The Role of Foreign Intelligence in Decision-Making during the Great Patriotic War: New Documentary Materials from the SVR Archive

Abstract

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has published a six-volume collection of documents from 1939 to 1945, many of which are being introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time. In total, over 800 sources have been published. About a quarter of the materials are special reports or informational reports from the NKVD-NKGB foreign intelligence service, addressed to the State Defense Committee. A significant portion of the documents were forwarded for use by the General Staff, the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs, or the Sovinformburo. Drawing on previously published documents and extensive literature on the history of the USSR, international relations, military planning, and the work of the General Staff, this article presents a selection of materials from the multi-volume publication in a broad historical context, allowing for a fresh look at the role of foreign intelligence in providing information and analytical support for management decisions on foreign policy and security matters. Intelligence received the most valuable information from agents in London, which enabled the accomplishment of several important objectives. First, it ensured high-quality and timely information for the country’s leadership on the plans of Germany and its closest allies. The article provides an example of how intelligence agencies uncovered the essence of the Wehrmacht leadership’s plans for the summer of 1943 during Operation Citadel. Second, intelligence provided detailed information on the political situation in the Allied camp, primarily Great Britain. This created favourable conditions for negotiations not only with London but also with Washington on cooperation across a wide range of issues — from pressuring Finland and providing logistical and military assistance to opening the second front and discussing post-war developments, particularly in the Baltic Sea region. Finally, examples are given of intelligence work to inform the country’s leadership about the occupation regime and Nazi crimes against civilians and prisoners of war.