International Department of the CPSU Central Committee

In the period after the October Revolution and before World War II, the relations of the CPSU with other communist parties, as well as activities such as " active events ", were in charge of the Third International ( Comintern ).

The international department was the actual successor of the Executive Committee of the Comintern after the dissolution of the latter in 1943. He developed and supported, including financially, the formation and development of communist parties in different regions of the world.

Until 1957, the International Department oversaw relations with both ruling and non-ruling communist parties, however, after the crisis of 1956 (the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 ), responsibility for communication with the ruling communist parties was transferred to the newly created Department for Relations with Communist and Workers Parties of Socialist Countries headed by Yuri Andropov - former USSR Ambassador to Hungary .

The international department oversaw and coordinated all foreign policy aspects of the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the KGB , and the relevant departments of the Ministry of Defense (“the department was not responsible for the diplomatic, intelligence and other activities of our state institutions in relations with foreign countries and did not oversee the activities of these organizations,” the former noted Consultant of the Department, Prof. Menshikov, Stanislav Mikhailovich ^[1] ), as well as a kind of “think tanks” - the Institute of the USA and Canada and the Institute of World Economy Iki and international relations , assisted the Department of Propaganda and Agitation of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Soviet press in the conduct of various propaganda companies, led the editorial office of the journal " Problems of Peace and Socialism ".

According to some data ^{[2] [3]} , it was actually an independent international intelligence service of the USSR separate from the KGB of the USSR and the GRU .

The international department was responsible for liaising with non-left-wing (communist, socialist) parties abroad, pro-communist and pro-Soviet international organizations, resistance movements, and friendship societies. “... (in 1986), the regulation on the department was drawn up during the Comintern and the main task of the department was to maintain a transparent and secret communication with the Communist Parties and various radical parties and movements in foreign countries” ^[4]

Through this network, material assistance was distributed, as well as propaganda and ideological guidance in international issues.

The international department played a crucial role in planning, coordinating and leading various “active events”, that is, misinformation programs and forgeries aimed at discrediting the idea of ​​the United States in other countries and undermining American foreign policy goals. ^[five]

In 1986, the staff of the International Division was about 300 people belonging to different geographical and functional bureaus. Also, referents and instructors who were employed by other organizations (for example, the USSR Academy of Sciences ) were involved in the department.

The International Department was located in a complex of buildings in Moscow on Old Square, house 8/5, in the Third Entrance.

International cooperation

After the collapse (dissolution) of the International Organization of the Comintern , the role of its successor was performed by the International Department of the CPSU Central Committee .

The structure included 15 ruling Communist parties:

Non-ruling Communist Parties:

• International Politics Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU (B.) ( June 13, 1943 - December 29, 1945 )
• Foreign Policy Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU (B.) ( December 29, 1945 - July 10, 1948 )
• Foreign Relations Department of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (July 10, 1948 - March 12, 1949 )
• Foreign Policy Commission of the Central Committee of the CPSU (B.) (March 12, 1949 - October 13, 1952 )
• CPSU Foreign Policy Commission (October 13, 1952 - October 27, 1952)
• CPSU Central Committee Commission on Relations with Foreign Communist Parties (October 27, 1952 - March 19, 1953 )
• Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU for Relations with Foreign Communist Parties (March 19, 1953 - February 21, 1957 )
• International Department of the CPSU Central Committee for Relations with the Communist Parties of the Capitalist Countries (February 21, 1957 - October 1988 )
• International Department of the CPSU Central Committee (from October 1988 until the suspension of the CPSU on August 29, 1991 )

According to the US Department of State ^[6] , in 1986 the following people worked in the international department:

First Deputy Heads

• member of the CPSU Central Committee Zadladin Vadim ,
• member of the CPSU Central Committee George Kornienko .

Deputy Heads

• Brutents Karen ^[7] - candidate for membership in the Central Committee of the CPSU, member of the Presidium of the Society of Oriental Studies
• Zuev Yuri;
• Kovalenko Ivan - member of the Presidium of the Society of Oriental Studies;
• Urnov Andrey ;
• Shaposhnikov Vitaliy is a member of the World Peace Council .

Sector

• Gryadunov Yuri (Iraq) - Member of the Presidium of the Society of Oriental Studies.
• Korendyasov Eugene (Black Africa);
• Kudachkin Mikhail (Latin America);
• Kutsobin Peter (India) - member of the Presidium of the Society of Oriental Studies;
• Legasov Alexey (friendship society);
• Lisovolik Dmitry (USA);
• Mochalin Dmitry (Germany, Austria) - member of the World Peace Council
• Pertsov Vladimir (Spain);
• Polyakov Henry (Afghanistan);
• Pyshkov Boris (France, Portugal);
• Rozdorozhny Ivan (Scandinavia);
• Rykin Victor;
• Senators Aleksey (Japan, Far East);
• Smirnov Henry (Italy) ^[8] ;
• Starodubov Victor;
• Tolstikov Vladimir;
• Kharlamov Julius (HSR);
• Sharif Jawad (England);
• Shumeyko Grigory (international organizations)

Deputy Heads of Sectors

• Denisov Eugene (Mali, Ethiopia);
• Kuzmin Sergey (Syria);
• Fedorov Vladimir (Scandinavia)

Instructor

• Vorozheikin Eugene (Sweden);
• Egorov V.

Responsible employees

• Bazhanov Eugene;
• Bokelev A .;
• Vavilov Alexey;
• Weber Alexander (Italy);
• Veselitsky Athanasius (Italy);
• Guskov Alexander (Yemen, national liberation movements of the Arab countries);
• Egorov B .; Drozdov Edward;
• Ignatiev Alexander;
• Cape Eduard (Angola, Mozambique);
• Klyuev Boris (India);
• Kobelev Eugene;
• Yuri Kozlov (Honduras, Venezuela) - Director of the Institute of Latin America;
• Kostyagin A .;
• Koshelev Yuri;
• Krylov A .;
• Kudinov Valery;
• Lagutin Eugenia;
• Matuzov Vyacheslav ^[9] (Lebanon, Syria);
• Moiseenko-Eliky Dmitry;
• Muravyov Dmitry;
• Pastukhov Dmitry;
• Petruk Boris (Angola, Zambia) - Senior Researcher, Institute of Africa, USSR Academy of Sciences
• Romanov (Germany);
• Rymko Eugene ^[10] - deputy. Head of the 2nd European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR
• Semenkov Karl;
• Semivolos Sergey;
• Slepov Nikolay (Greece);
• Smirnov Stepan (Finland);
• Tikhmenev Vladimir (Chile, Peru, Uruguay);
• Travkin Vladimir (Mexico, Guatemala);
• Tyutyunov B .;
• Ulasevich Vladimir (Jamaica, Canada);
• Fomenko Vladimir;
• Khlebnikov, L .;
• Churilov Eugene (Venezuela, Paraguay);
• Shemenkov Karl (Greece)

Consultant Group

• The head is Zhilin Yuri.
• Ezhov Vsevolod ^[11] - doctor of historical sciences, chief scientific consultant of the series "Seventeen Moments of Spring";
• Hermonian
• Ivanitsky Oleg (Italy);
• Kovalsky Nikolay - Senior Researcher, Institute of World Economy and International Relations
• Kozlov Alexey;
• Lobov Alexey (Iraq);
• Menshikov Stanislav ^[12] ;
• Midzev Benjamin (Africa);
• Mineev Aleksey (Colombia, Panama);
• Sidenko Victor (Africa);
• Sobakin Vadim - Deputy Chairman of the Association of Soviet Lawyers ;
• Sokolov Igor;
• Sharaev Vladimir (Ethiopia)

• CPSU History Handbook
• Review of documents on relations between the CPSU and other parties
• Memoirs of Oleg Rebel
• “Changes in the Soviet apparatus of active events in 1986”. US Department of State
• Green for Reds, Spark magazine, May 5, 1992
• Memoirs of an International Officer