DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF POLITICAL OFFICERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000100120009-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 1, 2013
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: November 28, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/01 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000100120009-7
CLASSIFICATION SECRET/SECURITY INFORMA Ltiiiiti 116
CENTRAL
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Duties and Responsibilities of
Political Officers
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF INFORMATION
MO DOCUMENT CONTAIN! INFOSIMATION AFFECTING TOE NATIONAL NNNNNNN
OF THE U NNNNNNNNNNNN WITHIN THE NNNNNN OF NNNNN IS. $ECTIONS 713
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DATE DISTR. a ir Nov 195
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SUPPLEMENT TO
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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1. In February 1951 a directive of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party in Moscow reintroduced the position of Military
Kommissar on the staff of Armies. This Military Kommissar is
a member of the Military Council (Chien Voyennovo Sovieta),
and, as a general officer, is nominally the second in command
of an Army actually he is placed in his position to report
directly to the Central Committee of the Communist Party-upon
the Army CG, his abilities and activities; and the morale,
discipline, political indoctrination, etc, of the Army.
personnel. The Military Kommissar has unlimited power and is
feared by his Army CG. The Military Kommissar is not to be
considered as the political officer at Army level, since he is
on direct assignment from the Communist Party and is responsible
only to the Central Committee in Moscow.
20 Each unit political officer selects the political officer of
his subordinate unit; i e, the Army Military Kommissar selects
the Army political officer; the Army political officer selects
the Division political officer; the Division political
officer selects the Regimental political officer; the Regi-
mental politic 1 officer selects the Battalion political
officer; and he in turn selects the battery or company
political officers.
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3. Political. officers are selected on the basis of directl-Je
from the Army Offic for Political Affairs, must have a..
perfect political background, and must have been. CP membe%
8-10 years, All plitical officers get promotions fro
Office of rolitioad Affairs at Army or (in the case rt
higher ranks) from the Central Committee of the CommAnit
Party in. Moscow Most political officers get a promotion:
every two. years, ?
4. Political officers, while nominally subordinated to the unit
CO, are actually his chief,. They can tell the. unit CO to .
stop drinking, to pay more attention to troop training, etc,.
The political officer of a unit is as much responsible for
the combat readiness of the unit as is the unit CO.
5. The regimental political officer is considered as the
subordinate of the regimental commander, but is directly
subordinated to the political sectionof the division, from
which he receives orders. The regimental political officer,
as a representative of the party, is as much responsible for
the combat training, morale, and political indoctrination of
all regimental personnel as is the regimental commander. ? A
regimental political officer 'organizes and supervises
political:instruction-in the regiment and:its-various units;'
devises programs for the political groupleaderi twice per
week; formulates a plan for monthly mass political .meetings
in the regiment and checks the plans for political meetings
led by the political officers of batteries and companies;
personally directs the-party organizers and Komsomol organizers
of the regiment; periodically checks upon the execution of
plans for mass indoctrination meetings; personally reads
lectures and conducts discussions in the regiment on
.international and national political themes at least once each.
month; compoSes a report on the morale and political condition
Of the regiment twice each month; .approves the plans for mass --
political meetings drawn up by the political officers of
batteries and companies; approves the instruction plans.of
the party organizers and Komsomol organizerd; issues
instruction for political training to be given on rest days;
supervises the conduct pt various political pageants and-
holidays; itsues _instructions for political indoctrination.;
supervises tactical training in conjundtion with the
regimental commander; and supervises the club (Movies,
athletics, billlards, recreation; officer& dagoes, etc),
the library, radio programs, and sporting events.
6. Battery and company political officers are subordinated to
the unit commander and to the political section of the next.
higher unit. They conduct lectures for the NCO's and privates
of their unit; organize mass political debates and meetings;
supervise the sporting programs of the unit; And report to
the, political officer of the next higher unit on the morale
and political indoctrination of the unit,
SECRET /SECURITY DFORMATION
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Lectures at battery and company level for a year are
organized as follows
For let year soldiers (pvts
History and Wealth of the USSR
Strength and Glory of the Soviet Army
Security Regulations
Discipline '
Political work, points of debate and the
explanation of Stalinism-Leninism-Marxism
Five Year Plan Fulfillment
Serfdom under the Czars until 1917
Total (4 hours for 52 weeks)
20 hours
16 hours
16 hours
16 hours
100 hours
16 hours
24 hours
208 hours
For 2d, 3d, and 4th year soldiers
Biography of Lenin and Stalin (68 hrs ea) 136 hours
Five Year Plan Fulfillment 16 hours
Anglo-US Imperialism 24 hours
Communist Party Aims 32 hours
Total 208 hours
NCO's are given separate lectures on the Communist Party,
Stalinism, Leninism, etc, for 208 hours annually by battery
or company political officers. Officers receive political
lectures from the regimental political officer or battalion
political officer for 208 hours annually on the Communist
Party, Stalinism, Leninism, etc.
The Military Kommissar of the 1st Guards Mechanized Army was
a brigadier general (Genmaior, name forgotten), a member of
the Military Council. The Chief of the let Gds Meez Army
Political Section was Col Chernykh. The office, which was
located on the 2nd floor of the 1st Gds Army HQ, contained
about 20 officers:
Chief
Deputy Chief
Komsomol officer
Representative of
Central Committee of
Communist Party
Political Instructors
(four or five)
Club Officer
Library Officer
- Col Chernykh
- Col
- Co].
- Lt Col (directly subordinated to
the Military Kommissar;
indirectly subordinated
to unit CO.)
- Lt Cols and Majs
Capt
- Capt
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/01 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000100120009-7