"Viktor Suvorov. Inside soviet military intelligence (англ) " - читать интересную книгу автора

Party had, as long ago as 13 May 1935, taken the decision to create a
special security commission for carrying out mass repressions in the
country, which took place in 1937 to 1938.
For almost two years the Special Commission prepared the most bloody
page in the history of mankind. Its members were Stalin, Zhdanov, Yezhov,
Shkiriatov, Malenkov and Voyshinski. It is interesting to note that the then
head of NKVD, Yagoda, was not a member of the Commission, and this was a
sensible move. Before carrying out its massive blood- letting of the whole
of society, the Party took pains to purge the surgical instrument itself,
the NKVD organs. The purge began secretly as early as 1935 and at that stage
concerned only the organs and the overseas residencies of the NKVD. In order
not to frighten anybody, it was carried out secretly and without public
trials. Naturally it was the GRU which was entrusted with the task of
purging the NKVD overseas organs. In 1935 Yan Karlovich Berzin, the GRU's
chief, travelled to the Far East with special powers and a group of trusted
helpers. Secret orders appointing one I. S. Unshlikht and later S. T.
Uritski as chief of the GRU were issued. But no order was issued for Berzin
to relinquish his post. In other words, the appointment of Uritski was
simply a cover-up for the long absence of Berzin. In the Far East Berzin and
his assistants secretly liquidated the leading illegals of the NKVD. In the
following year Berzin, with his assistants, appeared in Spain. His official
job was Chief Advisor to the Spanish Government, a post in which he was
extremely active. Firstly, he endeavoured to direct the activities of the
Spanish Government along lines favourable to Moscow. Secondly, he personally
ran from Spain the whole of the overseas network of the GRU. And finally, he
did not forget his most important task. The head of the Foreign Directorate
of the NKVD, Slutski, was also in Spain, also personally supervising the
activities of all his overseas agents. In all probability Slutski was aware
that Berzin and the GRU had some connection with the mysterious
disappearance of NKVD illegals. Evidence has been preserved which shows that
Slutski and Berzin had clashes practically every day in Spain. However, at
the same time, the intelligence chief of the NKVD was finding himself
increasingly subject to the chief of Soviet military intelligence. At the
end of September 1936 the NKVD chief, Yagoda, was dismissed from his post
and the secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, Ezhov, was
appointed in his place. Ezhov himself began a most cruel purge of the NKVD -
and he no longer required the assistance of the GRU. More than 3,000
Tchekists were shot on Ezhov's orders, including Yagoda and Slutski
themselves. It is interesting to note that Yagoda's death followed an open
trial, but Slutski was murdered secretly, in the same way as his best
illegal residents had been executed previously. After the Party, in the
person of Ezhov and with the help of the GRU, had purged the NKVD, the time
came for the Army to be dealt with. This purge began with the liquidation of
the general staff - and the complete destruction of the GRU. Among those
military leaders first executed together with Marshal Tukhachevski were army
commanders Yakir and Uboreevich and Corps Commander Putna, the Soviet
military attache in London. As might be expected, all military attaches are
GRU officers; but Putna was not simply a military attache. Until his
appointment to London he had been deputy chief of the GRU. His execution
served as an extra excuse for the NKVD to carry out a special purge in the