Soviet Security and Intelligence Organizations 1917-1990

Soviet Security and Intelligence Organizations 1917-1990
Author: Michael Parrish
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 704
Release: 1992-01-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0313388032

One of the hallmarks of the Soviet system was its heavy reliance on internal and foreign security and intelligence organizations. Not surprisingly, given the secrecy surrounding Soviet efforts in these areas, no biographical reference tools and few bibliographies have been published to date. In this context, Michael Parrish's work is a unique undertaking. In the first section to the volume, biographies are provided on some 4,000 officials in senior and mid-level positions who had served in Cheka, NKVD/RFSFR, GPU, KGB, and other organizations. Also included are officials of the Committee for State Control (formerly Ministry of State Control, and, before that, Commissariat of Workers and Peasants' Inspection). Prominent political personalities with earlier ties to security services, such as N.A. Bulganin, are listed even though such service formed only a brief part of their careers. Others listed include party officials, such as A.A. Kuznetsov, who at different times served as the Party's watchdog of security organs. Also included, because of their close association with repression and security organs, are members of Stalin's inner circle. The second part of the volume is a survey of books in English published between 1917 and 1990 which related to Soviet security and intelligence organizations. This is followed by a biographical addendum, a glossary of terms, and material showing the development of Soviet security organizations. No one concerned with current intelligence issues and the role of security organizations in Soviet life can ignore this volume.

Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence

Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence
Author: Robert W. Pringle
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2015-07-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1442253185

This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence is the only volume that lays out how Russian and Soviet intelligence works and how its operations have impacted Russian history. It covers Russian intelligence from the imperial period to the present focusing in greatest detail on Cold War espionage cases and the Putin-era intelligence community. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on espionage techniques, categories of agents, crucial operations spies, defectors, moles, and double and triple agents. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Russian Intelligence.

Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards

Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards
Author: Roy Godson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2018-02-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1351522183

Contrary to popular misconceptions and public branding as "dirty tricks," covert action and counterintelligence can have considerable value. Democracies, while wary of these instruments, have benefited significantly from their use, saving lives, treasure, and gaining strategic advantage. As liberal democracies confront the post-Cold War mix of rogue states and non-state actors, such as criminals and terrorists, and weapons of mass destruction and mass disruption, these clandestine arts may prove to be important tools of statecraft, and perhaps trump cards in the twenty-first century. Godson defines covert action as influencing events in other parts of the world without attribution, and counterintelligence as identifying, neutralizing, and exploiting the secret activities of others. Together they provide the capability to resist manipulation and control others to advantage. Counterintelligence protects U.S. military, technological, and diplomatic secrets and turns adversary intelligence to U.S. advantage. Covert action enables the United States to weaken adversaries and to assist allies who may be hampered by open acknowledgment of foreign support. Drawing on contemporary and historical literature, broad-ranging contacts with senior intelligence officials in many countries, as well as his own research and experience as a longtime consultant to the U.S. government, Godson traces the history of U.S. covert action and counterintelligence since 1945, showing that covert action works well when it is part of a well-coordinated policy and when policy makers are committed to succeeding in the long-term. Godson argues that the best counterintelligence is an offensive defense. His exposition of the essential theoretical foundations of both covert action and counterintelligence, supported by historical examples, lays out the ideal conditions for their use, as well as demonstrating why they are so difficult to attain. This book will be of interest to students and general readers interested in political science, national security, foreign policy, and military policy.

Russian Aviation and Air Power in the Twentieth Century

Russian Aviation and Air Power in the Twentieth Century
Author: John Greenwood
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2014-06-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 113525186X

In the light of new archival material the editors take a fresh look at Russian aviation in the twentieth century. Presenting a comprehensive view of Russian aviation, from its genesis in the late czarist period to the present era, the approach is essentially chronological with a major emphasis on the evolution of military aviation. The contributions are diverse, with appropriate attention to civilian and institutional themes.

Stalin's Secret War

Stalin's Secret War
Author: Robert W. Stephan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN:

An animated adaptation of the story of the same title by Maurice Sendak in which a small boy makes a visit to the land of the wild things. Tells how he tames the creatures and returns home. For primary grades.

The Lesser Terror

The Lesser Terror
Author: Michael Parrish
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 456
Release: 1996-05-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 0313022208

This is the first major study based on Soviet documents and revelations of the Soviet state security during the period 1939-1953—a period about which relatively little is known. The book documents the role of Stalin and the major players in massive crimes carried out during this period against the Soviet people. It also provides the first detailed biography of V. S. Abakumov, Minister of State Security, 1946-1951. Based on Glasnost revelations and recently released archival material, this study covers the operations of Soviet state security from Beriia's appointment in 1938 until Stalin's death. The book pays particular attention to the career of V. S. Abakumov, head of SMERSH counterintelligence during the war and minister in charge of the MGB (the predecessor of the KGB) from 1946 until his removal and arrest in July 1951. The author argues that terror remained the central feature of Stalin's rule even after the Great Terror and he provides examples of how he micromanaged the repressions. The book catalogs the major crimes committed by the security organs and the leading perpetrators and provides evidence that the crimes were similar to those for which the Nazi leaders were punished after the war. Subjects covered include Katyn and its aftermath, the arrest and execution of senior military officers, the killing of political prisoners near Orel in September 1941, and the deportations of various nationalities during the war. The post-war period saw the Aviator and Leningrad affairs as well as the anti-cosmopolitan campaign whose target was mainly Jewish intellectuals. Later chapters cover Abakumov's downfall, the hatching of the Mingrelian and Doctors plots and the events that followed Stalin's death. Finally, there are chapters on the fate of those who ran Stalin's machinery of terror in the last 13 years of his rule. These and other topics will be of concern to all students and scholars of Soviet history and those interested in secret police and intelligence operations.

The Russian Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921

The Russian Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
Author: Jonathan Smele
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 656
Release: 2006-04-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1441119922

The Russian Revolution and Civil War in the years 1917 to 1921 is one of the most widely studied periods in history. It is also somewhat inevitably one that has generated a huge flow of literature in the decades that have passed since the events themselves. However, until now, historians of the revolution have had no dedicated bibliography of the period and little claim to bibliographical control over the literature. The Russian Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921offers for the first time a comprehensive bibliographical guide to this crucial and fascinating period of history. The Bibliography focuses on the key years of 1917 to 1921, starting with the February Revolution of 1917 and concluding with the 10th Party Congress of March 1921, and covers all the key events of the intervening years. As such it identifies these crucial years as something more than simply the creation of a communist state.

The American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies

The American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies
Author: Patt Leonard
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 1725
Release: 2020-02-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1315480832

This bibliography, first published in 1957, provides citations to North American academic literature on Europe, Central Europe, the Balkans, the Baltic States and the former Soviet Union. Organised by discipline, it covers the arts, humanities, social sciences, life sciences and technology.

The Politics of Security in Modern Russia

The Politics of Security in Modern Russia
Author: Mark Galeotti
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2016-03-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317020146

The Putin era saw a striking 'securitization' of politics, something that he has bequeathed to his chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev. The omens from the early days of the Medvedev presidency have been mixed, marked both by less confrontational rhetoric towards the West and by war with Georgia and continued re-armament. Has the Medvedev generation learned the lessons not just from the Soviet era but also from the Yeltsin and Putin presidencies, or will security remain the foundation of Russian foreign and domestic policy? Fully up-to-date to reflect the evolving Medvedev presidency, the 2008 Georgian war and the impact of the economic downturn, this volume is a much needed objective and balanced examination of the ways in which security has played and continues to play a central role in contemporary Russian politics. The combination of original scholarship with extensive empirical research makes this volume an invaluable resource for all students and researchers of Russian politics and security affairs.

Historical Dictionary of Intelligence Failures

Historical Dictionary of Intelligence Failures
Author: Glenmore S. Trenear-Harvey
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2014-11-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1442232749

An Intelligence failure can be defined where there was intelligence available about a particular event, but either it was not collected or was mishandled later in the assessment cycle, as opposed to the failure of an intelligence operation. The Historical Dictionary of Intelligence Failures covers the history of intelligence failures through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 100 cross-referenced dictionary entries on the Ardennes Offensive, the Six Day War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Prague Spring, the Arab Spring, 9/11. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the intelligence industry.