Contents of the KGB Archives
Records from before the NKVD to the end of the USSR
The archives of the Soviet security and intelligence agency contain information about Stalinist purges, spy activities, counter-revolutionary criminals, and more.
The KGB archives contain the records of the nefarious organization known as the KGB, which was in charge of intelligence, security, and the secret police in Russia from 1954-1991 (as well as in other countries under the yoke of the USSR). However, the KGB existed in other forms prior to 1954. A KGB-like entity was already in place in 1917, and its main efforts were focused on preventing and combating counter-revolution. The archives of special interests to scholars, politicians, and citizens date from this time and include records from the KGB in all its forms.
So what is so interesting about the KGB archives? For one, with the abolishment of the KGB’s practice of actively monitoring private citizens in 1991, the archives contain records of conversations between ordinary residents of the USSR. From its inception, one of the KGB’s main roles was to ensure Communist Party dominance – what better way to go about accomplishing this task than to listen to what people were saying?
Counter-Revolutionary “Criminals”
Records of prosecutions for counter-revolutionary behavior are contained in a large section of the KGB archives. Any person deviating from the reigning ideology would have been deemed suspicious. The KGB archives contain information on trials, arrests , and interrogations on citizens whose “crimes” might have been investigated on incredibly shaky grounds - such as a whispered accusation by a jealous neighbor.
Victims of the Stalinist Purges
The KGB archives also contain records of Stalinist purges under the OGPU/NKVD, KGB predecessors. This period of terror in Soviet history saw the disappearance of thousands of people. High ranking officials, members of the military, academics, and ordinary citizens were victims of the purges. Eventually, most of those who were in charge of the initial series of purges were also executed by order of Stalin’s famous red-inked signature.
Spy Intelligence and Hidden History
Records of spy activities abroad can also be found in the KGB archives, and it would hardly be surprising if these remained closed to the public indefinitely. However, the KGB archives hold documents of cultural significance, like works of literature that were seized upon the arrest of the author. In addition, the historical reality that was, for so long, hidden from citizens of the former Soviet Union is, in some cases, still locked up in the dusty cases that make up the archives.
KGB Officials in Power Today
Russia’s most famous KGB official is President Vladimir Putin, but many other former members of the KGB are in power today. The archives hold information about the past activities of those now in authority. No wonder they have not been officially opened. The consequences of revealing the KGB operations of those in authority could have disastrous consequences on government leaders’ popularity and reputations.
References
Knight, Amy. “The Fate of the KGB Archives.” Slavic Review, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Autumn, 1993), pp. 582-586.
White, Stephen, Kryshtanovskaya, Ol’Ga. “Public Attitudes to the KGB: A Research Note.” Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 45, No. 1. (1993), pp. 169-175.
