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February 14, 1976

Bulgarian Interior Ministry Account of Meeting in Prague

Strictly Confidential!
Copy No. 2

 

[Seal: Republic of Bulgaria]

 

information

 

 

 

[Stamp: true to the original
Secretary: signature]

 

 

Regarding: The meeting of the fraternal intelligence services held in Prague on the 13th and the 14th of February 1976

 

 

 

On the 13th and 14th of February 1976 a meeting of the intelligence services of the USSR, PRB, PPR, HPR, GDR, and CSSR was held in Prague. Participating in the meeting were: representing the USSR, the head of counterintelligence at PGU-KGB [the First Chief Directorate of the Committee for State Security], Major-Gen. Kalugin and the head of the V [Fifth] Chief Directorate of KGB; representing PRB, the deputy head of the VI [Sixth] Directorate VI-DS [Bulgarian State Security], and the head of the IV [Fourth] Directorate at PGU-DS [the First Chief Directorate of Bulgarian State Security]; also present were the heads of the directorates for Ideological Subversion and Active Measures (aktivny meropriatiya) of the intelligence services of the other fraternal countries.

 

The goal of the meeting was to discuss joint actions and projects for the further denunciation of the work of radio stations “Radio Free Europe” and “Radio Liberty.”

 

Major-Gen. Gladik [phonetic spelling], head of the CSSR intelligence service, opened the meeting and led the main plenary sessions. The first deputy head, Colonel Dovina [phonetic spelling] led the remaining sessions.

 

During the first day, two main reports were presented: by the deputy head of the first directorate of the MVR [Ministry of Internal Affairs] of CSSR, Colonel Fribort [phonetic spelling] on the topic: “on the Present Circumstances and Possibilities for activating Work on Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty” and by Major-Gen. Kalugin of PGU-KGB on the topic: “On the Operative Circumstances and Major Directions of the Work of the Fraternal Intelligence Services against Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe.”

 

In addition to comrade Kalugin’s report, a plan of action was put forward for discussion at the meeting. For the rest of the first day, delegates made statements regarding the activity of the radio stations and the opportunities for carrying out activities in the spirit of the reports presented.

 

Our delegation made a thorough statement on the basis of information prepared in advance by PGU-DS.

 

At the end of the plenary session, a committee was formed to summarize statements and prepare a draft proposal regarding joint activities of the intelligence services of the fraternal countries against the two radio stations.

 

On the second day, the draft proposal was examined in detail, discussed, and accepted.

 

In the process of examination, some objections were raised by the Polish delegation, which considered that it lacked the authority to assent to some of the activities included in the proposal. At the start of the discussion, our delegation was the first to take a stance on the draft proposal, by emphasizing the worth of same and fully supporting it. Similar statements by other delegations, except the Polish one, followed, and, at the end of the plenary session, after several clarifications, [the Polish delegation] also accepted the proposal.

 

It was decided that the prepared draft should be sent by the Czechoslovak comrades, according to established procedures, to all fraternal intelligence services for discussion and possible correction, after which it would be finally confirmed.

 

In private meetings, following the end of the plenary sessions, comrades General Kalugin and General Gladik expressed their satisfaction with the position of our delegation on the draft proposal and thanked us for our overall participation in the meeting.

 

During their stay in Prague, the delegates met with Captain Minařik, recently returned from Radio Free Europe; several filmed materials were shown and a number of details were provided on the extraction and the work of the Czechoslovak intelligence agent.

 

Our delegation held bi-lateral meetings with all delegations to discuss matters of mutual interest. During these we discussed in detail and concurred on some issues in consultation with the soviet comrades, the preparation of documents for our activities on target “Rengat” and target “Tarzan,” as well as the publication of documents through their [Soviet] channels. It was agreed that a channel of the Hungarian comrades would be used for publication.

 

We discussed with the Czech, Polish, and Hungarian delegations [the possibility] of receiving for our use documentary materials acquired by them from Radio Free Europe.

 

[We] exchanged expertise on a number of general issues, concerning work in connection with the enemy emigration and ideological subversion.

 

The following important conclusions can be drawn from the meeting:

 

1. The meeting, proposed by the Soviet comrades, played a positive role in directing all means of the fraternal intelligence services towards achieving, as a first step, the expulsion of radio stations “Liberty” and Free Europe from Europe, and the complete elimination of the same [radio stations] as an end goal.

2. The multilateral meeting contributed to the strengthening of the relationships among the fraternal services.

3. A draft-proposal regarding the main directions of work was completed and, in principle, the idea of organizing an open trial in one of the socialist countries against Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe was accepted.

4. Some concrete issues on activities planned by us regarding targets in

Radio Free Europe were negotiated.

 

A Bulgarian Interior Ministry account of the Prague meeting of Soviet bloc intelligence services on RFE and RL.

Author(s):



Document Information

Source

Bulgarian Archives, ANIS, vol.9, inventory 3, entry 95, volume 3, Obtained by Hristo Hristov. Published in Hristov,”The Double Life of Agent Piccadilly” (Sofia: Siela, 2008). Translated by Kristina Terzieva.

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2014-12-19

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Meeting Minutes Report

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