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Vladimir Semichastny

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402: 242: 1030: 582:, defected to the USA; Semichastny ordered the KGB to kidnap her and bring her back. The attempt failed, and led to the exposure of several KGB agents, who were arrested. This gave Shelepin's enemies a pretext to sack Semichastny. Shelepin was able to protect him for a few weeks. but in May, he was hospitalised for eight days after an operation, and in his absence, on 18 May 1967, the Politburo held a ten-minute discussion in which they decided to appoint 63: 571:, Semichastny waited for him at the airport flanked by KGB security guards, informed him of his ouster and told him not to resist. Khrushchev did not resist, and the hardliners' coup went off smoothly; Khrushchev felt betrayed by Semichastny, as he considered him a friend and ally until that very moment, not suspecting that he had joined his enemies within the Party. 640:"He was as kind and friendly as might be expected from a former leader of the Komsomol, the party's youth wing. Though affable, Semichastny was a sharp-minded, ideologically severe man. Semichastny's personal obsession was the pollution of the system from within by Soviet artists and writers; it was he who masterminded the vilification of 621:, who was arrested for the murder and was himself shot dead. Oswald had spent some time in the Soviet Union but, according to Semichastny's investigations, had never worked for any Soviet intelligence agency; Semichastny's verdict, that there was definitely "something fishy" in the whole affair, is shared by many. 432:
Semichastny was surprised when Khrushchev informed him of his appointment as KGB Chairman, commenting that he did not have any experience in intelligence and counterintelligence; Khrushchev, however, told him that the KGB needed, above all, a deft political hand. Semichastny's young age and his lack
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Undoubtedly, however, the KGB and its chairman retained their relevance and importance; every morning, a large grayish blue file containing intelligence reports and analyses, selected and reviewed by Semichastny, was placed on Khrushchev's personal desk by one of his secretaries, and Khrushchev
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in November 1961, again succeeding his friend and mentor Shelepin, who had been KGB Chairman since 1958. Appointed at the age of 37, he was the youngest Soviet security and intelligence chief of the Cold War. As KGB chief, he generally continued his predecessor's policies: support for national
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where Semichastny would brief him on important matters) and Khrushchev was adamant in his belief that the KGB was to be confined to intelligence, counterintelligence and state security, and was not expected to have any policy recommendations of its own ("executor, not formulator of policy"),
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Subsequently, Semichastny and his mentor Shelepin participated in the successful coup against Khrushchev in October 1964, an act that undoubtedly led to his being initially retained as KGB chief by the new, more hard-line Soviet leadership. There are some indications that
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of professional experience in intelligence and counterintelligence led him to rely heavily on senior department heads within the KGB; he was always respectful towards intelligence veterans, but he was also determined to be in charge and leave his mark on the agency.
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liberation movements worldwide, suppression of nationalism, separatism and the dissident movement within the Soviet Union, and recruitment of young university graduates to the KGB. He also put much emphasis on developing the security and intelligence services of the
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Despite Khrushchev's fondness and esteem, Semichastny never became part of the Soviet leader's inner circle. The two rarely had one-on-one meetings (although there were some instances where they would have breakfast together, or a walk in the
373:, which had been published abroad after being suppressed in the USSR. Comparing him with "a pig that shits in its own sty", he called for Pasternak to be deported. It was this threat that made Pasternak decide to renounce the prize. 598:, although he did not have any significant influence in the political affairs of the Republic, which was tightly controlled by Brezhnevists. In 1981 he was removed from that position as well, and retired to private life. 556:, who forcefully stated that Barghoorn was not involved in any illegal activities at a press conference. The Soviets subsequently released Barghoorn. Ivanov was eventually allowed to leave the United States in 1971. 1343: 436:
Semichastny's first decision as KGB Chairman, on November 22, 1961, (after nine days in office) was to approve the creation of a "sabotage and terrorism" group (as the KGB itself called it) within the
1348: 970: 408:. Vladimir Semichastny, Chairman of the KGB (first from left), talking to Soviet intelligence officers Rudolf Abel (second from left) and Konon Molody (second from right) in 1964 564:, who led the coup against Khrushchev, wanted to assassinate him, but Semichastny, while participating in the ouster of Khrushchev, categorically refused to allow any bloodshed. 1353: 567:
Semichastny was in fact the one who informed Khrushchev of his removal from power, "by order of the Politburo"; as Khrushchev was returning to Moscow from a holiday at the
357:(Komsomol), working in the fields of propaganda and administration. From 1947 to 1950 he was First Secretary of the Ukrainian Komsomol. In 1950 he was brought to 963: 525: 861: 545: 956: 483:
During his tenure Semichasnty attempted to create a new, more positive public image for the KGB, permitting an article to appear in the newspaper
1318: 1338: 1288: 468:, Semichastny was responsible for coordinating all information received from abroad. His chosen crisis team oversaw intelligence from the 983: 1328: 469: 1110: 241: 586:, who was ten years older than Semichastny, as his replacement. Shelepin was removed from positions of influence soon afterwards. 493:
many young Communist Party and Communist Youth League workers have joined the KGB, and none of the people who, during the time of
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More articles, books and films on the security organs appeared, and Soviet spies became heroes in print and cinema —
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Aleksandr Fursenko, Timothy Naftali: "One Hell of a Gamble": Krushchev, Castro, and Kennedy, 1958-1964, page 262
678: 317:. After finishing high school in 1941, he began studying Chemistry at the Institute of Chemical Technology in 476:(Military Intelligence) and, of course, the KGB. The team met every day in his office at KGB Headquarters in 386: 20: 1160: 1038: 979: 78: 506: 302: 169: 1299:
Candidates of the Central Committee of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
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Candidates of the Central Committee of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
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In 1959, Semichastny was sent by the Soviet leadership to the politically sensitive and oil-rich
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Members of the Central Committee of the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
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Members of the Central Committee of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
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by the Red Army in 1943, Semichastny returned home. Later, he received a degree in history from
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Semichastny was born in January 1924 in the village of Hryhorivka, near Grishino (today
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especially in foreign affairs, where Semichastny usually deferred to Foreign Minister
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Christopher Andrew, The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB in the World, 2008, page Ixxiii
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that included an interview with an unnamed "senior KGB officer" (himself); he stated
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Semichastny died in Moscow at the age of 76, on January 12, 2001, after suffering a
389:, a position he held for two years, until 1961, serving under the Republic's leader 1222: 1214: 258: 444:; the Sandinistas would eventually manage to seize power in that country in 1979. 1152: 1144: 1135: 1127: 1097: 768: 641: 614: 561: 553: 529: 477: 366: 1089: 1081: 879: 454: 449: 382: 310: 306: 112: 361:
to work in the central apparatus of the Komsomol, where he met and befriended
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Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
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After the end of the war, Semichastny became a full-time employee of the
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Man Without a Face: The Autobiography of Communism's Greatest Spymaster
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was assassinated in 1963, Semichastny investigated the background of
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From 1967 until 1981 Semichastny was a Deputy Prime Minister of the
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conquest of the region, and Semichastny himself was drafted to the
318: 286: 772: 636:, who worked closely with Semichastny, described him as follows: 32: 1349:
First deputy chairpersons of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine
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In October 1963, Semichastny sanctioned the arrest of Professor
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Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine
536:. Semichastny hoped that by charging Barghoorn as a 313:, to a working-class Russian family originally from 672: 670: 668: 1270: 348: 791: 789: 425:, and on assisting the communist forces in the 325:; his family back in Ukraine were evacuated to 708:. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U.P. p. 293. 665: 964: 281:from November 1961 to May 1967. A protégé of 786: 820:. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell. p. 55. 762: 273:; 15 January 1924 – 12 January 2001) was a 971: 957: 706:Boris Pasternak, The Poet and His Politics 412:Semichastny was appointed chairman of the 61: 758: 756: 737: 735: 733: 731: 729: 727: 725: 703: 100:November 13, 1961 – May 18, 1967 815: 676: 608: 400: 383:Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan 1319:People from Yekaterinoslav Governorate 1271: 797:"Vladimir Semichastny | The Economist" 753: 722: 677:McCauley, Martin (11 September 2002). 396: 321:, but his studies were interrupted by 952: 765:"Ex-KGB Head Semichastny Dies at 77" 438:Sandinista National Liberation Front 385:, as Second Secretary of the ruling 1339:Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery 1289:Ukrainian people of Russian descent 596:Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 285:, he rose through the ranks of the 230:Communist Party of the Soviet Union 13: 14: 1365: 1329:Party leaders of the Soviet Union 935:November 13, 1961 – May 18, 1967 844:, p. 209, 1997, Jonathan Cape Ltd 1028: 763:Ron Popeski (January 16, 2001). 376: 263:Влади́мир Ефи́мович Семича́стный 240: 589: 550:Federal Bureau of Investigation 255:Vladimir Yefimovich Semichastny 156:Vladimir Yefimovich Semichastny 834: 809: 744: 697: 680:Who's Who in Russia since 1900 337:. After the liberation of the 271:Володимир Юхимович Семичастний 1: 984:Soviet secret police agencies 658: 624: 387:Communist Party of Azerbaijan 349:In the Communist Youth League 292: 21:Eastern Slavic naming customs 931:Committee for State Security 818:Andropov, His Life and Death 632:, the intelligence chief of 83:Committee for State Security 7: 1324:Komsomol of Ukraine members 840:Markus Wolf, Anne McElvoy, 10: 1370: 1314:People from Donetsk Oblast 769:The Saint Petersburg Times 303:Yekaterinoslav Governorate 277:politician, who served as 170:Yekaterinoslav Governorate 19:In this name that follows 18: 1259: 1172: 1109: 1071: 1037: 1026: 990: 937: 927: 919: 914: 904: 894: 886: 876: 866: 858: 853: 816:Medvedev, Zhores (1984). 704:Fleishman, Lazar (1990). 461:always read them avidly. 270: 262: 248: 236: 225: 217: 203: 183: 151: 146: 142: 130: 118: 104: 93: 76: 72: 60: 51: 44: 854:Party political offices 52: 16:KGB Chairman (1961–1967) 896:First Secretary of the 868:First Secretary of the 423:Soviet satellite states 656: 503: 409: 355:Communist Youth League 287:Communist Youth League 1060:Vyacheslav Menzhinsky 652:Aleksandr Sakharovsky 638: 613:After U.S. President 609:Kennedy assassination 532:when he was visiting 491: 404: 343:Kiev State University 1199:Vladimir Semichastny 540:he could induce the 466:Cuban Missile Crisis 168:village Hryhorivka, 54:Владимир Семичастный 46:Vladimir Semichastny 915:Government offices 580:Svetlana Alliluyeva 526:Frederick Barghoorn 515:Harold (Kim) Philby 499:cult of personality 397:Chairman of the KGB 279:Chairman of the KGB 67:Semichastny in 1961 1231:Vladimir Kryuchkov 1191:Alexander Shelepin 923:Alexander Shelepin 890:Aleksandr Shelepin 548:, arrested by the 410: 363:Alexander Shelepin 283:Alexander Shelepin 125:Alexander Shelepin 1266: 1265: 1239:Leonid Shebarshin 1120:Vsevolod Merkulov 1052:Felix Dzerzhinsky 1017:Felix Dzerzhinsky 1001:Felix Dzerzhinsky 947: 946: 938:Succeeded by 905:Succeeded by 877:Succeeded by 862:Vasiliy Kostyenko 619:Lee Harvey Oswald 418:Nikita Khrushchev 252: 251: 210:(until 1991) and 109:Nikita Khrushchev 1361: 1252: 1243: 1235: 1227: 1223:Viktor Chebrikov 1219: 1215:Vitaly Fedorchuk 1211: 1203: 1195: 1187: 1165: 1157: 1149: 1140: 1132: 1124: 1102: 1094: 1086: 1064: 1056: 1032: 1031: 1021: 1013: 1005: 973: 966: 959: 950: 949: 929:Chairman of the 920:Preceded by 887:Preceded by 859:Preceded by 851: 850: 845: 838: 832: 831: 813: 807: 806: 793: 784: 783: 781: 779: 767:. 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Kennedy 530:Yale University 511:Gordon Lonsdale 478:Lubyanka Square 399: 379: 367:Boris Pasternak 351: 295: 226:Political party 192: 188: 187:12 January 2001 167: 166:15 January 1924 161: 159: 158: 157: 131: 119: 111: 99: 94: 68: 56: 53: 47: 40: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1367: 1357: 1356: 1351: 1346: 1341: 1336: 1331: 1326: 1321: 1316: 1311: 1306: 1301: 1296: 1291: 1286: 1281: 1264: 1263: 1260: 1257: 1256: 1254: 1253: 1245: 1236: 1228: 1220: 1212: 1204: 1196: 1188: 1179: 1177: 1170: 1169: 1167: 1166: 1161:Sergei Kruglov 1158: 1150: 1142: 1133: 1125: 1116: 1114: 1107: 1106: 1104: 1103: 1095: 1090:Nikolai Yezhov 1087: 1082:Genrikh Yagoda 1078: 1076: 1069: 1068: 1066: 1065: 1057: 1048: 1046: 1035: 1034: 1027: 1025: 1023: 1022: 1014: 1006: 997: 995: 988: 987: 976: 975: 968: 961: 953: 945: 944: 939: 936: 926: 921: 917: 916: 912: 911: 906: 903: 893: 888: 884: 883: 880:Georgiy Shevel 878: 875: 865: 860: 856: 855: 847: 846: 833: 826: 808: 785: 752: 743: 721: 714: 696: 689: 663: 662: 660: 657: 644:and his novel 626: 623: 610: 607: 591: 588: 455:Andrei Gromyko 406:September 1964 398: 395: 378: 375: 371:Doctor Zhivago 350: 347: 311:Soviet Ukraine 307:Donetsk Oblast 294: 291: 250: 249: 246: 245: 238: 234: 233: 227: 223: 222: 219: 215: 214: 205: 201: 200: 191:(aged 76) 185: 181: 180: 155: 153: 149: 148: 144: 143: 140: 139: 134: 128: 127: 122: 116: 115: 113:Alexei Kosygin 106: 102: 101: 91: 90: 74: 73: 70: 69: 66: 58: 57: 49: 48: 45: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1366: 1355: 1352: 1350: 1347: 1345: 1342: 1340: 1337: 1335: 1332: 1330: 1327: 1325: 1322: 1320: 1317: 1315: 1312: 1310: 1307: 1305: 1302: 1300: 1297: 1295: 1292: 1290: 1287: 1285: 1282: 1280: 1277: 1276: 1274: 1258: 1249: 1248:Vadim Bakatin 1246: 1240: 1237: 1232: 1229: 1224: 1221: 1216: 1213: 1208: 1207:Yuri Andropov 1205: 1200: 1197: 1192: 1189: 1184: 1181: 1180: 1178: 1175: 1171: 1162: 1159: 1154: 1151: 1146: 1143: 1137: 1134: 1129: 1126: 1121: 1118: 1117: 1115: 1112: 1108: 1099: 1096: 1091: 1088: 1083: 1080: 1079: 1077: 1074: 1070: 1061: 1058: 1053: 1050: 1049: 1047: 1044: 1040: 1036: 1018: 1015: 1010: 1007: 1002: 999: 998: 996: 993: 989: 985: 981: 974: 969: 967: 962: 960: 955: 954: 951: 942: 941:Yuri Andropov 933: 932: 924: 918: 913: 909: 908:Sergei Pavlov 900: 899: 891: 885: 881: 872: 871: 863: 857: 852: 843: 837: 829: 827:0-631-13401-8 823: 819: 812: 804: 803: 802:The Economist 798: 792: 790: 774: 770: 766: 759: 757: 747: 738: 736: 734: 732: 730: 728: 726: 717: 715:0-674-07905-1 711: 707: 700: 692: 690:9781134772131 686: 682: 681: 673: 671: 669: 664: 655: 653: 649: 648: 643: 637: 635: 631: 622: 620: 616: 606: 604: 599: 597: 587: 585: 584:Yuri Andropov 581: 577: 572: 570: 565: 563: 557: 555: 551: 547: 543: 542:United States 539: 535: 531: 527: 522: 520: 519:Richard Sorge 516: 512: 508: 502: 500: 496: 495:Joseph Stalin 490: 488: 487: 481: 479: 475: 471: 467: 462: 458: 456: 451: 445: 443: 439: 434: 430: 428: 424: 419: 415: 407: 403: 394: 392: 391:Vali Akhundov 388: 384: 377:In Azerbaijan 374: 372: 368: 364: 360: 356: 346: 344: 340: 336: 332: 329:, due to the 328: 324: 320: 316: 315:Tula Province 312: 308: 304: 300: 290: 288: 284: 280: 276: 268: 260: 256: 247: 243: 239: 235: 231: 228: 224: 220: 216: 213: 209: 206: 202: 199: 195: 186: 182: 179: 175: 174:Ukrainian SSR 171: 154: 150: 145: 141: 138: 137:Yuri Andropov 135: 129: 126: 123: 117: 114: 110: 107: 103: 97: 92: 88: 84: 80: 75: 71: 64: 59: 50: 43: 38: 34: 31: and the 30: 26: 22: 1334:KGB chairmen 1198: 1009:Yakov Peters 928: 895: 867: 841: 836: 817: 811: 800: 776:. Retrieved 746: 705: 699: 679: 645: 639: 634:East Germany 628: 612: 600: 593: 590:Later career 573: 566: 558: 523: 504: 492: 484: 482: 463: 459: 446: 435: 431: 411: 405: 380: 352: 323:World War II 296: 289:(Komsomol). 254: 253: 189:(2001-01-12) 178:Soviet Union 132:Succeeded by 95: 36: 28: 1284:2001 deaths 1279:1924 births 1176:(1954–1991) 1113:(1946–1954) 1075:(1934–1946) 1045:(1922–1934) 994:(1917–1922) 778:January 21, 647:Dr. Zhivago 630:Markus Wolf 546:Igor Ivanov 544:to release 507:Rudolf Abel 464:During the 427:Vietnam War 232:(1941–1991) 218:Nationality 204:Citizenship 120:Preceded by 37:Semichastny 33:family name 1273:Categories 1183:Ivan Serov 902:1958–1959 874:1947–1950 659:References 625:Assessment 578:daughter, 301:), in the 293:Early life 162:1924-01-15 29:Yefimovich 25:patronymic 1234:(1988–91) 1226:(1982–88) 1210:(1967–82) 1202:(1961–67) 1194:(1958–61) 1186:(1954–58) 1164:(1953–54) 1148:(1951–53) 1131:(1946–51) 1101:(1938–46) 1093:(1936–38) 1085:(1934–36) 1063:(1926–34) 1055:(1922–26) 1020:(1918–22) 1004:(1917–18) 569:Black Sea 442:Nicaragua 327:Astrakhan 267:Ukrainian 237:Signature 96:In office 898:Komsomol 576:Stalin's 486:Izvestia 335:Red Army 319:Kemerovo 299:Pokrovsk 79:Chairman 1261:*Acting 773:Reuters 450:Kremlin 305:(today 259:Russian 221:Russian 212:Russian 105:Premier 81:of the 1251:(1991) 1242:(1991) 1218:(1982) 1156:(1953) 1139:(1951) 1123:(1946) 1012:(1918) 980:Chiefs 824:  712:  687:  603:stroke 534:Moscow 517:, and 472:, the 359:Moscow 339:Donbas 275:Soviet 208:Soviet 198:Russia 194:Moscow 23:, the 992:Cheka 870:LKSMU 309:) of 1073:NKVD 1043:OGPU 822:ISBN 780:2014 710:ISBN 685:ISBN 331:Nazi 184:Died 152:Born 77:3rd 1174:KGB 1111:MGB 1039:GPU 982:of 538:spy 528:of 497:'s 474:GRU 440:in 416:by 414:KGB 87:KGB 35:is 27:is 1275:: 1041:/ 799:. 788:^ 771:. 755:^ 724:^ 683:. 667:^ 605:. 521:. 513:, 509:, 480:. 457:. 429:. 393:. 345:. 269:: 265:; 261:: 196:, 176:, 172:, 1244:* 1141:* 972:e 965:t 958:v 830:. 805:. 782:. 718:. 693:. 257:( 164:) 160:( 89:) 85:( 39:.

Index

Eastern Slavic naming customs
patronymic
family name

Chairman
Committee for State Security
KGB
Nikita Khrushchev
Alexei Kosygin
Alexander Shelepin
Yuri Andropov
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
Ukrainian SSR
Soviet Union
Moscow
Russia
Soviet
Russian
Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Russian
Ukrainian
Soviet
Chairman of the KGB
Alexander Shelepin
Communist Youth League
Pokrovsk
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
Donetsk Oblast
Soviet Ukraine

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