SECURITY FORCES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 30, 2013
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 18, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited iby law.
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
50X1
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
50X1
'WE ACQUIRED
Czechoslovakia
Security Forces
REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
REFERENCES
18 May 1955
7
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
50X1
STATE
ARMYET I #x I NAVY AIR
Fel AEC
50X1
50X1
50X1
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMA TION REPORT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
50X1
COUNTRY Czechoslovakia
SUBJECT
50X1
DATE OF INFORMATION
PLACE ACQUIRED
CONFIDENTIAL
Security Forces
50X1 THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR. 22 April 1955
NO. OF PAGES 6
REFERENCES:
50X1
50X1
1. two distinct organizations made up the national
security forces in Czechoslovakia. These were the State Security
Police (StB - Statni bezpecnost) and the National Security Police
(NB - Narodni bezpecnost). Both of these organizations,
constituted the National Security Corps (SNB - Sbor narodni
50:00 .bezpecnosti); and both were subordinate to the Ministry of Interior.
2.
50X1
the existence of
several (puler organizations also engagea in security duties.
These were the Border Guard (PS - Pohranicni straz), the Interior
Guard (VS - Vnitrni straz), the Industrial Guard (ZS - Zavodni
straz) and the People's Militia (LM - Lidova milice).
3. members of the PS and VS were under Army
control since men of draft age were being conscripted into these
organizations.
50X1
State Securit Police StB - Statni bez ecnost)
members of this organization were
concerned with Suppression of anti-state activities.
He saw a Uniformed StB member in Prerov (N 49-27, E 17-27), only
once sometime in the simmer of 1952, His uniform resembled the Army
.uniform in type, style, and color. ShoUlderboardt and visored cap
-'band Were red in color. Rank was denoted by small silver stars'. He
could not recall any additional insignia which may have been worn
by this individual. However, source stated, it was also 6:well.
Icnot.in fact that Stli personnel for the most part wbre civilian clothes
2QUEILUZIAL
'50)(1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
50X1
50X1
50X1
CONFIDENTIAL
-2-
several male members of the StB, always in plain clothes, make
periodic checks on citizenship identification papers of workers
vacationing there. These inspections were generally carried out
between 2000 and 2200 hours. First, StB men looked over the
register, and after that they checked all the rooms of the rest
center, where they examined the papers of all persons present. On
one occasion they mentioned that there existed a number of falsi-
fied citizenship identification papers in Czechoslovakia and also
that new ones were going to be issued in 1955.
50:0 The National Security Police (NB - Narodni bezpecnost)
6.
50X1,
this was a routine civil and criminal
police organization which performed town patrols, investigated non-
political criminal cases and controlled city and highway traffic.
NB members were commonly referred to as SNB (see
paragraph i, above although the entrance sign at their precinct
headquarters in the city of Prerov read as follows:
OKRSEK IV (DISTRICT IV)
N.B. N.B. )
50:0 Only the letters N and B were on these signs.
50:0 they stood for National Security (Narodni bezpecnost).
8.
50X1,
10.
50X1
never RAW or heard of StB and NB personnel living in barracks.
they lived with their families in private homes
when not on duty.
prior to May 1953 NB personnel wore uniforms
which were OD in color. However, the head band and shoulderboards
were blue in color. He also noted that prior to about January 1954
the ranks of NB enlisted personnel were shown by small silver stars.
After May 1953, the uniforms of NB enlisted personnel were blue in
color and similar in style to those worn by Army personnel. Their
head gear -consisted of a visored service cap of the same material
and color as the rest Of' the uniform, except that it had a red
head band. A Sam Browne belt with a pistol was worn
themake,or calibre of the pistol.
11. After January 1954, shoulderboards of NB personnel were red in
color, and the various ranks were designated by yellow stripes.
This followed the Army NCO pattern.
whether the shoulderboards had any piping or any metal insignia,
aside from' stripes to show rank designation, Shoulderboards of
officers=vere gold in color with red piping, And silverstars were
500 used to designate ranks no knowledge of titles of rank
used by the NB.
12. The NB members patrolling and checking highway traffic wore jackets,
riding trousers, and high boots of dark brown leather. Red shoulder-
boards were worn on their jackets. In place of the conventional
visored service cap, a black leather helmet was worn. These highway
patrolmen were generally referred to as "petistovkary" (meaning 500),
since they rode Java 500 cc motorcycles. They were armed with a
50:00 SMG, make and calibre which they carried on their
backs while riding motorcycles.
CONFIDENTIAL
50X1
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
50X1'
50X1
13.
50X1
50X1
14.
50X1
CONFIDENTIAL
-3-
Border Guard (PS - Pohranicni straz)
the PS was organized sometime in 1951. He first saw
them guardn2 borders near Moravskv Svatv Jan (N 48-35, E 1701), in
July 1952,1
On various other occasions he again saw PS personnel in Brno
?oTorrtrains.
a number of PS officers and enlisted personne
in Decin (N 50-47, E 14-13), a city located in the northern part of
Czechoslovakia near the Czech-East German border.
selected men of draft age were being assigned to
PS units in fulfillment of their regular compulsory service, but he
did not know what was the basis of selection for such an assignment.
15. a movie short in Prerov entitled:
50X1 "They-will not get through!" This movie illustrated the PS in action
and showed how PS men were ready at a moment's notice to pursue
illegal border crossers, irrespective of the hour of the day or
night, and the manner in which their specially trained dogs attacked
and overpowered suspects. The film also showed PS members armed
with a rifle, which had attached a mechanism resembling "field
glasses" (a telescopic sight). 1 ?The film narrator explained that
PS troops were equipped with weapons which they could aim and fire
effectively during darkness, without any outside source of light.
The narrator also stated that all these border precautions were taken
in order to stop the traffic of spies entering and leaving
Czechoslovakia.
164 The uniforms of PS enlisted personnel were similar in style,
material4and colt:iv to those issued to the Army. The head gear
consisted of eivisored cap made of the same material as the rest
of the uniform and had a medium. green top and some type of insignia
which source could not ideilt144 A Sam Browne belt and pistol,
make and calibre unknown to source, were also worn,
17.4 The uniforms of PS offieer64--Wer0:similar to those worn by enlisted
ersonnel but Of better quality. FettaIe PS officers
50X1 at the "Grand" Hotel while in Decin4, wore the same type or
50X1 uniforms as male officers, except that they wore skirts.
18.
Shoulderboards of both male and female officers were gold in color,
the color or the existence of piping. Ranks
were designated by silver stars. Shoulderboards of EM were medium,
green, but source could not recall the color of stripes used to
designate various NCO ranks. However, he remembered that they
followed the Army system and style.
19. Both the officers and EM wore medium green collar flashesj with
bronze wolfhound head insignia upon them.
50)0
The Interior Guard (VS - Vnitrni straz)
20.
At the city's railroad station he always saw some officers and EM
who, according to hearsay, were members of the Interior Guard.
They wore Army-type uniforms with visored service caps which had
violet toss. The shoulderboards of the officers were silver or gold
500 in color while those of the EM were
violet. ?I ? n reca ey a any other insignia, These
VS personnel did not carry weapons. whether VS
troops were stationed in Uhersky Brod itself, but there was a
possibility th?t they were guarding the alleged explosives factory
located there.
CONFIDENTIAL
50X1
50X1
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
?
CONFIDENTIAL
-4-
The Industrial Guard (ZS - Zsvodni straz)
50X1
21.
Members of the ZS were engaged as guards at entrances to
various
factories and public offices. They checked and issued passes and
performed general security duties.
22.
Industrial Guard personnel wore black uniforms with a black leather
Sam Browne belt and visored cap which resembled the visored service
caps worn by Army personnel. These visored caps were made out of
the same material as the rest of their uniform. They were also
armed with pistols whose make and calibre were unknown
50X1
5i3RI, They did not wear any shoulderboards or any type of metal insignia.
? However, a red cloth band about seven centimeters wide, with the
letters ZS embroidered in black, was worn around the left arm.
any insignia of rank on Industrial Guard
uniforms.
24. He saw only one female ZS guard at the Rudy Letov Aircraft Plant in
Prague/Celakovice, where he went in search of employment in January
1954. She wore the same type of uniform as the male guards; only
instead of trousers, a skirt of the same material as the rest of
the uniform was worn.
50X1
25.
50X1
50X1
26.
Peoole's Militia (LM - Lidova Milice)
the LM was organized sometime in 1948, shortly
after the Communists had taken over the Czechoslovak government.
This organization, Was instituted for the, suppression
of uprisings and,Unrewp amopg, wci rkers. As' far as he knew,' all
large factories and plaints had an LM Unit organized from among its
employees. He believed that.:1MMeMbetihip-wae.purely voluntary
arid "in the interest of the Party".
However,, the Prerov electrical power plant, where about 300 workers
50)0 were employed, had a LM unit organized which consisted of about 30
50)0 men. H HPrerov had to furnish them with bus transporta-
tion to in unidentified location for training (
50X1 several times in 1953.
vers who were assigned to that task.
27.,
50X1
50X1
28.
50X1
29.
information
employed as a bookkeeper at the ROH rest center at
Mikulcin Vroh, an unidentified LM unit armed with rifles arrived
there in &Tatra 111 truck one afternoon sometime during the ,
summer. they were supposed to conduct train-
ing near the Rest Center. But instead of training, they just sat
around, cooked their supper and left after eatingit. On another
occasion, they marched off into the woods in a military formation;
but when it started to rain, they, returned and joined the vacation-
ing workers at the Rest Center.
an LM unit was also organized from among
Prerov? railroad employees, some of whom he knew personally. About
twice in the summer of 1953, at about 1400 hours, he saw approximately
25 men in their LM uniforms near the railroad station. He believed
that this was for the purpose of training. female LM
members only in movie newsreels ?never personally.
any additional LM units which may have
been organized at other agencies and bureaus in Prerov or elsewhere.
CONFIDENTIAL
50X1
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
CONFIDENTIAL
30. The LM uniforms consisted of conventional two-piece, blue-cloth
working clothes; blue berets; and a black leather belt. Around the
left arm was worn a red ban a -approximately eight centimeters wide,
with the letters LM emb,retftred in black. Members of LM units,
500 I were always armed with either a
500 rifle or a pistol.- the calibre or make
of these weapons.
31. Men in charge of LM units wore a cloth insignia which was pinned
onto the left side of the chest, For details of the insignia see
page 6. Source had no further information on LM insignias.
50X1
CONFIDENTIAL
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9
50X1
50X1
CONFIDENTIAL
-6-
PeoplOs Militia, Leader's Insignia
(approximate size,, not to scale)
blue
white
blue
Star - red metal
Sickle and hammer - yellow
Date of Information: Summer of 1954
CONFIDENTIAL
t .
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/09/26: CIA-RDP82-00046R000500090008-9