Zhivagoat the behest of Western intelligence. In January 1961 Semi-
chastniy was appointed KGBchair—the youngest leader of the se-
curity service ever. He worked closely with Shelepin in carrying out
the October 1964 coup. When Nikita Khrushchevreturned from
the Crimea, Semichastniy escorted him personally to the Central
Committee meeting that stripped him of his power and position.
Semichastniy never enjoyed the respect of KGB professionals, and
he was removed from his position in 1967, as Leonid Brezhnev
moved to strengthen the KGB. Semichastniy held only minor public
posts after this demotion.SEREBRYANSKIY [BERGMAN], YAKOV ISAKOVICH (1892–
1956).One of the most famous of the Soviet illegals, Serebryanskiy
went from underground work to the condemned cells of Soviet pris-
ons, then to the rank of colonel in the security services, and finally
back to a Moscow prison. From 1920 to 1938, Serebryanskiy served
as an illegal in Persia, the United States, and Western Europe. He ran
agents and was responsible for the kidnapping of General Aleksandr
Kutepov, a leader of the émigréWhite Russian community in Paris.
In the late 1930s, Serebryanskiy commanded the NKVD’s Adminis-
tration for Special Tasks, controlling 212 illegals in 16 countries.
Despite his successes and the award for the kidnapping of Kutepov,
he was tried and sentenced to death in 1938. After spending a month
on death row, he was amnestied and returned to illegal work.
During World War II, Serebryanskiy worked in the partisandi-
rectorate and was highly decorated for his work against the Ger-
mans. According to Pavel Sudoplatov, he also recruited agents
among German prisoners of war, who were used in radio games
or were inserted behind enemy lines. Following the war, Sere-
bryanskiy continued to work as a colonel in counterintelligence. In
1953 he was rearrested under the charges for which he had been
sentenced to death in 1938. He died in Butyrka Prison three years
later under interrogation.SEROV, IVAN ALEKSANDROVICH (1900–1990). After service in
the Communist Partybureaucracy and the military, Serov (like
Sergei Kruglov) was brought into the NKVDin 1938, as part of234 •SEREBRYANSKIY [BERGMAN], YAKOV ISAKOVICH (1892–1956)06-313 P-Z.qxd 7/27/06 7:57 AM Page 234