POLITBURO. Provide “special equipment” to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) in exchange for a collection of art objects from the Ancient World [R: 27 Nov 84, Pb 185-49]. 2 pp.

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[page one of two]

Return to CPSU Central Committee (General Department, Sector 1) within 3 days

Workers of all Lands, Unite!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION. CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Top Secret

SPECIAL FILE

SPECIAL IMPORTANCE

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

No. Pb 185/49

To Comrades:

Ustinov, Chebrikov – all;

Demichev – items 2, 3, 4; Sergeichuk – item 3; Garbuzov – item 4 (abridged)

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Excerpt from Minutes (No. 185) of Politburo (CPSU Central Committee) meeting, 27 November 1984

Issue raised by the Ministry of Defence and the USSR Committee for State Security

1. To endorse the suggestions of the Ministry of Defence and the USSR Committee for State Security, set out in a memorandum of 26 November 1984.

2. Charge the USSR KGB to:

a) inform the leadership of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) of the Soviet side’s agreement in principle to supply the DFLP with special equipment to the value of 15 million roubles in exchange for a collection of art objects of the Ancient World,

b) accept DFLP requests for delivery of special equipment within the limits of the above-named sum,

c) join forces with the USSR Ministry of Culture in taking the necessary steps concerning the legal aspect of acquiring the collection of artefacts.

3. Charge the State Committee for Economic Ties and the USSR Ministry of Defence to study the request of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine for special equipment to the sum of 15 million roubles (within the scope of the list of supplies permitted to national liberation movements), forwarded via the USSR KGB, and record suggestions for their fulfilment, agreed with the USSR KGB, in the standard fashion.

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4. Charge the USSR Ministry of Culture to:

a) receive a collection of art objects of the Ancient World, detailed in a special list, from the USSR KGB,

b) in consultation with the USSR KGB, determine the place and special conditions for housing the collection (“The Golden Hoard”), its secret expert study and future exhibition. In consultation with the USSR Ministry of Finance, submit an estimate according to standard procedure for the necessary financial assignations,

c) confer with the USSR KGB about the display of individual items or parts of the collection.

SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

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[vertical text along left-hand margin of page one is illegible but should read]

“ATTENTION. A comrade in receipt of top-secret documents of the CPSU Central Committee may not pass them into other hands or acquaint anyone with their content without special permission from the Central Committee. Photocopying or making extracts from the documents in question is categorically forbidden.  The comrade to whom the document is addressed must sign and date it after he has studied the content.”

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NOTES

A highly confidential document (see Status of Archives, 2.4), distributed partially to three Central Committee staff, but in full to only two Soviet officials: the Minister of Defence Dmitry Ustinov and KGB head Victor Chebrikov.

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GENERAL

1. Notes by translator and editor are bracketed, thus [ ];
2. text written by hand is indicated in italic script;
3. when a handwritten phrase, figure or word has been inserted in a previously typed document this is indicated by underlined italic script.

Translation, George Sklyar; verified and annotated, JC

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