Marking the 60th Anniversary of SMERSH -Joseph Stalin’s Counterintelligence Service, this article looks at the old “Cold War” enemy that James Bond has had to face on several missions.
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin ordered the creation of a new military counterintelligence service in April 1943, he suggested that the organisation be given the name SMERSH – “Smyert Shpionam” or loosely – “Death To Spies.”
Smersh holds an important position in Russian Intelligence History, and although its name was to change many times over the years -other nations intelligence communities would still refer to it as SMERSH. Three years after its conception it was integrated into the NKVD, in the 1960s its name was changed to CUKR, and according to John Laffin in Brassey’s Book of Espionage it was given the cover of “the Army’s internal security section.”, but its duties were to trace, and kidnap or assassinate prominent Russian emigrés considered enemies and traitors to Russia. One of its victims was Leon Trotsky who was assassinated in Mexico.
Knowledge of SMERSH’s activities became known after one of its agents defected to the West in 1954, Nicolai Khaklov -who defected because he couldn’t bring himself to carry out his mission’s orders which included murder.
SMERSH’s main method of assassination was poison. administered in various ways including on darts, in cigarettes and in inhalers for asthmatics.
According to Eye Spy Magazine SMERSH was incorporated into the KGB, and had one informer for every tens soldiers in the Red Army.
KGB Headquarters -Moscow
The Federal Security Service (FSB) -the KGB’s successor is currently holding an exhibition celebrating this 60th anniversary in the Central Armed forces Museum in Moscow.
The KGB or Komitet Gosuddarstvennoi Bezoopasnnosti is the more infamous of the russian Intelligence agencies, and during the Cold War its ranks numbered between 300,000 and 500,000. with 20 seperate directorates (one of which was SMERSH) it was undoubtedly the most ruthless espionage organisation to exist, and as the soviet Union was split apart inthe 90s its ranks dwindled considerably, and the public face of the KGB became a little friendlier, so much so that a f ormer head of the CIA, Bob Gates travelled to Moscow, and Stella Rimmington former director General of MI5 has been seen to visit the KGB HQ
Interestingly President Putin is an ex member of the KGB, and it is known that at least four of his cabinet previously served in the KGB or FSB.
KGB insignia badge
President Putin – Russia’s President used to be in the KGB
Stalin’s dictum of “Death To Spies” was quite a hypocritical title, as it took a huge organisation of spies to catch spies – and it is safe to say that as Glenmore Trenear-Harvey, Associate Editor of Eye Spy Magazine so clearly points out -
SMERSH learned: Spying can be stemmed -but not stopped
