Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence

as well a critical component of Soviet intelligence for the 24 years of

its existence. Both the security and the intelligence services used the

Comintern as a cover for false flagoperations for the recruitment and

running of agents. Many of the best Soviet agents in the 1930s be-

lieved at first that they were working for the Comintern.

The Comintern developed clandestine radio networks to allow

Moscow to maintain contact with foreign communist parties and in-

telligence officers. During the 1930s, the Comintern maintained three

radio links with the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA).

Radio links were also maintained with western and central European

communist parties. These links allowed the Soviet intelligence ser-

vices to vet prospective agents and to convince party officials to sup-

port intelligence operations. For example, Pavel Fitin, chief of

NKVDforeign intelligence during World War II, requested infor-

mation about communist party members who were being considered

for recruitment in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Soviet leaderJoseph Stalinused the Comintern to control foreign

communist parties. He also purged its leadership of dissidentsand

suspected enemies. During the Yezhovshchina, the Polish, Hungar-

ian, Austrian, and German parties were decimated. The entire leader-

ship of the Polish party and most of the leadership of the Hungarian,

Austrian, and German parties were shot or perished in the gulag.

Over 1,100 German communists were arrested by the NKVD, and

132 were eventually handed over to the Gestapo, as a gesture of good

will following the Nazi–Soviet Pact.

While the Comintern was initially established to foment world rev-

olution, it evolved into an extension of the Soviet Communist Party

and was seen by the Stalinist leadership as a tool for Russian strate-

gic interests. One leader of the Comintern put it succinctly and cyni-

cally: “Since Russia is the only country where the working class has

taken power, the workers of the world should become Russian patri-

ots.” Stalin abolished the Comintern in 1943 as part of a diplomatic

effort to win support for the Soviet Union during World War II. Its

functions were transferred to the international department of the

Communist Party’s Central Committee. At almost the same time,

NKVD officers abroad were cautioned about open contacts with

Communist Party members and Comintern officials; in the United

States, the handling of especially important agents was switched

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