Overview of disinformation and psychological operations of Czechoslovak intelligence around the world in 1965

Přidáno: 25. 11. 2019

An archival document from 10 December 1965 of the Chief of Section 8 of Directorate I of the Ministry of the Interior Maj. Jiří Borecký addressed to intelligence service command, entitled The State of Work on Active Measures (AM) in Directorate I of the Ministry of the Interior and its annex Analysis of Implemented and Ongoing Active Measures Approved between 1 January and 30 November 1965, offers a more detailed look at the active measures from one year. The document offers invaluable insight into disinformation operations over the course of a year (1965).
Communist intelligence highly rated the results of AM PANAR, PSYCHO, OASA, LUNA, SIGNÁL, and RTUŤ. Good results were also achieved with AM RUFMORD in cooperation with the Soviet KGB, and with AM DJAMILA in cooperation with Hungarian intelligence. Active measure KARNO later made it into the military hall of fame of Czechoslovak intelligence. The document confirms that the intelligence service even carried out activities in Czechoslovakia itself with the intention of actively influencing the public through operations that were mainly directed against West Germany.
Also, individual operations can be examined in more detail through extant files of secret collaborators who participated in operations. In France, for example, Agent Pípa collaborated on active measures for several years (see our article: Fake political will of Konrad Adenauer published in Le Canard enchaîné by an StB agent in 1963).

ANALYSIS OF IMPLEMENTED AND ONGOING ACTIVE MEASURES APPROVED IN THE PERIOD FROM 1 JANUARY TO 30 NOVEMBER 1965

1) Number and code names of active measures carried out by Section:

Section 1 (political intelligence – USA, Canada, Latin America)

  • approved: 6 active meassures
  • implemented and ongoing: 6 active measures - CLARO, MORA, HUBERT, PANAR, EDA, COCHINO
  • not implemented: -

Section 2 (political intelligence – West Germany, Austria, West Berlin)

  • approved 10 active measures
  • implemented and ongoing: 8 active measures - PSYCHO, FOCH, DIETER‚ MARTIN, OŘECH‚ HERMAN‚ SPOR, PLATZA
  • not implemented active measures: FRIED, MNICHOV 7

 

Section 3 (political intelligence – England, Francie, Italy, Greece, Sweden and Belgium)

  • approved
  • implemented and ongoing: -
  • not implemented: -

Section 4 (political intelligence – Africa and Asia)

  • approved: 24 active measures
  • implemented and ongoing: 20 active measures - DIAMANT, ZNERVOSNĚNÍ, KANÁR,GENTLEMAN,OAZA, NÁTLAK, STAVBA,PROGRAM, ZÁSAH,VÝZBROJ, VRÁNA, SJEZD, PINTO, HROZBA, PIVOT, KOLO, BURÁK 3, BRUS, SIGNÁL, MARCELA
  • not implemented: 4 AM - MACHINACE, IZRA, ROZPOR, MARS

Section 6 (foreign counterintelligence)

  • approved: 1 active measure
  • implemented and ongoing: 1 active measure - DOMOV I
  • not implemented:

Section 8 (active measures and disinformation)

  • approved: 41 active measures
  • implemented and ongoing: 37 active measures - PALEC, RUFMORD, VÝZVA ,UZNÁNÍ, ÚVĚR, PŘESUN, MINA, LUNA, VANDA ,NASA ‚KAMIÓN, GUMAI, PAPÍR, ELISABETH, ALICE MARYLIN, DJAMILA, MAZUT, KOMORA, RTUŤ, SPLIT, STAN, BELA, DOMOV, GARY, KÁVA, WALTER, DOMOV II ,START, TRAVIČ, JUTA, CITRUS, LIBERALISACE, KARNO, SKLAD, ARTHUR, PSYCHO 2
  • not implemented: 4 active measures - JARMILA, PARLAMENTARIO‚ SERVICE, MINISTERIO

Total from 1.1. - 30.11.1965

  • approved: 82 active measures 
  • implemented and ongoing: 72 active measures 
  • not implemented: 10 active measures

2) Active measures implemented, broken down by country:

Section 1

  • Argentina   3 AMs   CLARO, MORA, PANAR
  • Brazil       2 AMs   MORA, PANAR
  • Chile           2 AMs   MORA, PANAR
  • Columbia    1 AM   PANAR
  • Mexico        5 AMs   CLARO, COCHINO, EDA‚ MORA, PANAR
  • Uruguay     5 AMs   CLARO‚ EDA, HUBERT, MORA, PANAR
  • USA           1 AM   PANAR
  • Venezuela  3 AMs   EDA, MORA, PANAR

Section 2

  • Czechoslovakia 5 AMs   FOCH, HERMAN, MARTIN, OŘECH, PSYCHO
  • West Berlin 1 AM   PLATZA
  • West Germany 5 AMs   DIETER, FOCH, HERMAN, SPOR, OŘECH
  • Austria 1 AM OŘECH
  • Great Britain 1 AM   SPOR

Section 3

----------------------

Section 4

  • Ghana      3 AMs   DIAMANT, KANÁR, VÝZBROJ
  • Guinea     4 AMs   GENTLEMAN, KOLO‚ SIGNÁL, STAVBA
  • India         2 AMs   MARCELA, NÁTLAK
  • Indonesia 1 AM   ZNERVOSNĚNÍ
  • Kenya        1 AM   PROGRAM
  • Lebanon    1 AM   PINTO
  • Nigeria     4 AMs   BURÁK 3, HROZBA, SJEZD, ZÁSAH
  • Syria        3 AMs   OAZA, PINTO, PIVOT
  • Tanzania  2 AMs BRUS, VRÁNA

Section 6

  • West Germany   1 AM   DOMOV I
  • USA   1 AM   DOMOV I

Section 8

  • Algeria 1 AM UZNÁNÍ
  • Belgium 1 AM PSYCHO II
  • Brazil 2 AMs KÁVA, MARYLIN
  • Czechoslovakia 15 AMs ALICE, ARTHUR, DOMOV, DOMOV II, ELISABETH, MINA, PAPÍR, PŘESUN, PSYCHO II, RUFMORD, RTUŤ, SPLIT, VÝZVA, WALTER, WANDA
  • France 5 AMs LIBERALISACE, PSYCHO II, SKLAD, START, ÚVĚR
  • Ghana 4 AMs DJAMILA, GARY, START, TRAVIČ
  • Guinea 1 AM START
  • India 4 AMs JUTA, MINA, STAN, START
  • Indonesia 3 AMs KARNO, LUNA, UZNÁNÍ
  • Iraq 1 AM UZNÁNÍ
  • Japan 1 AM START
  • Kenya 1 AM START
  • Lebanon 3 AMs CITRUS, START, UZNÁNÍ
  • Morocco 1 AM UZNÁNÍ
  • Mexico 1 AM START
  • West Germany 6 AMs ARTHUR, GUMA I, MAZUT, NASA, PALEC, UZNÁNÍ
  • Austria 1 AM ARTHUR
  • Greece 2 AMs KAMION, KOMORA
  • Syria 4 AMs BELA, DJAMILA, START, UZNÁNÍ
  • Sweden 1 AM PALEC
  • Tanzania 1 AM START
  • Uruguay 1 AM START
  • USA 1 AM MARYLIN
  • Great Britain 2 AM GUMA 1, SKLAD

3.) Ways of implementing active measures

  • questions in Parliament
  • publication of articles
  • publication of documents
  • protest telegrams
  • protest petitions
  • radio commentary
  • counterfeit USIS bulletin
  • comments in the press
  • speeches in parliament
  • issuing of warrants
  • publication of books
  • pamphlets
  • acounterfeit letters
  • discussions
  • protest rallies
  • conferences
  • public meetings
  • establishing troops to defend Panama
  • writing on local banknotes
  • demonstrations
  • transmission of information
  • transmission of disinformation
  • letters from readers
  • whispers in diplomatic circles
  • speeches in the government
  • press campaigns
  • debates in parliament
  • posters
  • printing of stickers
  • letters of solidarity to government officials
  • resolutions at conventions
  • speeches at meetings
  • photograph exhibitions
  • official handing over of documents
  • press conferences
  • ČTK (Czechoslovak News Agency) statements
  • blackmail
  • Brazilian MFA notes (falsified)
  • statements by political parties
  • TV movies
  • official intervention by ambassadors
  • broadcasting of Czechoslovak radio abroad
  • agency interventions
  • questions at conventions

Intelligence networks used (code names):

  • Argentina:    1 - NACIR
  • Brazil:         2 - LEITE, ROCHA
  • Czechoslovakia:    7 - KOSEK, KOCÍKOVÁ, BERTHOLD, LUKÁŠ, HALKEN, KAREL, PETR
  • France:        2 - PÍPA, SAMOTÁŘ
  • Ghana:        5 - KOPTA, POLDA, BACIL OGDEN, BASNER
  • Guinea:        2 - SEKRETÁŘ, KAMANO
  • Chile:        2 - TALIO, TUFO
  • India:        4 - LACO, MOGUL, SAMIR, DOVOLIL
  • Indonesia:    6 - SUEHARDI, PAVKA , BOBEK, LITERÁT, GOTMAN, ANHAR
  • Iraq:        1 - KOMÍNEK
  • Kenya:        1 - ODONGO
  • Lebanon:        5 - GAJDOŠ, CHVAL, KLIKAR, FAKHR, FAGHARA
  • Morocco:        3 - KLADINA, KLAPAL, KAFA
  • Mexico:        6 - ARMAS, ALONSO, ALBA, ADAM, BABIO, CID
  • Nigeria:        5 - SOSNA, LIŠÁK, OYERO, KOLAGBODI, AMAY
  • West Germany:    3 - MARYNA, SCHEDIVY, GRADEL
  • Austria:        1 - HACKE
  • Greece:        2 - KÁRNÍK, LUCIUS
  • Syria:        4 - MIRAKL, KOLKA, GAMA, KHEIR
  • Uruguay:        2 - RIOS, RAJKA
  • Venezuela:    1 - GOLF
  • West Germany:    1 - MAY

TOTAL: 66

5) Financial costs

  • 6 501, - US$
  • 252,- Lstg
  • 670,- Leg
  • 2.914,- Kčs
  • 1,204.000,- Indon. rupiah
  • 1.287,- Pol. zl.

6) Technology used

Technology used for 9 active measures:

  • PANAR
  • COCHINO
  • DOMOV I
  • RUFMORD
  • UZNÁNÍ
  • NASA
  • DJAMILA
  • RTUŤ
  • BELA

7) Number of personnel who participated in the preparation and implementation of active measures:

in Czechoslovakia – in foreign countries:

  • Section 1:     5 - 9
  • Section 2:     9 - 6
  • Section 3:     x - 5
  • Section 4:     10 - 21
  • Section 6:     x - x
  • Section 8:    12 - x
  • Section 9:    2 - x

Total: 38 (Czechoslovakia) - 41 (abroad)​

8) Documents used:

Documents used for a total of 21 active measures as follows:

  • Section 1   1 AM
  • Section 2   6 AMs
  • Section 3   -
  • Section 4   1 AM
  • Section 6   -
  • Section 8   13 AMs

9) Focus of active measures:

Against:

  • US: 24 AMs
  • Germany: 25 AMs
  • UK: 6 AMs
  • France: 5 AMs
  • Other countries: 8 AMs
  • Czechoslovak emigration: 3 AMs

In support:

  • Czechoslovakia and socialist countries: 13 AMs

Source: ABS, f. ISF 0003

Prepared by: Peter Rendek