KGB

The Committee for State Security, known as the KGB, was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It took over from earlier Soviet secret police groups.

The KGB was organized like a military service, similar to the Soviet Army. Its jobs included collecting information from other countries, stopping spies, protecting borders, and keeping leaders safe.

In December 1991, the KGB was closed down. In Russia, it was replaced by the Foreign Intelligence Service and later the Federal Security Service. Some places still use the name KGB for their security groups.

History

Further information: Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies

See also: Cheka, OGPU, NKGB, and Ministry of State Security (Soviet Union)

The KGB was started in March 1954. It became the main spy and security group for the Soviet Union.

In 1964, a new leader made changes to the KGB. In 1991, a plan to change the government's leader failed, and the KGB ended that year. Today, its work is done by new groups in Russia.

In the US

Between the World Wars

The GRU (a foreign military spy group of the Soviet Union) recruited an agent named Julian Wadleigh, who became a diplomat in the US government in 1936. The NKVD started its first spy work in the US in 1934. The Communist Party USA and its leader, Earl Browder, helped the NKVD find more American spies.

Important spies included diplomats Laurence Duggan and Michael Whitney Straight, a statistician named Harry Dexter White in the Treasury Department, and an economist named Lauchlin Currie, who advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt. There was also a group led by Greg Silvermaster in government jobs. When a man named Whittaker Chambers tried to tell the US government about these spies during World War II, no one listened. Because of this, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin knew more about the war plans of the United States and the United Kingdom than they knew about his plans.

Soviet spies focused on getting scientific and technology information, especially about jet propulsion, radar, and encryption. They were successful in stealing secrets about the atomic bomb. A British scientist named Klaus Fuchs worked for the Soviet Union, and in 1944, an American scientist named Theodore Hall also helped pass on secret information.

During the Cold War

After World War II, the KGB had to rebuild its spy networks in the United States. The CPUSA faced problems, and the last major illegal spy, Rudolf Abel, was found in 1957.

The KGB then focused on finding people who would work for money, especially in science and technology where security was not strong. In 1967, a US Navy officer named John Anthony Walker began working for the KGB. Over many years, he helped the Soviet Union learn about Navy messages and movements.

Later, the KGB had more success with people who offered to help, including an FBI agent named Robert Hanssen and a CIA officer named Aldrich Ames.

In the Soviet Bloc

The KGB and secret services of nearby countries worked together during the Cold War. Their main job was to watch people and groups that might cause problems for their governments.

The KGB helped stop big changes in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968. In Czechoslovakia, the KGB sent people to spy on leaders.

In Poland during the 1980s, the KGB tried to stop a workers' movement called Solidarity but had a hard time doing this. The KGB was also worried about China and wanted to place spies in Chinese security services.

Notable operations

The KGB used clever tricks to confuse their enemies. They spread false information to make others look bad. During wartime, they kept special supplies ready in different countries.

After World War II, the KGB recruited former German spies to learn more about Western intelligence services.

In the 1970s, the KGB tried to secretly buy banks in California to get secret technology information, but the CIA stopped them. They also tried to influence politics in Bangladesh, supporting some leaders and spreading stories about their opponents.

In Afghanistan, the KGB helped plan the overthrow of a leader and later supported another leader when the first one became too powerful. They were involved in many secret operations during this time.

August 1991 and dissolution

Main article: 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt

The KGB stopped working on December 3, 1991. After that, new groups took over its jobs. These groups included the Federal Security Agency of the RSFSR, the Inter-Republican Security Service, the Central Intelligence Service, and the Committee for the Protection of the State Border. Later, in 1993, most of these jobs were handled by the Federal Counterintelligence Service of Russia. This service was then replaced by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

Organisation

The KGB, short for the Committee for State Security, was a strict and organized group. It worked like the military, with special ranks for its members. The KGB had two main parts: offices that did important jobs and troops that were separate military units. These troops included border guards and special teams.

The KGB had many departments, each with its own role. Some departments gathered information from other countries. Others focused on keeping security inside the Soviet Union. There were also teams to protect important leaders, handle communications, and support the military during wars. Each Soviet republic had its own version of the KGB, following the same structure as the main group.

List of chairmen

Main article: List of chairmen of the KGB

Commemorative and award badges

The KGB and its earlier agencies gave out special badges to people who worked for many years. These badges were for serving 5, 15, 50, 60, and 70 years. There were also badges for special jobs, like border troops, and for being an honoured worker in state security. Some of these badges were given out in different years, such as 1923, 1932, 1940, 1957, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1987, and 1988.