Department of the Security Services was required to grow in order to manage the changes.  Soon there were a number of organizations
 
 
 

	Section Name		Coverage (Center in bold)
	Northern		Copenhagen, Helingsfors, Revel, Riga, Lubeck
	Polish		Warsaw, Danzig, East Prussia, Galacia, Carpathian Ukraine
	Central		Berlin, Paris, Rome, and Brussels
	London		London and USA
	Southern Europe/Balkan Sector		Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia, Bucharest
	Constantinople		Constantinople, Egypt, Algeria
	Caucas		Caucas, Turkey, Persia
	Far Eastern		Japan, China, USA
	American		New York, Montreal

West and Tsarev focus, as might be expected on the beginings of the London rezidenturas, not only because of West's British birth, but also because to not focus would have led to no book at all, there being far too much material to take away, let alone put into format for a non-fiction novel.

The 1924 beginnings of the London rezidenturas were not at all remarkable, yet through the Russian purges, emerged in 1937 a well organized and effective organization.  From 1927 on, a Daily Herald correspondent was B-1, the top agent, a typist in the Foreign Office known as F and in the India Office, Y and Z in the Home Office, and 1,2,3,4 in Scotland Yard.  The rezidenturas also ran some 15 other recruits amongst emigres or employees of various Soviet agencies who also might emigres.  The Russian purges, however, played havoc with some of the more dedicated illegals in this network as Soviet citizens were brought home and eventually caught up.  Fortunately for the Soviets, most of the agents in Britain remained loyal to the cause and continued to work on.

At this time, the political activity in the Soviet Union made it possible for many Russian borne to remain in place and eventually become emigres, only to become agents of the Soviet intelligence apparatus.  This included former Generals as well as dock workers.   One of these, General  Pavel Dyakanov, who in 1924 was able to provide the secret plans of Grand Duke Cyril a cousin of the Tsar.  And later averted an assassination attempt by the White Russians (Tsar's supporters) against the People's Commisar for Foreign Affairs.  Of note in this timeframe is the existence in the Soviet Foreign Office files, of the British top secret analysis, the foreign policy of HM Government, 5 April, 1928.  The document, received in August of 1928 clearly points out the effectiveness of the London rezidenturas.

Throughout this period, the London rezidenturas was invaluable in assessment of the anglo-Soviet situation and particulary the threat to this situation by the Chinese.  Thus the rezidenturas proved the utlity of such units placed in Foreign Missions.

In the 1930s, the important German network established by Bertold Karlovich Ilk, code named BEER.  It had become so large and effective that it required it be split into three groups.

Of course, the London office continued to provide information from the British Foreign Office, including, in 1935,  a verbatim report on the interview between the British Foreign Secretary and Chancelor of Germany Adolf Hitler -- a document wherein the Secretary predicts that there might be war within a matter of months.

One of the key events in this early period is a realization that effected Soviet espionage thereafter.  Through planning and the realization that backup sources were necessary, the Soviet network established contacts both in a cypher clerk as well as an intelligence distribution (typist) agent.  This fortunate circumstance allowed the Soviets to verify information supplied by either with the other, and when in late 1935 one source became unreliable, they still had another source. This taught the Soviets to not only have a backup, but how unreliable their "bad guys" could be, and how they should not depend on them for overly long.  This created in the Soviet intelligence apparatus, a cyclic process of always recruiting even in areas well established so they would have multiple sources and keep a timeline of activity available for continued intelligence.

Key agents of this period were:

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