Ivan serov - notes from a suitcase. Dinner with Stalin Notes from a suitcase secret diaries

25.06.2019

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Notes of Ivan Serov.

In February 1971, Yuri Andropov sent a top-secret note to the Central Committee of the CPSU, in which he said that his predecessor, the former chairman of the KGB, General Ivan Serov, "for the past 2 years has been busy writing memoirs about his political and state activities." Serov's unique archive was found only recently - in a home cache. Our observer, State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein thoroughly studied these documents. And he prepared the book "Notes from a Suitcase" for printing.

Neither the Kremlin, nor even the Lubyanka, were at all interested in the appearance of Serov's memoirs: his dislike of the then leaders was mutual. In 1963, as a result of a well-planned provocation, Serov was removed from his post as head of the GRU, deprived of the Hero of the Union star received for the capture of Berlin, demoted by 3 ranks, and expelled from the party. The notes were supposed to be a kind of response to his persecutors. In addition, being a key figure in the Soviet special services of the 1930-1960s, a witness and participant in many historical events, the general wanted to tell at least some of them.

It's hard to believe, but former subordinates were never able to get hold of the drafts of Serov's memoirs. The old Chekist worked on them in secrecy, for a long time not even trusting his wife. He hid the papers so professionally that even after his death in 1990, their whereabouts remained a mystery.

This secret was revealed only now, in the best traditions of the espionage genre. Several years ago, while repairing a garage at Serov's old dacha in Arkhangelskoye, his granddaughter unexpectedly came across a cache in the wall. It contained two old suitcases filled with manuscripts and various documents. This was Serov's famous archive.

There has never been anything like this in Russian history. Notes and memoirs of Ivan Serov cover the entire period of his service in the security and military intelligence agencies. With unprecedented frankness and diary scrupulousness, he describes much of what he witnessed and participated in.

Coming to the NKVD in 1939 as an army recruit, Serov made a dizzying career. Already by the beginning of the war, he was the deputy people's commissar of state security, then - the deputy people's commissar (minister) of internal affairs. During the war years, he carried out the most important tasks of Stalin and Beria, organized sabotage detachments, fought against gangs in the Caucasus and the Baltic States, personally arrested the top of the anti-Soviet Polish government in exile.

It was Serov who also led the deportation of the peoples declared to be hostile by Stalin. But he also entered Berlin with the first units, personally discovered the corpses of Hitler and Goebbels, and then took part in the ceremony of signing the surrender. Serov is the only one of all the leaders of the NKVD who not only regularly visited the front line, but also personally raised the soldiers to attack. He was always sent where it is more difficult.

Until 1947, Serov remained an authorized NKVD-MVD in Berlin, where, among other things, he was engaged in the restoration of the production of strategic missiles and the search for German secret scientists.

In 1953, among the few deputies of Beria, Khrushchev was involved in the operation to arrest his minister - a long-standing acquaintance from Ukraine had an effect. It was Serov who, under the patronage of Khrushchev, would become the first chairman of the KGB in history, and then head the military intelligence - the GRU.

It is difficult even to imagine the number of secrets and secrets to which Serov was admitted. Suffice it to say that the general expounds the circumstances of his own resignation completely differently from the generally accepted canonical version. According to Serov, the CIA and MI-6 agent inside the military intelligence, Colonel Penkovsky, in the vicinity of whom the head of the GRU was found, was in fact a KGB agent, set up by the Western special services for the purpose of disinformation.

This and many other historical sensations are contained in Serov's archive. For almost two years, Alexander Khinshtein was engaged in the analysis and study of the general's archive. The result of his work was a book of memoirs by Ivan Serov, prepared for publication, which he provided with notes and explanations, restoring the outline and logic of events. In the near future the book "Notes from a Suitcase" will be published.

Bulldogs under the carpet(1947-1948 years)

In the winter of 1947, Stalin decided to return Serov to his homeland: he was promoted to first deputy minister of internal affairs.

This was one of the most difficult stages in Serov's life. In Moscow, he immediately falls into the epicenter of the Lubyanka-Kremlin conspiracies and intrigues.

By that time, his sworn enemy Viktor Abakumov had already replaced the long-term People's Commissar-Minister, the faithful Beria member Vsevolod Merkulov. In May 1946, he headed the USSR Ministry of State Security. (The day before, in March, there was an administrative reform that transformed the people's commissariats into ministries.)

Serov has been feeling Abakumov's hot breath behind his back for a long time. A year ago, the Zhukovsky generals arrested by the MGB had already knocked out testimony against Serov. Only Stalin's intervention saved him then from reprisals. Stalin, on the other hand, returns Serov to Moscow, although he understands that Abakumov will not lag behind him.

Soon, Abakumov resorted to the same tactics: fabricating compromising evidence on Serov. From the end of 1947, the arrests of his former subordinates began: Generals Bezhanov, Klepov, Sidnev. They are required to testify against the 1st Deputy Minister. All of them, after intensified interrogations (Abakumov speaks with them personally), incriminate Serov in looting, embezzlement of money and valuables.

This fits perfectly into the outline of the previous accusations against Marshal Zhukov and his generals: they are also charged with wagons with looted trophies from Germany.

All protocols with testimony against Serov Abakumov regularly sends to Stalin personally. With the written consent of the leader, the arrests of Serov's people also take place.

The ring of danger is shrinking more and more tightly. In February 1948, his former adjutants Tuzhlov and Khrenkov were arrested: this is already a direct call. They are also forced to testify against Serov; in fact, interrogation protocols are written for one person, the main the reader.

And then Serov is again forced to resort to the "last reserve of the Headquarters": as in 1946, he appeals personally to Stalin for protection. On January 31 and February 8, one after another, he sends alarming letters to the Kremlin.

The appeals had an effect. Serov reproduces in detail Stalin's call that followed soon after. Apparently, the leader decided to maintain a balance of interests between his “bulldogs”. Yes, and Serov's letters, it seems, convinced him that Abakumov was settling personal scores here, and the generalissimo did not like very much when he confused his wool with the state one.

Let us not forget the fact of the personal merits of Serov, who repeatedly carried out direct orders from Stalin.

Among these "orders" was the arrest in June 1947 of the deputy head of the security of Stalin's Blizhnyaya dacha, Lieutenant Colonel Fedoseyev, who was suspected of espionage.

The Fedoseyev case is one of the key stages in the battle between the MGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which Serov also recalls in great detail. He presents this historical thriller in a completely new interpretation for us.

Return to Moscow

“At the end of March 1947, I was urgently summoned to Moscow. I flew in, went to see Kruglov, sitting there boring. I ask: "What's the matter?" He said the following: yesterday they summoned me to the Central Committee and wanted to relieve him of the post of People's Commissar.

Here is how it was. To Comrade Stalin wrote a letter to a worker at a Moscow factory stating that thieves had no life, and gave such an example that he bought ½ kg of meat and put it between the windows so that it would not deteriorate. The thieves broke the glass and took the meat.

T. Stalin was angry that such cases were taking place in Moscow, they summoned Kruglov to the Politburo and said that we would remove him from his post.

Beria took him under protection, then Comrade. Stalin asks: "Where is Serov here?" He was told that in Germany. To this he said: “We need to recall him, he has worked, things have improved. Appoint him as the 1st Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR, and let him put things in order in Moscow and on the periphery. "

At the end, Kruglov says: "Sit down, today a decision will come, and that's it." I say that we must fly to Germany to hand over the cases.

Indeed, Poskrebyshev phoned in the afternoon and asked to come in. I was in the Kremlin, went to get a permanent pass for 1947, Poskrebyshev met me there and handed me the decision of the Politburo to appoint him 1st deputy of the NKVD. For 6 years he was the deputy of the NKVD. Now the 1st deputy.

The escape of Gregory Tokachi

Less than 10 days later I was summoned to the Kremlin late in the evening, I am sitting in the waiting room of Comrade Stalin, the People's Commissar of the aircraft industry of the USSR M.V. Khrunichev, the commander of the Air Force Zhigarev and some lieutenant colonel are sitting with me. (According to the register of visitors, Serov was in Stalin's office on April 17, 1947 from 10.10 pm to 10.35 pm, together with G.A. Tokayev (recorded as an employee of the air force department of the SVAG. - OH.)

5 minutes later Malenkov came out, and a couple of minutes later Comrade. Stalin, who saw me and said, handing over a sheet of paper: "Have you read this letter?" I answer: "No." - "Read it." And went.

I read a note by Lieutenant Colonel SVA (Soviet military administration. - OH.) in Germany Tokayev that not all specialists were taken out of Germany, that he is familiar with a group of German scientists who worked on jet aircraft, mentions professors Zenger, Tank and other names.

The note was written to Comrade Malenkov. Another note from Malenkov to Comrade Stalin, which says that he called the military air force, that all this deserves a lot of attention, etc.

This note gave me an unpleasant feeling. It turns out that I did not identify all the specialists and took them to the USSR, and I could not take out such a big one as Zenger.

After 5 minutes we were summoned to Stalin's office, comrade. Stalin, addressing everyone, says that Comrade. Tokayev wrote a letter that there are prominent scientists in the GDR who were not exported to the USSR, and he keeps in touch with them. Then, turning to me, he says: "Do you know such persons?"

I say: “I heard that there are such professors in the West, and if they were in that period when we were taking the Germans out, they would certainly be taken out. I know that Professor Senger worked in Vienna (Austria). "

Then Comrade. Stalin says: "Let's send a commission headed by Serov to the place, which will check everything and report on its proposals, where it is advisable to take which of them to the USSR." All agreed. I asked for the floor and said that General V. Stalin should be included in the commission. Comrade Stalin thought about it and said: "We agree." Members of the Politburo agreed.

I asked for this, because if this Tokayev lied in the note, he would not have begun to swindle later. Then I would have had a living witness in Berlin, V. Stalin, who could tell my father everything. Outwardly, Tokayev resembles a Jew. He turned out to be an Ossetian.

Then Stalin took me aside and quietly said: “You alone fly to Vienna and see everything about Zenger, he studied there, wrote scientific works. General Kurasov will be given instructions to the USSR High Commissioner for Austria. I said, "It will be done." (...)

We flew back to Berlin. I have distributed responsibilities among the members of the commission. Tokayev and V. Stalin and I went to the area where this group of "scientists" worked.

Even before that, Tokayev told me that Professor Zenger does not live in the GDR, but his "friend" lives in Berlin and works for the SVAG. Already a retreat. I told Tokayev why he didn't write this in the note? He dodged an answer.

We came to a group of "scientists". I asked Tokayev to show Zenger's friend. He pointed to a skinny German. When, in the presence of Tokayev and V. Stalin, I asked if he knew Professor Zenger, I replied: “Personally, I did not see him, but I read his works on aerodynamics”. The profession of this German is an engineer according to the Westinghouse system (that is, on the brakes for railway cars). Wow aviator!

Began to ask other engineers, the picture is even worse. They did not even read the works of Professor Zenger and did not hear anything about him. The "engineers" themselves are not even certified, i.e. did not fully graduate from institutes and did not receive diplomas. I had a fight and left. They were silent all the way.

Arriving in SVAG, I immediately turned to Tokayev and said: “Well, what are we going to do next? Where are the scientists about whom the Central Committee wrote about, where is Zenger's friend, where is Tank? "

Tokayev, seeing that he was caught, still tried to refer to some group located in the Potsdam area. I then said: "Let General Stalin, Tokayev and Academician Shishikin from the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry go there."

The next day, when the entire commission met, V. Stalin reported that the second group, to which Tokayev referred, was the same bluff as the first.

Then I tell the members of the commission that I have received information that Senger's friend really lives in the Weimar region (Thuringia), and so I want to go there. The whole commission has nothing to do, so I will provide everyone with a car, and within 2 days you can get to know Germany, and now let's write a preliminary note to Comrade Stalin about the results of our check, and we will sign and send after my return.

And so they did. The encryption was prepared, read out, everyone, including Tokayev, said: right. The note in a calm tone reported that there were no scientists, that Zenger had never been in the Soviet zone, that this group was developing issues of railway transport, and Professor Tank was in the American zone and was taken out to the United States in 1945. (...)

Arriving in Berlin, the whole team gathered, once again read the report about Tokayev's lies, added where Zenger was, and signed. Tokayev, embarrassed, said that everything was written correctly. The attitude of the members of the commission was clearly disdainful towards him.

Before leaving for Moscow, I met with V.D. Sokolovsky and told him everything about Tokayev. He was indignant that such rubbish from the Air Force was sent to the SVAG for work.

At the end of the conversation, I warned Vasily Danilovich to instruct the special officers to watch Tokayev, lest he fled to the West, being afraid that he had lied to the Central Committee. Vasily Danilovich promised to provide all this.

But, unfortunately, life turned out differently. When we flew away, Tokayev took his family and took the subway to the English zone of Berlin, where he came to the British, i.e. became a traitor. Then I read in the TASS reports that he spoke on the radio in London, called himself a Doctor of Science and boasted that he was Stalin's aviation assistant, etc.

What a scoundrel! I am surprised at the British, who are very clever in their reconnaissance and could not recognize this adventurer.

The Fedoseev case

The other day, on Sunday evening, at 9 o'clock, Mikoyan called and said: "Can you come to the Nearest dacha?" I said: "I can" and quickly called the driver Fomichev.

I arrived there, and there were Comrades Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov, Mikoyan sitting on the covered veranda. They were having supper.

They put me at the table. They began to treat them to partridge and hazel grouses. I thanked, said that I had already had dinner, but I thought to myself: "I was not invited to dinner."

T. Stalin drank to my health. I'm all stricter, I don't know why they called me. Then Stalin closed the door and said: “We have a question for you. Now, if a person lives with me and all the time eavesdrops, peeps, leaves the door unlocked, during the war he read telegrams from the front commanders on my desk, puts on slippers in the evening so as not to hear walking, what kind of person is this? "

I answer: “Of course, we need to deal with him. Find out all this. " T. Stalin says: "Here we invited you for this, to instruct you to figure it out." I asked: "Where and who is this person?" T. Stalin says: "This is the head of the economic department Fedoseyev."

I immediately thought: he is an employee of the MGB, and why am I being instructed to do this? Then Comrade Stalin says: "He must be interrogated, and also the women who work here, Frosya (the hostess), must be interrogated, they have seen all this Fedoseyev's behavior and will tell you."

Well, I see that I have nothing else to do, I asked: "Is he here now?" T. Stalin says: "Yes." Then I say that now I will take him and take him to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

T. Stalin pressed one of two buttons. A man in a civilian suit entered. T. Stalin says: "Here he is." I approached, felt him for a weapon, took his hand and said "goodbye" to those present, and said to Fedoseyev: "Come with me." In the car, I put him between the driver Fomichev and me, and we drove off.

In my office, I searched him again, said that we would talk tomorrow, and handed him over to the warder, went home. V. [era] I. [vanovna], naturally, waited, worried. In general, I bring her more excitement than joy in her life. But what can you do, it's not my fault. This is how the service came about.

The next day I began to interrogate Fedoseyev. He confirmed. "Why?" - "Out of curiosity, when I cleared them from the table." - "Where did you clean it up?" - "I took them away and put them in Comrade Stalin's folder, which he always took with him when he went to the Kremlin." - "Why did you spy and eavesdrop?"

He answers quite intelligently that we are all, i.e. the security officers tried to watch the owner, so as not to disturb him, if he was sleeping, not to make noise, so I was not alone, but Kuzmichev (general) and others dropped in to find out if he was sleeping, then not make noise.

Why did you wear slippers? All with the same purpose. In a word, I interrogated him for 5 hours, and I spoke quite clearly.

His circle of acquaintances is limited. I checked, really so. In general, he is a rather limited person, although he is a lieutenant colonel, and the fact that he read the telegrams is subject to criminal liability for abuse of office, no more.

In the afternoon, Comrade Stalin called and asked to come and report. I went to the Kremlin and reported to him everything that I could have found out in advance, and also reported that I was now thinking of calling his wife in order to double-check it all. I will also find out all his acquaintances with whom he spoke, and, possibly, call my brother, who works in Kiev in a special department of the MGB. T. Stalin agreed. Then he told me: “Now Abakumov called and said - they arrested an employee of the MGB Fedoseyev, and the investigation is being conducted by Serov, not the MGB. Besides, I don't know why he was arrested. I answered him that you are the Minister of the MGB and that you must report to me why Fedoseyev was arrested, and I will not report to you. And Serov is conducting the investigation, because the Central Committee trusts him, not you. "

All these days are occupied only by Fedoseev. I told Kruglov - he was waving his hands: "Don't tell me this."

I interrogated my wife. Stupid country woman. She worked for Comrade Stalin for 12 years, knows all the gossip. Who lives with whom, starting from employees, including Fedoseevsky ones, and ending with the biggest, biggest bosses, i.e. Stalin with Frosya. In general, we wove such mud that it became unpleasant for me.

She said that sometimes in their circle they talked about the misbehavior of some bosses. Sometimes Fedoseyev's brother, who came from Kiev, was present. The interrogated brother, an employee of the NGO of the Kiev Military District, confirmed this. Moreover, the brother turned out to be a dirty person, although he was an employee of the MGB.

He said that among the repatriates he interrogated a beautiful actress who got confused with the Germans, was in Berlin, etc. So he got confused with this arrested artist, fiddled with her in the office, and then he freed her for a gold watch. In general, a dirty type. I had to be arrested.

In total, I have been dealing with these people for about two months now. It seems he spent everything.

I phoned Comrade Stalin, came to the Kremlin and reported to him that it was possible to finish the case and bring Fedoseyev to criminal responsibility, to be tried by a military tribunal for abuse of office.

He, somehow it seemed to me, was dissatisfied with my conclusion and said: “I think he is an Anglo-American spy. The British could have recruited him when we were at the Potsdam conference in 1945. That's where he was recruited. Therefore, he spied on and eavesdropped, and then here passed this data to the Americans. After all, he admitted that he had read the telegrams. So the Americans and the British knew our secrets. You will interrogate him again and beat him, he is a coward and confesses. "

At the end of these instructions, I asked if I could bring in one reliable employee for interrogations. T. Stalin agreed. I left. When I arrived at my place, I immediately wrote down these instructions.

1. Nobody instructed him to re-read the papers, he did it on his own. His job is to pick up torn pieces of paper and burn them. Check the testimony of [Poskrebyshev] A.N. did not instruct.

2. In general, he is a scoundrel. I'm pretty sure he's an agent and sent in by someone to poison us. He poisoned me and Zhdanov last year. We suffered from terrible diarrhea. And this year 12 security officers were ill.

3. He must be interrogated hard, he is a coward, he should be stuffed properly.

4. It is necessary to organize intra-chamber work.

5. Warn, let him confess, then [unclear]. Let him tell you who sent him. The Americans did not succeed, so he decided. He lies and deceives. I conveyed information to someone.

6. Kuzmichev slept. He is already lazy, he does not check himself, he trusted [Fedoseev], and this is a cunning figure who fooled him. Check all these facts.

On the way, I had a terrible feeling that Fedoseyev was a spy, this does not fit in with his lifestyle. He didn't go anywhere. Employees and former employees of the MGB live around him. If someone else came to him, it would also be known.

Coming to my room, I sat down and began to think. All this seemed rather strange to me. I already regretted that I was entrusted with this case. I am not used to and cannot do against my will and opinion. It turns out badly.

All days, checking Fedoseev's connections, he interrogated his wife again. I instructed the investigator, whom I brought in on the Fedoseev case, to get acquainted with the case and to interrogate him.

He came back from the interrogation and added that he stood his ground and asked to see me. I did not receive any new data, although I organized all the necessary "letters". The brother turned out to be such a talkative rubbish that it was simply awful. In the cell he told everything about himself and his brother, but nothing spy.

I summoned Fedoseyev for interrogation and began hour after hour to clarify where he was in Potsdam. Then I remembered everything and told everything in some detail. And I was there beside them, too, and he reminded me on a number of occasions: "You remember, Comrade General, that's it, you were there." And indeed it was. At the end of the interrogation, I led him to the conclusion that he was not recruited.

It was unpleasant for me to ask about it myself, because I was sure no one had recruited him. Fedoseyev burst into tears and said: "Would I really go to such nasty things, being in such a place, provided with everything, what else did I need?" He argues all this correctly.

At the end, I said sternly: "Think again and honestly tell the investigator." When he was taken away, I, after consulting the investigator, told him that Comrade Stalin had expressed suspicions of espionage. At the same time, he said that "we must beat him, he is a coward and confesses."

The investigator says: “Let's intimidate him a little. I told him: "Go to the cell, interrogate, shake the collar, but not forcefully, and you will come to me."

In 15 minutes a smiling investigator appears and says: "Fedoseev asks to you." I called him. He says to me: "I ask you to call me to the owner, I will tell you everything." I was stunned. Am I wrong? Really a spy! I answered him that "I will report your request to Comrade Stalin."

When I called Comrade Stalin and said that he wanted to tell you something sensible, he replied: "We will call you." I felt comrade Stalin's coolness towards me after I reported that apart from the abuse of power by Fedoseyev, I did not find any more guilt.

In the evening, Beria called and said: "In half an hour I will drive up to the entrance by car, you and Fedoseyev will go with me to the Kremlin."

I took the investigator, Fedoseyev, and went out to the entrance. Beria drove up, sat down and silently drove to the Kremlin and went to Beria's office. Comrade Stalin was already sitting there. When Fedoseyev entered, Comrade Stalin asked what he wanted to say?

Fedoseyev began to stutter and said: “I am guilty, Comrade Stalin, in front of you that I read the telegrams, and I am ready to bear responsibility, but I am not guilty of anything else. Now I am being questioned if I am an American spy. T. Stalin, I have served you honestly for 15 years, have mercy on me, I am not guilty. "

T. Stalin said angrily: "Do you admit who you were recruited by?" Fedoseev: "Honestly, I am not recruited by anyone." “Well, then get out of here,” Stalin said angrily.

I went up to him to take him away. Fedoseev burst into tears and said: “T. Stalin, they beat me. " T. Stalin: "Admit it, then they won't beat you." Fedoseev: "I am not guilty of anything."

T. Stalin got up and turned his back. I brought Fedoseev out. I had a heavy feeling. At the same time, I was pleased that Fedoseev himself said about his innocence, as if confirming my opinion about him. I was no longer called into the office, I asked if it was possible to go through the secretary and left.

Later, Comrade Stalin called me, and once Beria called me and said: "Well, what's new?" I said that I had checked every step of Fedoseev and his wife since 1945, and there was nothing suspicious of espionage. Therefore, I am drawing up an indictment on prosecution for abuse of office and a note to the Central Committee of Comrade Stalin about this.

Beria frowned, but said nothing. I left. Three days later he did everything and sent him to the Central Committee. The note indicated that under Art. The Criminal Code is supposed to be held liable for this. It seemed to me a harsh measure, albeit a fair one.

Two days later, Abakumov calls: "Hello!" I answered him coldly. “The owner ordered to transfer the Fedoseev case to the MGB. I will now send an investigator for particularly important cases. " I answered: "Send." (07/11/1948 Serov reported to Stalin in writing that the Fedoseev case was completed. He proposed to condemn him to 20 years in labor camps, but Stalin ordered otherwise. was convicted of espionage and shot. OH.)

Then I called Poskrebyshev, rechecked whether there was such an instruction from Comrade Stalin, he muttered something. Then I say: “Maybe I should ask him myself, because I don’t hope for Abakumov ”. Poskrebyshev replied: "Don't."

Everything became clear to me. Stalin is dissatisfied with my "softness" and the fact that I did not obey him and did not finish the case under the article "espionage."

Well, how could I do it! It is to go against your conscience, against conviction for the sake of a false opinion. I can not. Along with this, I felt that a thunderstorm was approaching me. The case came to my enemy, and he will try to do everything to compromise me. The mood is eerie.

MGB attack

After the labors, I got a nuisance, or rather, a provocation from this scoundrel Abakumov. Apparently, he set out to squeeze me out of the light. But I won't give myself up with my bare hands. In order to compromise me in any way, he arrested Major General Bezhanov, who was the head of the Thuringian Task Force in Germany. I spoke about him earlier, when he detained the director of the locomotive plant.

The reasons for the arrest are unknown to me, but it seemed to me that he was an intelligent Armenian and during the checks of his group they always found order everywhere.

After his arrest, apparently thoroughly beating him, he testified against me that when I came to Thuringia (and I was there in his operation group only a few times), I took away a whole passenger car of toys. (...)

As you can see, Bezhanov's testimony was read by Comrade. Stalin ordered to send me the interrogation protocol. I told Kruglov. He, as usual, was more embarrassed than me, since he was afraid of Abakumov. I told him that I would write to the Central Committee about everything. He began to deny that, they say, your business, and I left.

In the heat of the moment, he wrote a rather harsh letter to Comrade And then, when I read it, I had to correct it, and then I sent it.

In the letter he recalled that in a note to the Central Committee in connection with his appointment as Minister of State Security, I wrote that he would direct and use the State Security bodies against me. And now here is a concrete example of this.

Regarding the “toys taken away in the car,” I wrote how it happened and said that “this little thing, perhaps, did not deserve attention, but I decided to tell you about it, since you, comrade. Stalin, father, have children, and you will understand me why I bought them. Abakumov, however, will not understand this, since he has no children, which means that he has no fatherly feelings either.

In general, I think the letter was convincing. I showed it to Kruglov, but he read it and didn't even say anything. Then he said: “You are in vain contacting him, you see, he is in favor. Beria is afraid of him. " I told him that when I am right, I will fight to the last drop of my blood.

Three days later we were sitting at Kruglov's, the bell rang. Kruglov took the receiver and immediately went in spots (face) and handed the receiver to me. It turns out that Poskrebyshev is calling and looking for me.

They greeted, said: "Call the owner 21-24". I hung up, Kruglov asks anxiously: "What?" I say: “Now I’ll call Comrade. Stalin. " He waved his hands and said: "Come to yourself."

I went to my room, dialed the phone, busy. Second and third time too. Finally he answers, "Yes." I reported that "Serov is reporting."

He, delighted, says: “I have read your letter. Are you worried or what? " I answer: “How can you not worry, Comrade. Stalin, if Abakumov walks around me with an ax. " Comrade Stalin: “Don’t worry, the Central Committee will not give you an offense, you have merits to the Motherland and to the Party. It's clear? Don't worry and work. "

I began to thank for the attention and managed to say that my life belongs to the Party and the Motherland. Comrade Stalin calmly said: “Do not pay attention to all this. Good luck".

I stayed with my thoughts in the study. About two minutes later Kruglov came in: "Well?" I answer him: "Everything is fine." - "Come on in." Actually, I didn't want to go to this coward.

When I told, he waved his hands, burst out laughing, jumped up and began to ask again: “That is what he said:“ the Central Committee will not give offense ”? Also said: "Do not worry"? You’re not really afraid of Abakumov ”. Well, for me that kind of support is also very important. "

Serov Ivan Alexandrovich

NOTES FROM SUITCASE

Secret diaries of the first chairman of the KGB, found 25 years after his death

Edited, with comments and notes by Alexander Khinshtein

General Serov's Slavic Cabinet

The Chekist always remains a Chekist; As you know, there are no exes. Well, let alone former KGB chairmen - even more so ...

Before you - not just the memoirs of one of the leaders of the Soviet special services Ivan Serov. This is the visible result of the last operational combination of the old general, which ended after his death.

Serov calculated and planned everything correctly; the old, still Stalinist-Beria school. What you are holding now in your hands is the result of this combination, which took place exactly according to his scenario. The former subordinates lost this game outright to their chairman.

And you and I, no doubt, won, because the testimonies of the "marshals of the special services" have never become public, and they simply did not exist in nature.

Ivan Serov has been keeping diaries since he came to Lubyanka in 1939. He wrote down the most important events and impressions all his life: both during the war and after, and even becoming the chairman of the KGB (1954-1958), and then the head of the GRU - until his dismissal in 1963.

Of course, no one should have known about these diaries. The very fact of reflecting certain aspects of the service, meetings and conversations with the higher authorities, including Stalin, could already be equated with the disclosure of state secrets, and this is still - at best. (During the war, officers were required to keep diaries by a tribunal and a penal battalion.)

Serov did all his notes only when he was alone. He kept notebooks and notepads written in round ink handwriting in hiding places, not showing to anyone. I do not exclude that for a long time he hid them even from his wife.

Having retired, Serov did not forget about the contents of the hiding places. Since about 1964, he began to work on his memoirs, supplementing and sometimes rewriting old diaries.

Vanity hardly motivated him. Rather, Serov wanted - albeit in absentia - to defend his honest name by telling the truth about himself and his persecutors, at least as he saw it.

Serov considered himself unfair and cruelly offended. In 1963, as a result of an espionage scandal with GRU Colonel Oleg Penkovsky, he was dismissed in disgrace, stripped of the Hero of the Union Star and three generals' stars on his shoulder straps (demoted to major general from army generals), expelled from Moscow. "For the loss of vigilance" he will be expelled from the party. (About the real reasons for this disgrace - a little later.)

His memoirs were supposed to be a response to Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Shelepin and other celestials, whom Serov considered guilty of his troubles. Their quintessence can be expressed by his, albeit inept, but sincere quatrains (oddly enough, the stern general of the NKVD-KGB-GRU in his old age began to indulge in poetry).

And again I plucked up courage
And I did not bow my head,
After all, the homeland will restore the whole truth
And will give a well-deserved rest.

However, it is not worth explaining everything with just banal settling of accounts. As a witness and participant in many historical events, Serov considered it important to tell at least some of them.

“I believe that it would be unreasonable to take away with you many of the facts known to me, especially since now the 'memoirists' distort them arbitrarily,” he writes in one of the versions of the prefaces to his notes. “Unfortunately, a number of my workmates, who were aware of the events described below, have already finished their earthly affairs without writing anything.”

Indeed, none of the leaders of the security agencies of that era left behind a memoir. In this sense, Serov's notes are a completely unique document that has no analogues in modern history.

Despite his resignation, Serov did not lose his former skills. He continued to work on his memoirs in secret, not trusting anyone. (The only thing was that my wife helped - she typed the manuscripts on a typewriter. Already before his death, in the midst of perestroika, the secret was also entrusted to his son-in-law, the famous writer and screenwriter Eduard Khrupky, a classic of the Soviet detective story.)

This conspiracy was by no means senile paranoia. Former subordinates really did not let Serov out of sight.

His granddaughter Vera recalls how, after the death of his grandfather, dismantling the office at the dacha, they found grooves in the parquet for wires from "wiretapping." Then, suddenly arriving in Arkhangelskoye, the relatives caught a strange young man with a suitcase there, who immediately retreated, saying: "I am not a thief." And the truth: nothing was missing from the house.

The KGB hunted for Serov's diaries: the Kremlin and Lubyanka were not at all interested in the appearance of such a sensational book in the West. Even the famous Yulian Semyonov, a writer and journalist close to the KGB, was one of those who tried to infiltrate Serov. On February 12, 1971, after the visit of "Stirlitz's father" to Serov for an interview (he was, of course, brought to his father-in-law by his friend and colleague Eduard Khrutsky), Yuri Andropov reported to the Central Committee of the CPSU:

“The State Security Committee received information that the former chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, I. A. Serov, has been busy writing memoirs about his political and state activities for the last 2 years ... When working on his memoirs, I. A. Serov uses his notebooks ... Serov I.A. has not shown his memories to anyone yet, although his close circle knows about their existence ... "

It's hard to believe, but the KGB never managed to get the documents they were looking for. Serov hid his archive and manuscripts professionally. Probably, if they really wanted to, they would find it: they would turn the whole house over, break open the floor, ceilings, walls. But Andropov did not want to resort to extraordinary and "sharp" measures: perhaps also because in 1956 they were together in rebellious Budapest under bullets.

Serov hardly hoped to see his memoirs during his lifetime. Both on his name and on most of the personalities and events he described during the Soviet era, there was a cruel taboo.

What was the calculation done then? Why, in his old age, did Serov start such a dangerous game with the KGB?

This will become clear only now ...

Ivan Aleksandrovich Serov will die in the hot summer of 1990, not having lived a couple of months before his 85th birthday. Had this happened at least a couple of years earlier, the KGB would certainly have put an end to their protracted duel and would have withdrawn their memoirs. But in 1990, there was no time for old archives.

My elder friend Eduard Khrutsky, however, told me that after the death of his father-in-law, the dacha in Arkhangelskoye was subjected to an unofficial search, but the Chekists (and who else?) Acted so clumsily that they did not even begin to open the wall cladding ...

Almost a quarter of a century has passed since the death of Ivan Serov. All these years, historians and specialists, with the light hand of his son-in-law, periodically recalled his memoirs, but no one ever saw them. The relatives did not know the location of the archive either. In the family, basically, only official papers have survived: service records, order books, complaints to the Central Committee and the CPC, and literally a few pages with rough notes of memoirs.

It seemed that the former chairman took this secret with him to the grave forever, when suddenly ...

... Honestly, if I had filmed our story, I would have started exactly from this moment. Well, something like this:

Moscow region general's dacha. Attached garage. Guest workers smash the inner wall with sledgehammers. Unexpectedly, an opening opens under the blows. This is a hiding place. Zoom in on the camera, close-up. Behind the wall, strewn with gray construction dust, are hidden 2 antediluvian suitcases.

They are taken out. Squatting, workers open the locks with trembling hands. A glimpse of mystery flickers on their swarthy faces. But instead of gold and piastres, stacks of notebooks, notebooks and sheets printed on a typewriter appear to their disappointed gaze.

... Yes, that is how it happened. In 2012, the former house of General Serov on Rublevka was inherited by his granddaughter Vera. Soon she started a renovation. When they broke the wall of the garage, there was a cache with two suitcases inside.

Serov believed that sooner or later the records would reach the descendants. (Actually, they are addressed and dedicated to them.) It seems to me that if he found out in what bizarre way his secret was revealed, it would be great to amuse the general's pride. Even after his death, he managed to confirm his title of a professional!

Serov's diaries and memoirs are a real Klondike for those who want an unbiased understanding of our recent past. By the will of fate, this man was involved in the key events of the 1940-1960s, literally being one of the creators of modern history; suffice it to say that he is the only one who had a chance to consistently head two Soviet super special services at once: the KGB and the GRU.

Ivan Serov's notes were found 25 years after his death

Today we are publishing one of the fragments of a unique book.

Bulldogs under the carpet(1947-1948 years)

In the winter of 1947, Stalin decided to return Serov to his homeland: he was promoted to first deputy minister of internal affairs.

This was one of the most difficult stages in Serov's life. In Moscow, he immediately falls into the epicenter of the Lubyanka-Kremlin conspiracies and intrigues.

This fits perfectly into the outline of the previous accusations against Marshal Zhukov and his generals: they are also charged with wagons with looted trophies from Germany.

All protocols with testimony against Serov Abakumov regularly sends to Stalin personally. With the written consent of the leader, the arrests of Serov's people also take place.

Let us not forget the fact of the personal merits of Serov, who repeatedly carried out direct orders from Stalin.

Among these "orders" was the arrest in June 1947 of the deputy head of the security of Stalin's Blizhnyaya dacha, Lieutenant Colonel Fedoseyev, who was suspected of espionage.

Return to Moscow

“At the end of March 1947, I was urgently summoned to Moscow. I flew in, went to see Kruglov, sitting there boring. I ask: "What's the matter?" He told the following: yesterday they summoned him to the Central Committee and wanted to relieve him of the post of People's Commissar

T. Stalin was angry that such cases were taking place in Moscow, they summoned Kruglov to the Politburo and said that we would remove him from his post.

At the end, Kruglov says: "Sit down, today a decision will come, and that's it." I say that we must fly to Germany to hand over the cases.

For 6 years he was the deputy of the NKVD. Now the 1st deputy.

The escape of Gregory Tokachi

The note was written to Comrade Malenkov. Another note from Malenkov to Comrade Stalin, which says that he called the military air force, that all this deserves a lot of attention, etc.

This note gave me an unpleasant feeling. It turns out that I did not identify all the specialists and took them to the USSR, and I could not take out such a big one as Zenger.

I asked for this, because if this Tokayev lied in the note, he would not have begun to swindle later. Then I would have a living witness in Berlin, V. Stalin, who could tell my father everything.

Outwardly, Tokayev resembles a Jew. He turned out to be an Ossetian.

We flew back to Berlin. I have distributed responsibilities among the members of the commission. Tokayev and V. Stalin and I went to the area where this group of "scientists" worked.

The next day, when the entire commission met, V. Stalin reported that the second group, to which Tokayev referred, was the same bluff as the first.

Before leaving for Moscow, I met with V.D. Sokolovsky and told him everything about Tokayev. He was indignant that such rubbish from the Air Force was sent to the SVAG for work.

What a scoundrel! I am surprised at the British, who are very clever in their reconnaissance and could not recognize this adventurer.

The Fedoseev case

The other day, on Sunday evening, at 9 o'clock, Mikoyan called and said: "Can you come to the Nearest dacha?" I said: "I can" and quickly called the driver Fomichev.

I arrived there, and there were Comrades Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov, Mikoyan sitting on the covered veranda. They were having supper.

They put me at the table. They began to treat them to partridge and hazel grouses. I thanked, said that I had already had dinner, but I thought to myself: "I was not invited to dinner."

Well, I see that I have nothing else to do, I asked: "Is he here now?" T. Stalin says: "Yes." Then I say that now I will take him and take him to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Why did you wear slippers? All with the same purpose. In a word, I interrogated him for 5 hours, and I spoke quite clearly.

All these days are occupied only by Fedoseev. I told Kruglov - he was waving his hands: "Don't tell me this."

In general, a dirty type. I had to be arrested.

In total, I have been dealing with these people for about two months now. It seems he spent everything.

At the end of these instructions, I asked if I could bring in one reliable employee for interrogations. T. Stalin agreed. I left.

When I arrived at my place, I immediately wrote down these instructions.