The Origins of the Cheka

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The KGB was organized into directorates. Some of the main directorates were:

The First Chief Directorate (Foreign Operations) was responsible for foreign operations and intelligence-gathering activities.

The Second Chief Directorate was responsible for internal political control of citizens and foreigners within the Soviet Union.

The Third Chief Directorate (Armed Forces) controlled military counterintelligence and political surveillance of the armed forces.

The Fourth Chief Directorate - ?

The Fifth Chief Directorate also dealt with internal security. Originally created to combat political dissent, it took up some of the tasks previously handled by the Second Chief Directorate.

The Sixth Chief Directorate - ?

The Seventh Directorate (Surveillance) handled surveillance, providing equipment to follow and monitor the activities of both foreigners and Soviet citizens.

The Eighth Chief Directorate was responsible for communications. It dealt with monitoring foreign communications and was also responsible for the cryptological systems used by KGB divisions, transmission to KGB stations overseas, and the development of communication equipment.

The Ninth Directorate (Guards Directorate) provided guards for principal Party leaders and their families, and major government facilities in the Soviet Union.