KGB
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An acronym, meaning Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, or State Security Committee. | An acronym, meaning Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, or State Security Committee. | ||
| - | The KGB is the USSR's central security, espionage, and secret policing organisation, although it shares the first two of these roles with the [[GRU]] (Military Intelligence). As a result, the rivalry between these two organisations is intense. | + | The '''KGB''' is the USSR's central security, espionage, and secret policing organisation, although it shares the first two of these roles with the [[GRU]] (Military Intelligence). As a result, the rivalry between these two organisations is intense. |
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== History == | == History == | ||
| - | The KGB has a long and | + | The '''KGB''' has a long and unbroken history, beginning with its inception in 1954 as an umbrella organisation for all internal and external security threats to the [[USSR|Soviet Union]]. |
=== The Lost Starling === | === The Lost Starling === | ||
| - | Although, technically, the KGB was not founded until 1954, the unverifiable, but popular story of the 'Lost Starling' is often cited as one of the chief motives behind its creation. It is worth noting that despite the claims made by the [[Commissariat of the Exterior]], the '''KGB''' has neither confirmed or denied any of the allegations - nor has the [[GRU]], the other extant player in the drama. | + | Although, technically, the '''KGB''' was not founded until 1954, the unverifiable, but popular story of the 'Lost Starling' is often cited as one of the chief motives behind its creation. It is worth noting that despite the claims made by the [[Commissariat of the Exterior]], the '''KGB''' has neither confirmed or denied any of the allegations - nor has the [[GRU]], the other extant player in the drama. |
| - | At its most basic level, the myth goes that at the height of the Second World War, the Soviet Union had an informer or agent at the highest levels of the Nazi war machine. This informer, according to various tales, warned of Operation Barbarossa, the mass production of Messerchmit 262's, the Nazi nuclear program, and supposedly every other German advance, innovation, or scheme that tellers of the tale care to bring up. The agent's codename was 'Starling', and he had been a member of the Nazi party since its earliest days, before becoming disillusioned with the injustices inherent in the Nazi system - becoming a fervent Communist. He was, perhaps, the single greatest asset that the [[USSR|Soviet Union]] possessed in the [[Second World War|Great Patriotic War]]. | + | At its most basic level, the myth goes that at the height of the [[Second World War]], the [[USSR|Soviet Union]] had an informer or agent at the highest levels of the [[Grossdeutschland|Nazi]] war machine. This informer, according to various tales, warned of Operation Barbarossa, the mass production of Messerchmit 262's, the Nazi nuclear program, and supposedly every other [[Grossdeutschland|German]] advance, innovation, or scheme that tellers of the tale care to bring up. The agent's codename was 'Starling', and he had been a member of the [[Grossdeutschland|Nazi party]] since its earliest days, before becoming disillusioned with the injustices inherent in the [[Grossdeutschland|Nazi]] system - becoming a fervent [[Communist Party|Communist]]. He was, perhaps, the single greatest asset that the [[USSR|Soviet Union]] possessed in the [[Second World War|Great Patriotic War]]. |
| - | Needless to say, 'Starling' was hot property amongst the numerous intelligence departments and agencies operating during the war - foremost amongst them the NKGB, fore-runner of the '''KGB'''. In 'Starling', everyone and their boss saw a ticket to the very top of the command structure, and the ear of Stalin himself, who had been chastened by his dismissal of the warnings of Barbarossa. As the purges swung fully into gear near the end of the war, they became a powerful weapon in the battle for control of 'Starling', with whole branches apparently wiped out indiscriminately by factions of the NKGB and GRU (or their predecessors). However, in early 1946, it became clear that the flow of information had dried up. Stalin himself appointed '''Lazar Kaganovich''', a senior | + | Needless to say, 'Starling' was hot property amongst the numerous intelligence departments and agencies operating during the war - foremost amongst them the '''NKGB''', fore-runner of the '''KGB'''. In 'Starling', everyone and their boss saw a ticket to the very top of the command structure, and the ear of '''Stalin''' himself, who had been chastened by his dismissal of the warnings of Barbarossa. As the purges swung fully into gear near the end of the war, they became a powerful weapon in the battle for control of 'Starling', with whole branches apparently wiped out indiscriminately by factions of the '''NKGB''' and [[GRU]] (or their predecessors). However, in early 1946, it became clear that the flow of information had dried up. '''Stalin''' himself appointed '''Lazar Kaganovich''', a senior bureaucrat with intelligence experience, but who, as Director of Heavy Industry, had been separate from the fighting, to investigate why. It soon became clear to '''Kaganovich''', and a furious '''Stalin''', that 'Starling' had simply been lost - in the fighting, every man who knew the identity of Starling, and all avenues by which he could be contacted had simply been exterminated. An unpopular factional warlord, by the name of '''Lavrenty Beria''', took the fall for the debacle, but virtually every member of the intelligence community had a hand in it. |
| - | The NKGB was reorganised - in extremely bloody fashion, and largely by its own personnel. After a year of thorough house-cleaning, it was rechristened the MGB, in October 1946, under the control of '''Beria's''' rival, '''Georgy Malenkov''', subsuming all other civilian groups but for the '''MVD''', or Ministry of Internal Affairs. After '''Stalin's''' death in 1953, '''Malenkov''' moved to take power, by merging the MGB and MVD under his control, but was instead arrested and executed for treason by Red Army officers under the sway of '''Nikita Khrushchev'''. The agencies were broken up again, into the MVD, now effectively reduced to a police force, and the KGB, with wide-ranging power over all internal and external threats to the Soviet state's security, and answering only to the [[Council of Ministers]], later the [[Supreme Soviet]]. | + | The '''NKGB''' was reorganised - in extremely bloody fashion, and largely by its own personnel. After a year of thorough house-cleaning, it was rechristened the '''MGB''', in October 1946, under the control of '''Beria's''' rival, '''Georgy Malenkov''', subsuming all other civilian groups but for the '''MVD''', or Ministry of Internal Affairs. After '''Stalin's''' death in 1953, '''Malenkov''' moved to take power, by merging the '''MGB''' and '''MVD''' under his control, but was instead arrested and executed for treason by Red Army officers under the sway of '''Nikita Khrushchev'''. The agencies were broken up again, into the '''MVD''', now effectively reduced to a police force, and the '''KGB''', with wide-ranging power over all internal and external threats to the Soviet state's security, and answering only to the [[Council of Ministers]], later the [[Supreme Soviet]]. |
| - | The story of the greatest bungle in Soviet intelligence history was in wide circulation within the Communist Party by the late 1960s, but was not officially recognised by the [[USSR]] until 2014, when the [[Commissariat of the Exterior]] confirmed them as part of a propaganda offensive to overshadow the 50th anniversary of Hitler's death. Shaming the [[KGB]], at the time a chief rival of the [[Commissariat of the Exterior|Commmissariat]] regarding foreign policy, was probably also an unspoken objective. | + | The story of the greatest bungle in [[USSR|Soviet]] intelligence history was in wide circulation within the [[Communist Party]] by the late 1960s, but was not officially recognised by the [[USSR]] until 2014, when the [[Commissariat of the Exterior]] confirmed them as part of a propaganda offensive to overshadow the 50th anniversary of '''Hitler's''' death. Shaming the [[KGB]], at the time a chief rival of the [[Commissariat of the Exterior|Commmissariat]] regarding foreign policy, was probably also an unspoken objective. |
| - | According to declassified documents tabled in 2014, investigations later proved that 'Starling' was almost certainly celebrated Nazi high official '''Martin Bormann''', who headed the | + | According to declassified documents tabled in 2014, investigations later proved that 'Starling' was almost certainly celebrated Nazi high official '''Martin Bormann''', who headed the [[Reichs Chancellory]] until his retirement in 1971. |
=== The Cambridge Five === | === The Cambridge Five === | ||
Revision as of 11:45, 10 October 2006
An acronym, meaning Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, or State Security Committee.
The KGB is the USSR's central security, espionage, and secret policing organisation, although it shares the first two of these roles with the GRU (Military Intelligence). As a result, the rivalry between these two organisations is intense.
This page is about a Faction that exists in the game. It has been added to the wiki, but needs more details.
Contents |
History
The KGB has a long and unbroken history, beginning with its inception in 1954 as an umbrella organisation for all internal and external security threats to the Soviet Union.
The Lost Starling
Although, technically, the KGB was not founded until 1954, the unverifiable, but popular story of the 'Lost Starling' is often cited as one of the chief motives behind its creation. It is worth noting that despite the claims made by the Commissariat of the Exterior, the KGB has neither confirmed or denied any of the allegations - nor has the GRU, the other extant player in the drama.
At its most basic level, the myth goes that at the height of the Second World War, the Soviet Union had an informer or agent at the highest levels of the Nazi war machine. This informer, according to various tales, warned of Operation Barbarossa, the mass production of Messerchmit 262's, the Nazi nuclear program, and supposedly every other German advance, innovation, or scheme that tellers of the tale care to bring up. The agent's codename was 'Starling', and he had been a member of the Nazi party since its earliest days, before becoming disillusioned with the injustices inherent in the Nazi system - becoming a fervent Communist. He was, perhaps, the single greatest asset that the Soviet Union possessed in the Great Patriotic War.
Needless to say, 'Starling' was hot property amongst the numerous intelligence departments and agencies operating during the war - foremost amongst them the NKGB, fore-runner of the KGB. In 'Starling', everyone and their boss saw a ticket to the very top of the command structure, and the ear of Stalin himself, who had been chastened by his dismissal of the warnings of Barbarossa. As the purges swung fully into gear near the end of the war, they became a powerful weapon in the battle for control of 'Starling', with whole branches apparently wiped out indiscriminately by factions of the NKGB and GRU (or their predecessors). However, in early 1946, it became clear that the flow of information had dried up. Stalin himself appointed Lazar Kaganovich, a senior bureaucrat with intelligence experience, but who, as Director of Heavy Industry, had been separate from the fighting, to investigate why. It soon became clear to Kaganovich, and a furious Stalin, that 'Starling' had simply been lost - in the fighting, every man who knew the identity of Starling, and all avenues by which he could be contacted had simply been exterminated. An unpopular factional warlord, by the name of Lavrenty Beria, took the fall for the debacle, but virtually every member of the intelligence community had a hand in it.
The NKGB was reorganised - in extremely bloody fashion, and largely by its own personnel. After a year of thorough house-cleaning, it was rechristened the MGB, in October 1946, under the control of Beria's rival, Georgy Malenkov, subsuming all other civilian groups but for the MVD, or Ministry of Internal Affairs. After Stalin's death in 1953, Malenkov moved to take power, by merging the MGB and MVD under his control, but was instead arrested and executed for treason by Red Army officers under the sway of Nikita Khrushchev. The agencies were broken up again, into the MVD, now effectively reduced to a police force, and the KGB, with wide-ranging power over all internal and external threats to the Soviet state's security, and answering only to the Council of Ministers, later the Supreme Soviet.
The story of the greatest bungle in Soviet intelligence history was in wide circulation within the Communist Party by the late 1960s, but was not officially recognised by the USSR until 2014, when the Commissariat of the Exterior confirmed them as part of a propaganda offensive to overshadow the 50th anniversary of Hitler's death. Shaming the KGB, at the time a chief rival of the Commmissariat regarding foreign policy, was probably also an unspoken objective.
According to declassified documents tabled in 2014, investigations later proved that 'Starling' was almost certainly celebrated Nazi high official Martin Bormann, who headed the Reichs Chancellory until his retirement in 1971.
