Just when you thought that Soviet security forces were a thing of the past, the double headed eagle rises from the ashes. The Federal Security Services or FSB are the Russian Federation’s modern day Chekists. Vladimir Putin and the security services have carefully crafted the image they want you to see, and Western journalists are very good at exaggerating the impact and the mystique of Putin. Both these elements have been at play since he took power. They say the first death in war is the truth, and information about Putin can be difficult to decipher what is fact from fiction. In this episode, we focus on the history and methods of Russia's modern security forces. They may not be beating Communist ideology into people but they were/are combatting terrorist groups, foreign adversaries, domestic opposition, and more. The FSB, unlike their predecessors, have the power of social media to almost literally visit you at home, something that would have required a real live agent in the past. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/

Become an Agent of the Secret Police!

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Sources:

Russian Federation Explained. VanDeGraph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVoHAyEwhBc&ab_channel=VanDeGraph

Political System and Politics in Russia Documentary. IntroBooks Education.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWVigNrPVpw&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=2&ab_channel=IntroBooksEducation

The Day Russian Democracy Died. NFKRZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9af3KH-k8yc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=1&t=171s&ab_channel=NFKRZ

In Russia's Far East, a Jewish Revival byDavid Holley. 

Yeltsin: A Revolutionary Life by Leon Aron. 2000. 

Yeltsin: A Life by Timothy Colton. 2008

THE TRAGIC STORY OF HOW BORIS YELTSIN LOST TWO FINGERS. MATT REIGLE. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/806982/the-tragic-story-of-how-boris-yeltsin-lost-two-fingers/

How did one join the Communist Party?*

https://www.quora.com/In-Soviet-Russia-how-did-one-officially-join-the-Communist-Party

*Take Quora with a grain of salt. I also looked at Wikipedia (not a source) but their bit on membership doesn’t have a citation.

‘Never go to bed sober’ - meet the great Russian leaders who abused alcohol by ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV. MARCH 13 2018. https://www.rbth.com/history/327805-leaders-who-abused-alcohol

Privatization. Investopedia. Privatization: What It Is, How It Works, Examples. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/privatization.asp#:~:text=Privatization%20describes%20the%20process%20by,goods%20quicker%20and%20more%20efficiently.

Hungarian Privatization. https://www.britannica.com/place/Hungary/Economic-and-social-change

What is a trade sale? https://www.freeagent.com/us/glossary/trade-sale/

Russian Privatization in Perspective with Paulo Zannoni. Yale University. October 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xox1alqQRQ&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=5&t=634s&ab_channel=YaleUniversity

 About Paulo Zannoni. https://theorg.com/org/prada-spa/org-chart/paolo-zannoni

What is a voucher? https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/voucher.asp

Economic Indicators:

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

https://fred.stlouisfed.org

Trading Economics

https://tradingeconomics.com/

RUSSIA STARTS ISSUING PRIVATIZATION COUPONS. Margaret Shapiro. October 2, 1992. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/10/02/russia-starts-issuing-privatization-coupons/c515c8a2-66ae-408d-bafe-7dd869b8a844/

Putin’s Story | The Puppet Show Banned In Russia (Kukly NTV 2000). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmdEiL6Avv0&ab_channel=WaleedHiggins

Curtis, G. E. & Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. (1998) Russia: A Country Study. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97007563/.

Organized Crime and the Russian State. Challenges to US-Russian Cooperation. J. Micheal Waller.

Michael Waller. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/author/imp_jmichael_waller/

A chain of wars, a chain of crimes, a chain of impunity: Russian wars in Chechnya, Syria and Ukraine. О. Golubev, V. Malykhin, A. Cherkasov. Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre. 2023.

The battle(s) of Grozny1. Ib Faurby, Royal Danish Defence College in co-operation with Märta-Lisa Magnusson, University of Southern Denmark. Baltic Defense Review 2/1999.

Feature History - Chechen Wars (1/2). Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX-xs9VJ-BI&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

The First Chechen War - Documentary. Caesarius. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUH0TZRT3WA&lc=UgwQnSEvaaUf5n7bIFN4AaABAg&ab_channel=Caesarius

The First Chechen War - Jocko Willink. Global Frontier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWshgCP6wo&t=9s&ab_channel=GlobalFrontier

Vladimir Putin and Russian Statecraft by Allen Lynch. 2011. Potomac Books. pp. 10–11.

Putin’s Parents. https://www.mtv.com.lb/news/articles/472895/putin_recalls_parents_wwii_ordeal_

*Much of this is written by Vladimir Vladimirovich himself so please take it with a grain of salt

Vladimir Putin - KGB to President... for Life? - Biography. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcE45Ap4es&ab_channel=Biographics

Putin's Way (full documentary) | FRONTLINE. Frontline PBS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgqhU4lkgo&ab_channel=FRONTLINEPBS%7COfficial

History of Vladimir Putin. John Coogan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yo_peHjcKQ&t=47s&ab_channel=JohnCoogan

Did Vladimir Putin Support Anti-Western Terrorists as a Young KGB Officer? CATHERINE BELTON. June 20. 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/20/vladimir-putin-dresden-kgb-330203

Mineral and Raw Materials Resources and the Development Strategy for the Russian Economy by Vladimir Putin. https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2008/08/putins-thesis-raw-text/212739/

The Russian Federal Security Service under President Putin by Eberhard Schneider.

SVR/FSB application process. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/10/02/how-to-become-a-russian-spy-a40036

Russian DKRO

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fsb-evan-gershkovich-russia-security-force-dkro-e9cf9a49

A ‘Risky Westward Turn’? Putin’s 9-11 Script and Ordinary Russians. John O’loughlin, Gearid O Tuathail, and Vladimir Kolossov. Europe-Asia Studies. 2004.

Flame-throwers used at Beslan siege by Andrew Osborn. The Independent, 24 October 2004.

Feature History - Russo-Georgian War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LV6VnV9UI&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

Putin's palace. History of world's largest bribe. Алексей Навальный.

Timeline: Alexander Litvinenko death case. BBC. January 15, 2015.

Vladimir Putin's hard-core daily routine includes hours of swimming, late nights, and no alcohol. July 2018. Aine Cain.

US State Department Report on Human Rights Abuses. https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ukraine/ukraine-crimea/#:~:text=ROLE%20OF%20THE%20POLICE%20AND%20SECURITY%20APPARATUS&text=The%20FSB%20also%20conducted%20security,combatted%20organized%20crime%20and%20corruption.

A new study says Russian trolls didn’t sway the 2016 election. Was the threat overhyped? Andrew Prokop. January 20, 2023.

Improvements and Protest in the Perestroika Years by William Moskoff. The National Council for Soviet and East European Research. September 18, 1992.

In this 10th edition of Russian secret police, we’ll dive into the KGB’s downfall, the unraveling of the Soviet Union, and the atypical leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.

We’ll see how Gorbachev rose from life as a farm boy to the Kremlin’s Communist throne. We’ll discover how the KGB reacted to losing power and the final gasps of this security state in the face of Chernobyl, Glasnost, and Perestroika.

Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?

How did the KGB try to survive?

How did the Soviet Union dissolve?

Twitter: @hush_popo

IG: @secretpolicepodcast

Sources:

Taubman, William (2017). Gorbachev: His Life and Times. New York City: Simon and Schuster.

Alexander Gorbachev - PhosAgro

https://www.alexander-gorbachev.info/about-me-1

Robert V. Daniels, The End of Communist Revolution. 1993.

Comparing Economic Systems in the Twenty-First Century, 2003, by Gregory and Stuart. ISBN 0-618-26181-8. "Material Balance Planning", (P.127)

Carr, Edward Hallett; Davies, Robert William (1971). Foundations of a Planned Economy, 1926-1929. Macmillan. p. 199.

Mikhail Gorbachev, Perestroika (New York: Harper Collins, 1987), quoted in Mark Kishlansky, ed., Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, 4th ed., vol. 2 (New York: Longman, 2001), p. 322.

Semenov, B.A. "Nuclear power in the Soviet Union." IAEA. Retrieved 17 September 2019.

RBMK Reactors - Design Overview | The Nuclear Reactor that was used in Chernobyl. Antares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPh1JA72nk&ab_channel=Antares

MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. https://nrl.mit.edu/about

Inside MIT's Nuclear Reactor. MITK12Videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QcN3KDexcU&ab_channel=MITK12Videos

Nuclear 101: How Nuclear Bombs Work Part 1 of 2. Belfer Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVhQOhxb1Mc&ab_channel=BelferCenter

World Nuclear Association. Nuclear Power Reactors. May 2023. https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/nuclear-power-reactors.aspx

Xenon Can Be a Problem. Illinois EnergyProf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZQwL-2WTgA&ab_channel=IllinoisEnergyProf

CHERNOBYL AZ-5 why it exploded. Mike Bell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOzJQJ1yAaM&t=598s&ab_channel=MikeBell

What is radiation?. Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission - CNSC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw0pHT47AAU&ab_channel=CanadianNuclearSafetyCommission-CNSC

The Only Radiation Units You Need to Know. SciShow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQzhZ0RRDM&ab_channel=SciShow

Radiation Exposure in Healthcare. https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. High Radiation Doses. https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/health-effects/high-rad-doses.html

Was Chernobyl a cunning KGB conspiracy? Rein F. Deer. https://www.politico.eu/article/was-chernobyl-a-cunning-kgb-conspiracy/

Knight, Amy. “The KGB, Perestroika, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union.” Journal of Cold War Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, 2003, pp. 67–93. *Contact me if you want a copy of the PDF*

The Breakup of the Soviet Union Explained. History Scope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2GmtBCVHzY&ab_channel=HistoryScope

The Last Ditch Attempt to Save the USSR - August Coup of 1991 (Short Animated Documentary). History Matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXfvo34Ubpc&ab_channel=HistoryMatters

"Mikhail Gorbachev was hospitalized in the Central Clinical Hospital". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 11 June 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2022.

How Instagram Ruined Chernobyl…Again. Kyle Hill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=326wzbsmjGk&ab_channel=KyleHill

Original Pripyat Evacuation Recording - IT'S HISTORY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW6ryRYPRCE&ab_channel=IT%27SHISTORY

Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie

Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

Exploring the Possibility by Jon Presstone

Emerging Science by Jon Presstone

Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod

Giant wyrm by Kevin MacLeod

Select clip(s) from South Park

Beethoven - Pathetique Sonata 3rd movement

Clips from The Simpsons S3 E5 - Homer Defined

Clip from South Park S20 Ep 1 - Member Berries

mycompasstv

***NO I AM NOT SPONSORED BY PIZZA HUT OR YUM BRAND : | ***

The downing of Korean Air Flight 007 demonstrates the level of stupidity and paranoia the Cold War reached. More astounding is this was the second passenger jet the Soviet Union shot down. 

The first instance was in 1978 when Korean Air flight 902 was on route from Paris to Seoul with a stop over in Anchorage. This flight took the plane over the North Pole and due to the navigation technology they had at the time and how compasses function when flying over the top of the Earth, the pilots ended up off course. Instead of flying towards Seoul, they ended up flying toward Murmansk in the Soviet Union. 

The jet was discovered on radar, the Soviets sent a Sukhoi Su-15 fighter to intercept the airliner. The airliner did not respond to warnings, and the fighter pilot, Alexander Bosov, seeing the plane was clearly marked as a Korean Airlines jet, tried to convince his superiors on the ground the craft he was looking at was a passenger plane. They ordered him to shoot it down. Bosov launched two R-60 short-range air-to-air missiles. One missed, the other hit the left wing and punctured the fuselage. One Korean passenger was killed and others were injured. KAL 902 was forced to land in a frozen lake in Korelia close to the Finnish border. In the aftermath, there were 2 deaths and 107 survivors of the incident, but the Soviets refused to cooperate with the international investigation as to why exactly the plane flew so far off course. Those 107 survivors on Flight 902 were lucky, unlike those on Flight 007. Victims of a titanic conflict between East and West.

We’re going to talk about events mostly during Brezhnev’s leadership of the USSR, a period that’s often dubbed the Era of Stagnation: lackluster economic growth and a feeling of no purpose. I heard a Russian youtuber describe this period as an existence within the movie GroundHog Day -- nothing changes. But the Soviet Union maintained their military might in terms of funding, technology, and firepower. In the game of superpowers, you couldn’t let your guard down. And the KGB was right there on the espionage front.

Twitter: @hush_popo

IG: @secretpolicepodcast

Sources:

The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

Brezhnev: The Making of a Statesman by Susanne Schattenberg

Cold War Conversations podcast - Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev - aspiring actor and poetry fan (209)

The Hated and the Dead podcast - EP38: Leonid Brezhnev

History of Modern Russia: From Tsarism to the Twenty-first Century (3 ed.) by Robert Service (2009). 

The Life and Times of Soviet Socialism by Alex Dowlah and John Elliott.1997 

The Soviet-Vietnamese Intelligence Relationship during the Vietnam War: Cooperation and Conflict By Merle L. Pribbenow II, December 2014

Vietnam Admits K.G.B. Interrogated American. Barbara Crossette. 1992. New York Times.

Drug Games. The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960–2008 by Thomas M. Hunt. 2011

Feature History - Soviet-Afghan War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDQLHFBp4aM&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

KGB Spy Gadgets: The Ultimate Secret Cameras & Espionage Tools. Spyscape. Date unknown.

The KGB (Russian Secret Police): Its composition, aims and methods by Lt Cdr H.G. Graser. South African Journal of Military Studies. 1984.

Cold War Mystery – The Umbrella Assassin. Element 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsVRYhLLPCM&ab_channel=Element18 

Gennadiy Nikolayevich Osipovich. This Day in Aviation. Bryan R. Swopes. 2018. https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/gennadiy-nikolayevich-osipovich/ 

Music:

Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie

Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

Terrifying Journey (Extra Dire) by The Turquoise Moon

Scary Ambient Tension & Suspense Ghost With Pounding Impacts Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod 

Select clip(s) from South Park

Do you know somebody who was alive during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Do they remember how it felt thinking that the world may end in a literal flash? At least one could duck and cover their way into a false sense of safety. In this 8th episode of our Russia series, we are going to wrap up the early years of the KGB and explore some of the cold war tension in Berlin; uprising in Hungary, KGB activities in the US Civil Rights Movement, and the first visit of a Russian leader to the US. Khrushchev toured across the United States, met real Americans, and we missed a golden opportunity for photos of Khrushchev in Mickey Mouse ears.

What were Khrushchev’s limits when it came to liberalizing the Soviet Union?

How did the US and USSR back away from the brink of nuclear war?

Why was Khruschev not allowed at Disneyland?

** American Lung Association Donation! **

action.lung.org/goto/annie

** Support the show! **

patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast

or via paypal at secretpolicepodcast.com

Please provide a rating and subscribe! 

Sources:

The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics 

Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm 

Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6

Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8

Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3

Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1

The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar 

1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney

How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips 

Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000 

Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv 

KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit 

Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956. 

Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en 

The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005. 

Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984. 

REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015. 

Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.

The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.

The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.

Why did the USSR hand over West Berlin? (Short Animated Documentary). History Matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YPbue5bfgk&ab_channel=HistoryMatters 

1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hykIPanJdicW55k2WWqn9Ov&index=2&t=774s&ab_channel=onstageDisney 

Khrushchev Does America (full length documentary). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpxsNqAYXB8&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hykIPanJdicW55k2WWqn9Ov&index=3&ab_channel=docukino 

Arkansas National Guard Prevent School Desegregation - 1957 | Today in History | 4 Sept 16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFVGKykCGyw&t=67s&ab_channel=BritishMovietone 

Duck and Cover 1951 Bert the Turtle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60&t=493s&ab_channel=NuclearVault 

Music:

Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Cinematic Action Drums And Percussion With Dark Ambient Atmospheric Tension Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

Darkness Marching (Trailer Music) Jon Presstone

Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees

In this 7th episode of our Russia series, we will take a deep dive into the KGB itself. We’ll examine its structure, leadership, and most of all, its methods with particular interest in the KGB’s infiltration of governments across the globe. Who were some of the KGB’s most prominent agents? How did one become a KGB agent? All that and more on Secret Police!

*** Socials ***

Twitter @hush_popo

Instagram @secretpolicepodcast

*** Support the show! ***

patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast

or

secretpolicepodcast.com  for one-time donations via paypal

Sources:

The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics 

Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm 

Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6

Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8

Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3

Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1

The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar 

1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney

How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips 

Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000 

Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv 

KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit 

Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956. 

Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en 

The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005. 

Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984. 

REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015. 

Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.

The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.

The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.

Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Cinematic Action Drums And Percussion With Dark Ambient Atmospheric Tension Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

Darkness Marching (Trailer Music) Jon Presstone

Dramatic Gossip - Reality Documentary Tension Background by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Disclaimer! The section on the Cambridge Five was written using the assistance of ChatGPT and was vetted for dates and facts.

Many if not most people have heard of the KGB. Their spy craft is legendary and their presence was menacing. To Americans, they were the illusive boogeymen in the shadows of Cold War events. They're probably the most recognizable Russian spy agency and I’d bet money they’re the most infamous spy agency in history, ever.

In Part 6, we are covering Nikita Khrushchev's steady rise to power and ultimate succession of Joseph Stalin, but Khrushchev took a very different path and actively reversed Stalin's repressive policies to some degree.

Thank you for listening!

*** support ***

patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast

or

secretpolicepodcast.com

*** socials ***

Twitter @hush_popo

IG @secretpolicepodcast

Sources:

The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics 

Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm 

Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6

Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8

Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3

Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1

The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar 

1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney

How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips 

Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000 

Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv 

KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit 

Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956. 

Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en 

The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005. 

Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984. 

REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015. 

Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.

The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.

The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.

Bonus Episode! George Orwell's famous novel, 1984, can be interpreted in multiple ways by people of varying political identities. They can offer the story as a warning as to why the other side, in their view is dangerous. When the book was published, some viewed it as a warning of what England would turn into if a Stalinist regime took power; others interpreted it as a condemnation of Stalin's Soviet Union; and in recent years, the novel is seen as a warning against totalitarianism. I think at the core of the novel, that's what it is: a warning against giving all power to a single ruler. 

1984 presents a regime to end all regimes. Big Brother and INGSOC have a stranglehold over the society, language, and privacy that I don't think any real world authoritarian regime has achieved. Secret Police podcast is taking its first look at a fictional secret police institution, the terrifying, but thankfully made-up, Thought Police. We will look at the Telescreens, Thoughtcrime, and the regime of Big Brother. 

Follow Secret Police Podcast!

Twitter @hush_popo

or

Instagram @secretpolicepodcast

1984 by George Orwell

George Orwell: A Life in Pictures. BBC. 2003. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6txpumkY5I 

George Orwell: The Uncompromising Visionary. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfabA0KdniY&ab_channel=Biographics 

The Dystopian World of 1984 Explained. AlternateHistoryHub.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQxOKXEff4I&ab_channel=AlternateHistoryHub 

Video SparkNotes: Orwell's 1984 Summary. VideoSparkNotes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JIKngJnCU&t=13s&ab_channel=VideoSparkNotes 

1984 Video Summary. GradeSaver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1kXkGjoluY&ab_channel=GradeSaver 

Music

Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod

Imagine a state apparatus of terror; they monitor citizens, they kidnap people in the middle of the night, they torture people to extract false confessions. Now imagine that same state apparatus of terror is run by a murderous pedophile. That was the Soviet people's reality with appointment of Lavrenti Beria to the dreaded People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs or the NKVD, the Soviet secret police.

Follow Secret Police!

Twitter @hush_popo

Instagram @secretpolicepodcast

Sources

Beria - The NKVD & Death of Stalin Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0bnt7hYmDY&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=3&t=1927s 

Lavrenti Beria Biography

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSberia.htm

Richard Sorge. https://spartacus-educational.com/GERsorge.htm

On Stalin's Secret Service - Richard Sorge - WW2 Biography Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn9NyRfbSOo&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo 

Stalin and Trotsky rivalry

https://www.rbth.com/history/333272-how-stalin-and-trotsky-fought

Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

Russia: The Wild East by Martin Sixsmith and the BBC. 

Flowers in Russia: What You Need to Know by Matt Shannon. 2021. https://expatriant.com/flowers-in-russia/ 

 The Finnish Language. LangFocus. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uWYvlyeBc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=5&t=316s 

Winter War - Soviet Finnish 1939-1940 War - FULL 3d DOCUMENTARY. Kings and Generals. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uk5bY22RSE&t=2448s 

US Census. Quick Facts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221

The investigation of the dead or lost Finnish stages of Stalin's persecution will continue – SKS also finds out what traces of persecution left on the victims' descendants. Pekka Torvinen. https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000007766248.html

China and International Law -- The Boundary Disputes by Byron N. Tzou. 1990.

The end of "Millionka": the liquidation of Chinatown in Vladivostok (1936). Russia and the Pacific (in Russian). Vladivostok: Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (4): 24–31.

A Historical Investigation of the Soviet Union's Handling of the Chinese Issue in the Far East (1937-1938)]. Modern Chinese History Studies (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2): 41.

Khisamutdinov, Amir Aleksandrovich (2018). "Millionka": a culture that grew up in the backyard.

The Origins of Soviet Ethnic Cleansing by Martin Terry. 1998. Journal of Modern History. 

L'Affaire Lyushkov: Anatomy of a Defector by Alvin D Coox. 1968.

Why didn't the Allies declare war on the USSR when they invaded Poland? Knowledgia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBd60UsL9u0&ab_channel=Knowledgia

The NKVD: from Pen-Pushers to Communist Hit Squads - WW2 Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HwKl8VUZHA&t=507s&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo 

State Committee of Defence Decree. Concerning the security measures in rear areas and communications of the Red Army in East Prussia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania. December 1944. https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/12/10/soviet-nkvd-iv/ 

Sonja Schmid. Producing Power: The Pre-Chernobyl History of the Soviet Nuclear Industry. 2015. 

The Atomic Bomb, Russia and Spies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nOrMZCThNg&t=136s&ab_channel=JohnKerruish   

Harry S Truman Library

Bombing of Hiroshima Newsreel from the AP

Music

Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

It’s Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas by Perry Como (a parody)

Mozart K.488 Piano Concerto #23 in A 2nd mov. Adagio

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Electra to the Baltic Sea by Giuseppe Rizzo

Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

Sad Smooth Piano Jazz Background Music by Volodymyr Piddubnyk

Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version Humans Win

Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod

Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod

Selected clips from The Death of Stalin (2017)

The early USSR owes many of its achievements to Stalin's secret police, called the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, or the NKVD. These guys really took Russian espionage to a new level. Their reach was global in scale; nearly anybody Stalin wanted dead, the NKVD could get it done. They administered the infamous Gulags and repressed their own people. They blurred the lines between internal police and military force by supporting Leftists during the Spanish Civil War and infiltrating the Manhattan Project.

The NKVD was a secret police force dictators dream of: vast, pervasive, feared, deadly, deceptive. They were at Stalin's beck and call.

On this episode, we explore the history and methods of the NKVD under the leadership of Genrikh Yagoda and Nikolai Yezhov. We'll cover the NKVD during WWII under Lavrentri Beria in part 5.

Sources

The Russian Secret Police. Ronald Hingley. 1970.

Stalin: Paradoxes of Power. Stephen Kotkin. 2014.

How did the Soviet Union work? By Viki1999

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6emmgC6rsGA&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=2&t=665s

Joseph Stalin: The Red Terror

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqfcpNrcGb0&t=508s

Genrikh Yagoda

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSyagoda.htm

Nikolai Yezhov

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSyezhov.htm

Cannibal Island

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaOwcYLGTMo&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=4&t=108s

The Nazino Gulag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkauF4MndOw&t=518s&ab_channel=GoyimDefenceLeague

Cannibal Island location

http://wikimapia.org/14057879/Nazino-island

Gulag: History, Camps, Conditions, Economy, Effect, Facts, Quotes (2003). Interview of Anne Applebaum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeHPwgLm6Y&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=5

Gregory Zinoviev

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSzinoviev.htm

Nikolay Bukharin

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSbukharin.htm

Alexei Rykov

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSrykov.htm

Mikhail Tomsky

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUStomsky.htm

Sergey Kirov

https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkirov.htm

Music

Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

Big Epic Drums by Psystein

March of the Defenders of Moscow by Alexey Surkov and Boris Mokrousov

Scheherazade Op. 35 by Rimsky Korsakov

Special Thanks To:

Sergey Vaynshank

Kristaps Andrejsons at the Eastern Border Podcast

Roberto at the History of Saqartvelo Georgia Podcast

*** Important *** Interview audio was edited for quality and soundbites that fit into the subject matter. I intent to post full interviews as bonus material provided I have permission from the interviewee.