Lubjanka, III. patro: svědectví předsedy KGB z let 1961-1967 Vladimíra Semičastného
(1998)- Abstract
- Lubyanka- IIIrd Floor. Memoirs of the KGB-chairman Vladimir Semichastny
This book (published in Czech language in 1998) gives the reader a chance to follow the development of those times as seen by one of the most powerful men of his days - the highest predecessor of the Commitee for State Security at the Council of Ministers of the USSR (better known under the abbreviation KGB). Considering his position, Semichastny was young when he took up his position: only 37 years old. As the man who enjoyed the support of the then highest Soviet leader, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, he was to continue the de-Stalinisation process in the Soviet security system and to start a new process of working. On the third floor of the... (More) - Lubyanka- IIIrd Floor. Memoirs of the KGB-chairman Vladimir Semichastny
This book (published in Czech language in 1998) gives the reader a chance to follow the development of those times as seen by one of the most powerful men of his days - the highest predecessor of the Commitee for State Security at the Council of Ministers of the USSR (better known under the abbreviation KGB). Considering his position, Semichastny was young when he took up his position: only 37 years old. As the man who enjoyed the support of the then highest Soviet leader, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, he was to continue the de-Stalinisation process in the Soviet security system and to start a new process of working. On the third floor of the Lubyanka - the KGB's vast building in Dzerzhinski Square not far from Kremlin, Semichastny took up his post only two months after the building of the concrete wall which was to separate east from west in Berlin.
In the highest spheres of decision making within Soviet politics, he would experience the crisis of divided Berlin as well as the Cuba Crisis of 1962. In his authorized memoirs, based on interviews with Tomas Sniegon, Semichastny also speaks about the situation within the KGB at the time of the murder of President Kennedy and about Lee Harvey Oswald's stay in the USSR. He supervised the process of Oswald's return to the U. S. A. Some very interesting mysteries are still surrounding Mr. Jurij Nosenko's emigration only several weeks after the assassination, in early 1964, too.
In 1963 Semichastny witnessed the Russians' most useful man in the west Kim Philby's emigration to the USSR. (It was also during his time that the Soviet spy George Blake managed to escape from a prison sentence of 42 years and to go to Moscow).
Of course the circumstances of the removal of Nikita Khrushchev in 1964 are dealt with. Semichastny participated actively in the removal in spite of the fact that he was one of Khrushchev's favourites since his party political work in Ukraine. Semichastny tells how the conflict developed, how he, before the removal of Khrushchev, had been asked by Brezhnev if it was possible to poison Khrushchev or in some way to bump him off as an accident. He describes in great detail the discussion of this topic and also the process to win the Minister of Defence Marshal Malinovsky and the Minister of Foreign Affaires Andrei Gromyko over to the opposition side against Khrushchev, as well as the technical side of removing Khrushchev from power. We are also informed about Brezhnev's relationship with the KGB and about the changes at the top of the Party.
Other interesting items include international politics in the 60's which play an important part in the book, the break between the Soviet Union and China, the conflict in Yugoslavia and the description of the Soviet global military strategy and the military plans in Western Europe. A great deal will also be said about the KGB's part in the satellite countries and about the KGB's struggle with other intelligence services, above all of course with western intelligence services headed by the CIA. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4457124
- author
- Sniegon, Tomas LU and Semichastny, Vladimir
- organization
- publishing date
- 1998
- type
- Book/Report
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Soviet Union, Cold War, KGB, Semichastny, communism, de-Stalinisation
- categories
- Popular Science
- pages
- 255 pages
- publisher
- Dauphin, Praha
- ISBN
- 80-86019-88-8
- language
- Czech
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- a94d7753-3c19-4a4f-99dd-6a9ff71aa87c (old id 4457124)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:53:51
- date last changed
- 2022-06-20 13:55:43
@book{a94d7753-3c19-4a4f-99dd-6a9ff71aa87c,
abstract = {{Lubyanka- IIIrd Floor. Memoirs of the KGB-chairman Vladimir Semichastny<br/><br>
<br/><br>
This book (published in Czech language in 1998) gives the reader a chance to follow the development of those times as seen by one of the most powerful men of his days - the highest predecessor of the Commitee for State Security at the Council of Ministers of the USSR (better known under the abbreviation KGB). Considering his position, Semichastny was young when he took up his position: only 37 years old. As the man who enjoyed the support of the then highest Soviet leader, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, he was to continue the de-Stalinisation process in the Soviet security system and to start a new process of working. On the third floor of the Lubyanka - the KGB's vast building in Dzerzhinski Square not far from Kremlin, Semichastny took up his post only two months after the building of the concrete wall which was to separate east from west in Berlin. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
In the highest spheres of decision making within Soviet politics, he would experience the crisis of divided Berlin as well as the Cuba Crisis of 1962. In his authorized memoirs, based on interviews with Tomas Sniegon, Semichastny also speaks about the situation within the KGB at the time of the murder of President Kennedy and about Lee Harvey Oswald's stay in the USSR. He supervised the process of Oswald's return to the U. S. A. Some very interesting mysteries are still surrounding Mr. Jurij Nosenko's emigration only several weeks after the assassination, in early 1964, too. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
In 1963 Semichastny witnessed the Russians' most useful man in the west Kim Philby's emigration to the USSR. (It was also during his time that the Soviet spy George Blake managed to escape from a prison sentence of 42 years and to go to Moscow). <br/><br>
<br/><br>
Of course the circumstances of the removal of Nikita Khrushchev in 1964 are dealt with. Semichastny participated actively in the removal in spite of the fact that he was one of Khrushchev's favourites since his party political work in Ukraine. Semichastny tells how the conflict developed, how he, before the removal of Khrushchev, had been asked by Brezhnev if it was possible to poison Khrushchev or in some way to bump him off as an accident. He describes in great detail the discussion of this topic and also the process to win the Minister of Defence Marshal Malinovsky and the Minister of Foreign Affaires Andrei Gromyko over to the opposition side against Khrushchev, as well as the technical side of removing Khrushchev from power. We are also informed about Brezhnev's relationship with the KGB and about the changes at the top of the Party. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
Other interesting items include international politics in the 60's which play an important part in the book, the break between the Soviet Union and China, the conflict in Yugoslavia and the description of the Soviet global military strategy and the military plans in Western Europe. A great deal will also be said about the KGB's part in the satellite countries and about the KGB's struggle with other intelligence services, above all of course with western intelligence services headed by the CIA.}},
author = {{Sniegon, Tomas and Semichastny, Vladimir}},
isbn = {{80-86019-88-8}},
keywords = {{Soviet Union; Cold War; KGB; Semichastny; communism; de-Stalinisation}},
language = {{cze}},
publisher = {{Dauphin, Praha}},
title = {{Lubjanka, III. patro: svědectví předsedy KGB z let 1961-1967 Vladimíra Semičastného}},
year = {{1998}},
}