THE MILITARY POLITICAL COLLEGE AT GORKIY

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CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7
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RIPPUB
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S
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9
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December 27, 2016
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June 4, 2013
Sequence Number: 
6
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Publication Date: 
December 2, 1953
Content Type: 
REPORT
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rDeclassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 vi , r eft ?1, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY INFORMATION REPORT SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION This Document contains information affecting the Na- tional Defense of the United States, within the mean- ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contebts to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited. 50X1 -HUM COUNTRY USSR (Gorkiy Oblast) SUBJECT DATE OF INFO. PLACE ACQUIRED The Military Political College at Gorkiy REPORT DATE DISTR. NO. OF PAGES REQUIREMENT NO. RD REFERENCES 2 December 1953 50X1 -HUM THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE. THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE. (FOR KEY SEE REVERSE) 50X1 -HUM kin I STATE SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION ARMY NAVY AIR FBI AEC (Note: Washington Distribution Indicated By "X"; Field Distribution By "#".) Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 *'? 56(1-HUM SECRET SECRET A',FENDIX The rilitary Political College at Gorktif Index 1. Introduction 2. General Information 3. Organisation of .the College in. 1950-1951 4. 5. The Senior Officers' Course. The Normal Course. 7. The Correspondence Course - S.- Ihu Shortened Junior Officers' Course. Ihtro.luction _ ? ? b) Taterial supplied in this Appendix is mostly concerned xith the GORTIrPolitical Co'/uge, with some information about Armed Porccs Political Schools in the USSR. 2. General Information Lthure we in the Soviet Army four Raitical ;ollc es (VOITNO-PDLITIMSKaL UCHILISHCFE) wWch trained Junior Political?officers as ZAWOLITs (Deputy Commanders for political affairs) at Comnany, Squadron .or Artillery Troop level. Th so Collees were in LWE7GREP, GORY.% 1117A and:Wv, The nor:oal course in all these Collees lasted two years. The minimum standard of general education required of candidates was seven classes of :sccondary school. Candidates were selected from NO0s.- SECRET 50X1 -HUM 50X1 -HUM 50X1 -HUM 50X1 -HUM Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 . _ Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP86-00610A002800380006-7 WORST -2- Appendix B. Apart from thc normal junior officers' courses there were alSo various special or advnced officers' courses. In.aututm 195/ al] the Colleges were closed down c7cco-at for 1LYINqRAP Colloe, which became the only Amy Politiaal Collec for junior officers. The L-IYIN0RAD Collc,c was , reerganised on the basis of other ofticers' schools. ?The course there lasts three .,-CPYZ. The minimum general education standard remains unchanged arid candidates arc accepted not only from among'NO0s, but also ? frem ciViliap volunteers who sdceeed in passing all the various checks and cxaminationa. There were also in LENTIMAD some snecial courses sir. ilar to those at the GORTIf College. When the GOPYTTCollee was closed down dtudents were transferred to'WTUTCaLD and finished their education tiere. b) Th D17TTPolitical College was converted in autumn 1951 into an 'Officers' Sinals College. .- hthe new GORT717' Signals!.?olle:c will train radar specialists; the prea:)n2e of p. radar cediPment ordnance,factory?in the southern outskirts 07 at "Fra", near the new Signals College. 3. Orpali.sation of the Collegc in 1950-1951 . a) The oicial nay:e., of the?Coll..,e was "The Or,er of the-Red Banner . GORKIIII:ilitary "olitical College calb.td after hikhailyasilievich "RUN" (ORDUTA Kg ONOCO ZNAUEI GORKOvSak VINNO POTIT.TICSYCr U0,7LIST:.M fl.gIIIKT114LA VSILIrVI11-A 77UME). The lomanding Officer was Y.D.j. Gen.'LLTS"V, 50X1-HUM for:zer wart i.e divisional political-officer and member of an troy rr,Alitary C auncil. Fis 'deputy for political off airs was Col. D=ONO'r. There wore also three Counter-Aniena e officers, -a Colonel in charge of trainin:,, oizicers in charge of various trainin': syndicates.(TST7I),' military aid civilian lecturers, nomnanders of companies tad courses, and administrative staff. 50X1-HUM b) Durirr4 1.-51 the followin courses laca-c.carried out at the CO271 Political 1011c-e: 1) Two-year normal Junior Political 0 ficers' Course. ii) )ne-yeat shortened. Junior Political )-ficers' Course. iii) snecial political course. for Red.-Creek officers. iv) Si7e-menths Senior Artillery Political .Vficors' Course.. v) nreee-months' course- for 'students taking a political coric:spondence course. The Colley_, trained chiefly political staff of artillery arid tank . 'units. .c) The Oollele occupied a large barracks situated on the. eastern .side of the SHCH&aBITT71 road on the southern outskirts of the town of GORKIt. The newly built Colle,.Y.p Club was outside the barracks opoosite the College main (See Anne:--e 1 to Appendix'A.). All courses.. lived in similar. conditions. - Students were acoomodatod in. large halls, .one for each course. Officx students had a separate dining- hall.. All students were adequately fed. and, e7r.cult for the officers, wore the usual Officers' School unifors. /who SECRET 50X1-HUM 50X1-HUM 50X1-HUM Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 ' Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 - -3- Anoendix B 5. The Scnioa Officers' Thurse In autu_n 1950 a six-months' course for senior officers was started. There were a'lort 120 senior officersfrom various artillery units. Their course, of study was similar to the normal two or one year courses but much shortened. They concentrated on?nolitical matters and on artillery tactics and'eolinment. ? 6. ,The Nor. r1 lourse There were about 600 students on the normal two-year course, divided into tl-?D equal groups 7 Artillery and Tanks. /heir nrirrae was similar t, th,: shortened orp-year course and the only difference between tau.) courses was that the students of the two-year course did not work as intensively as their colleaues on the one-year course. The only subject which was taken only in the two-year course was Political .Lconomy. 7. The Co. -esnendencepour8c.,(24077V7q), This course was organised in 1951 and lasted three months. The course was for students serving in their unitswho studied nolitial work by mca.;s of the correspondence. course and for the last three months wee called to the College. They attended various lectures and underwent oractical training and then .pas8ed the normal e:mfAnations. After the 'exa.lnations they became junior nolitical officers. B. /he Saortuned Junier Officers' 'Thurso a) the aim of the shortened political. courses was to pro .uce as ruickly as possible an adecuate nurnber of trained junior political officers and thereby to out an end to the shortage of political .staff. r';'andidates for this course were selected from among senior NOOs in artillery and tank units, who had .a good service record, were 'arty ,u..bers, were a7proved of by the YONTRRAIN.ZYA and had /finished SECRET 50X1 -HUM 50X1 -HUM 50X1 -HUM Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 bUX1 -HUM SECRET Appendix B finished at least seven classes of general education. b) The Course consisted Of one artillery troop (about 120 students) and one tank oompany (about 100 students). About 19% of the students had completed a secondary education; some of these had started University studies. Some 81:0 had finished 7-9 olasses of secondary school, and about Tio had only completed six classes. About 80 of the students were Russians, 15/c were Ukiainians and Belorussians, and the remainder were Jews, Georgians and one single Chuvash. The students were ohier.y from the units of the MOSCOW, BELORUSSKIgrand GORKI Military DIstricts, plus quite a number from the Army Group in Imany. o) The Commanding Officer of the Course was Lt. Col. MARTYNOV, Hero of the Soviet Union. The artillery troop Commander was Capt. VERETYUK, a Jew. Lt. Col. MARTYNOV, Capt. VERETYUK, the tank company Commander, and the platbon commanders carried out purely administrative duties. All matters conoerning the course of studies wore in the hands of the lecturers, syndicate senior officers, and the Colonel in oharge of training. There was no difference between the gunners and the troopers from the tank company except that the former studied artillery and he latter tank tactics.. All other subjects were identical. d) . Training The main syndicates (TSIKL) were: Thaory of Marxism-Leninism Party Political Work Gunnery and Tanks . Artillery and Tank unit tactics. There were, however, many other military and general subjects. The total working hours during the year were approx. 2,600-2,700, including tactical exercises and firing practice. (i) Theory of Marxism-Leninism (approx. 800 hours) This was based on the "Short Course in the History of the VKP(b)", including Capter XIII (The period, between the XVII Party Conference and 22nd June 1941,0Iapter XIV (The LENIN-STALIN Party during the Great Fatherlard War and Chapter XV (The LENIN-STALIN Party in the struggle for the Recovery of the National Economy). (ii) Party Political Work in the Armed Forces (approx.. 240 hours) The main points covered Ly this subject were the duties of ZAMPOLITs in general and, in particular: organisation of unit political activities; political lectures and exercises (POLITZANYATIYA); political information on current events (POLITINFORMATSIYA); selection of topics (PODBOR TEMATIKI); and planning of, political work. In addition there were lectures on the direction and administration of Party and Komsomol organisations. The duties of a ZAMPOLIT (Deputy Commander forPolitical Affairs) were discussed in detail. /So SECRET 50X1 -HUM Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04 : CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 - Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 SECRIST Appendix B 50X1 -HUM So far far as relations with the Commander and officers were eoncerned, the ZAMPOLIT recruits were trained to regard themselves as subordinate to the Commander in all military questions; If they disagreed with the Commander on such questions they were to endeavour to persuade him on a friendly basis and, only if that failed, were they to seek assistance by going to the next level in the ZAMPOLIT chain of command. This aspect of the course gave rise to considerable discussien, because many of the students who had had war experience of political work argued that the ZAMFOLIT ought to have much more authority over, military matters. But this point of view was sternly discouraged. As regards relations with the men, the stress was laid on the duty of the ZAMFOLIT to know the soul of every man; this zould be achieved not by formal interviews, but by informal talks on every possible Opportunity With the men in the course of their military duties. The future ZAMFOLITs were told hew they were to deal with the troubles that the men would bring to them, the type of answers that they ought to give and the explanations that should prove convincing. The general attitude was: the ZAMPOLIT must be able to oonvinde, completely by his answers and to dispel all doubts, otherwise he is not fit for his job. There was no discussion during the course of such questions as defection, leaflets or foreign broadcasts. The study of the duties of a ZAMFOLIT included lectures on the probedure for the admittance of new members to the party and to the Komsomol, as well as how to select them. A separate subject was "'Duties of a ZAMFOLIT in the field" (e.g. troops in action, in advance and in retreat, political work during rest, in the summer camps', etc.). Students were also instructed how to o7anise entertainments on Saturdays and Sundays: choirs, dancing, etc. how to instruct platoon commanders in their political duties. The practical exercises included editorial work on wall news-sheets and front line leaflets (BOYEVO! LISTOK). There were also discussions on Various subjects. Students took part in the college and course Party meetings and in the ceremony of admittance to the Party of some of their colleagues, as well as of some of their lecturers and officers.' Students were also instructed,in general terms, on duties of ZAMPOLITs on the regimental and divisional levels. iii) Gunnery (ARTSTRELBA) (approx. 500 hours) This subject dealt with both the theoretical and practioal aspects of gunnery, artillery equipment and ammunition. Students were trained in the selection of gun sites, in manning guns and in gun drill. Firing practice took place at the GOROKBOVETSKA shooting range (about 75 km N.E. of GORKI!), where students -spent about four days. Each of them fired 3-7 shells frOM 76 mm and 122 mm howitzers. The tank company had their firing practice in the same area, using T-34 tanks. iv) Tactics (approx. 400 hours) This consisted of artillery troop tactics and the work was carried out entirely in the field. The tactical training included the study of the organisation of the Soviet Armed Forces, the war establishment of certain types of artillery and tank units; there were also lectures, including secret material, on the organisation of foreign armies, and in particular of the armed forces. /v) SECRJIT 50X1 -HUM 50X1 -HUM Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 sEcaer - 6 Appendix B v) Topography (approx. 40 hours) 50X1 -HUM This included map reading, conventional signs, grid bearings,. etc. Train:Ing was carried out in the field. vi) Signals (approx. 30 hours) Training included the construction and manning of telephone apparatus (type "TAI-43") and of W/T stations (types "A7-B", RB-5" and REM"). ? this subject was rather neglected.. 50X1 -HUM vii) Engineering (approx. 40 hours) This included field works, in partiCular digging of gun pits, construction of.Command observation points, bridging and river crossing, and mine-laying. There were also some lectures on movement of troops. viii) Chemical Warfare (approx. 12 hours) This was badly neglected. There were a few lectures on chemical warfare and the students spent a couple of hours learning about respirators. ix) Motor Transport (AVTODELO) (approx. 60 hours) Ztudents were told about the structure of motor vehicle engines and had twelve hours of 'practice in driving "GAZ 51". x) Army Manuals and Military Law (approx. 30 hours) 'xi) Physical Training and Drill (approx. 80 hours) Xii) Military History (approx. 410 hours) This consisted of a short course on military history from Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire to the Battle of BERLIN in 1945. The lecturer, a major, had a very good method of teaching history xiii) Geography (approx. 150 houll). The course included the physical, economic and political geography of the U.S.S.R. and the whole world. xiv) History of the Soviet Union (approx. 240 hours). A full course from the 10th century to the present day. The lectures were based on a text-book of the History of the U.S.S.R. by A. M. PAWATOVA, 50X1 -HUM 50X1 -HUM xv) Russian Language (approx. 60 hours) 50X1 -HUM Russian language, in particular composition, was the weak point of nearly 0) of the students. During the course they improved very considerably. xvi) Russian Literature .(approx. 40 hours) ? This included Russian classics of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and was not a subject of examination. SECRET Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 _Hi Inn Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 - 7 - Appendix B e) Examinations and postings The couree was divided into two six-month terms. After the. first term students took examinations in all subjects. Between the*ena of the term and the examinations they had four days' leave which they .spent preparing for the examinations. Before the end of the second term two political officers (majors),. one from artillery and the other from tanks, arrived from the Chief POlitical Directorate of the Ministry of Defende and interviewed all students, 'asking each student about his future plans and where he wished tc be posted. This was only a formality, because the majority of students had already buea posted to the Army Group in Germany. The only exceptions were those who had serious reasons for asking to be posted inside the U.S.S.R., and Jews, who were informed "in a cultured way" ,(IM KULTURNO SKAZALI) that there were no. vacancies in Germany and that they were to be posted to Asia. The Final examinations were oral and included the History of the VKP(b), political work among troops, and tactics. The Examination Bdard was presided over by Maj. Gen. LATSHEV and the members were the Deputy Commander for Political Affairs, the lecturers concerned and representatives from H. Q. GORKWMilitary District. During the examinations on Tactics the Commanding General of the Military District was present in person., 50X1 -HUM the results of the course were considered very satisfactory. On 29th April 1951 all students were commissioned and were granted a month's leave and then returned to the College, where they were issued with the necessary documents and proceeded to their destination, f). Internal diccipline and amenities Internal discipline in the College was very strict. Students were kept very busy and had very little time to themselves. Even on Saturday afternoons and Sundays they often worked voluntarily. Apart from their course of study they were sometimes engaged in political activities outside the College, such as visiting factory workers, making speeohes on various occasions, attending official parades, etc. During the course they had only four days' leave, but almost all of them stayed in the College working for the exams. One could obtain compassionate leave provided that one had very serious reasons for it. There was a College Club opposite the College premises, where students ( could spend their free hours. Spirits were not allowed either in the mess or in the Club, but vodka and beer were obtainable at the Club through "special channels". ? 50X1 -HUM There were dancing parties at the Club during which one could easily get properly drunk, there were hundreds of girls 50X1 -HUM from various local offices and factories who were known as "members of the College". They had their boy-friends among the students of each course. In some cases students married their College girl-friends and, as there are no obstacles to marriage in the Soviet Army, except political ones, 50X1 some of these girls, after "attending" several courses, became wives of -HUM ZAMPOLITs. /by aECRST Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7 50X1-HUM Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A002800380006-7