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Old 11-30-2013, 04:48 PM   #1
Разведка
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Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate".

Celebrating 60 years of the First Chief Directorate, founded in 1920 as the Innostrani Otdel, and responsible for foreign intelligence operations. After numerous shuffles and restructures, this emerged as the Sluzhba Vneshnei Razvedki, or Foreign Intelligence Service, in the post-Soviet Russian Federation.

Very interesting coffin-shaped shield and design. The reverse features the mark of the Moscow Mint just above the pin at the base of the sword.


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Old 12-01-2013, 07:10 AM   #2
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

I found what you wrote in your thread useful, thanks.

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Celebrating 60 years of the First Chief Directorate, founded in 1920 as the Innostrani Otdel, and responsible for foreign intelligence operations. After numerous shuffles and restructures, this emerged as the Sluzhba Vneshnei Razvedki, or Foreign Intelligence Service, in the post-Soviet Russian Federation.

Very interesting coffin-shaped shield and design. The reverse features the mark of the Moscow Mint just above the pin at the base of the sword.


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Old 12-05-2013, 08:45 PM   #3
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

It took me asking several people who know more than I do before I found out what this one was. There were lots of suggestions/good guesses, but the Foreign Intelligence (later First Chief Directorate of the КГБ and now the СВР) was clearly the correct choice.

Thank you "Разведка" (Bob? - PM me if you want to stay "incognito";)) for bringing this up. I had sort of forgotten about this badge - mainly because it has been in a display case with most of my other КГБ items for so long, I tend to not notice them as I should anymore.

Case in point: I took this badge out and under the close-up camera eye I finally noticed just how well done it is with colors (mainly the gold in the shield) I had overlooked. I had also missed the MMD logo. That little mark is hard to capture in photos, but I'm practicing.

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File Type: jpg 60 КГБ Foreign Intelligence.jpg (40.8 KB, 12 views)
File Type: jpg 60 КГБ Foreign Intelligence rev.jpg (40.9 KB, 9 views)
File Type: jpg 60 КГБ Foreign Intelligence MMD.jpg (24.4 KB, 12 views)
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Old 12-07-2013, 08:52 AM   #4
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

I am glad this thread was updated again. I know this might be a tough question to answer. Were there many of these badges made or presented?
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Old 12-08-2013, 12:24 AM   #5
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

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I am glad this thread was updated again. I know this might be a tough question to answer. Were there many of these badges made or presented?
Tough to answer indeed. As an ММД product and without a state-set price stamped on the reverse for public sale, it is likely that a significant number were made for lower-ranking КГБ employees who didn't merit state level anniversary badges, but I've never seen pictures of it in reference books. In fact, the ePay seller I bought it from a few years ago had it listed as an МВД badge. Nonetheless, the design is intricate and has all the typical КГБ symbols - laurel and oak leaves, sword and shield with a raised star and the hammer and sickle raised in the center of the star (this combination was reserved for the КГБ in nearly every award or associated document).

When I first posted photos of it somewhere here asking if anyone knew what it was, I got several answers. Between what I deduced it was and what someone else who has a copy of it and I trust said, we agreed it was foreign intelligence. As such, this badge would probably not be worn in public very often - if ever. It could have been given to retiring (retired) members of the First Chief Directorate as well. Active members who were not high-ranking officers would probably be working with top secret information or had security clearances that would make them a target for counterintelligence in non-Soviet countries, even if they were not actually "spies." Still wondering about who received them and why (and even more, who could/would wear them and where/when they might wear them:whistler).

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Old 12-08-2013, 05:08 AM   #6
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

Thanks Phil for your latest post. I would like to add to your latest comments that important members of the foreign intelligence services of at least some of the Warsaw Pact countries could have received these badges.
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Old 12-08-2013, 03:20 PM   #7
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

Although there are a number of Bulgarian "internationalist" foreign intelligence/counter-intelligence groups in the collection, I have not yet stumbled upon a single Bulgarian recipient of this Badge. I would have expected the all but "Bulgarian SSR" to be first in line when it came to non-Soviet recipients.

I'm sure a document (if they exist) would shine a little light on this.
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Old 12-08-2013, 04:02 PM   #8
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

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Although there are a number of Bulgarian "internationalist" foreign intelligence/counter-intelligence groups in the collection, I have not yet stumbled upon a single Bulgarian recipient of this Badge. I would have expected the all but "Bulgarian SSR" to be first in line when it came to non-Soviet recipients.

I'm sure a document (if they exist) would shine a little light on this.
No insult intended toward the Bulgarian would-be SSR - I have a significant portion of my security service collection devoted to them, but from everything I have read about КГБ activity throughout the world when they ran the Soviet show, the Bulgarian security services were strictly manipulated by the КГБ and of all the satellite countries, Bulgaria's security services were very literally created "in the image of" the КГБ by the КГБ. They were an "experiment" of sorts and far from respected by those who created them back in Moscow. This is not to say the Bulgarian security services were not useful. Far from it - they were wonderful at following orders from Moscow and taking care of the dirtiest work the Soviet government and the КГБ wanted to distance themselves from. To borrow Oswald's use of the word, the Bulgarian МВР (MVR) was the perfect КГБ "patsy." Need someone assassinated but can't have it traced back to the КГБ, call the boys at the МВР.

Of course I'm over-simplifying the case, but there isn't much exaggeration, nor does it mean that I do not respect the МВР and the short-lived foreign intelligence service - the КДС. However, the fact that the КДС was essentially shut down by the КГБ, thus leaving Bulgaria without a foreign intelligence service of its own, there would be no point in giving a badge honoring Soviet foreign intelligence to anyone in a country where there was no such organization. Moreover, the dangers associated with possessing and especially wearing such a badge would be far greater for a Bulgarian МВР member since they never officially had an active role in foreign intelligence operations after the КДС was dissolved.

That's my opinion in any case. It is based on numerous books and articles whose authors could all have a prejudice toward Bulgaria for all I know. I'm certainly not an expert in everything and do my best these days to remember that.;)

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Old 12-08-2013, 04:39 PM   #9
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Re: Badge "60 Years Of The KGB First Chief Directorate"

The KDS was indeed the rather poor relative. It was a separate entity to the MVR for only a short period (22nd July 1965 to 27th December 1968) when it was directly under the Ministerial Council (as the KGB in the USSR). From 27th December 1968 until 27th February 1969 it was merged into the MVR as the MVR&DS only to them become the KDS under the MVR again.

The "DS" (State Security) actually predate Communist Rule in Bulgaria being founded as the Office Of State Security under the Police Force of the Ministry Of Internal Affairs And Public Health in 1925.

The reshuffling of agencies, offices and ministries in Bulgaria is an exceptionally complicated tale (that I am working on a presentation of to the forum planned for 2014) but Bulgaria often gets seen as a poor relative when in reality Georgi Dimitrov was one of the most influential figures in the European landscape of the post-war. His unique position was certainly greater than he is credited for.

State Security in Bulgaria during the height of its Communist period power oversaw many mundane tasks from the production (and censorship) of Maps, monitoring of Radio (Broadcasts and communications), Prisons and my favourite - the State Archives (Which they often took to destroying).

In the modern Republic most of the functions of the DS are now taken on by the Ministry Of Internal Affairs, National Service For Security and National Intelligence Service. The State Archives are now looked after by my friends at the State Archive Agency.
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