Politburo decision. Provide the Italian Communist Party (PCI) with “special training” for 12 people in case it has to go underground (4 pp). [R 5 May 1974, Pb 136-53]

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[page one of four]

Return [etc. illegible]
(General Department, sector 1)

Workers of all Lands, Unite!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION. CENTRAL COMMITTEE

TOP SECRET
Special File

No. Pb 136/53

To Comrades:
Andropov, Ponomaryov – all items
G. Pavlov – item 2

Excerpt from Minutes No. 136 of the CPSU Politburo meeting,
held on 5 May 1974

Providing special aid to the Italian Communist Party

1. Meet the request of the leadership of the Italian Communist Party and receive, for special training in the USSR, 19 Italian Communists, including 6 for training in radio communications, work with BR-3U radio stations and encryption (up to 3 months); 2 instructors for the preparation of radio telegraphists and cipher officers (up to 3 months); 9 in methods of party organization (up to 2 months); 2 for a course in disguise techniques (up to two weeks); also the training of 1 specialist as a consultant on special types of internal broadcasting (up to one week).

2. Accomodation and care for those on the course is entrusted to the International and Administrative Departments of the Central Committee. Training in use of radio and encryption and the selection of translators for all elements of special training is the responsibility of the Committee for State Security. Teaching about party equipment and methods of external disguise is the responsibility of the International Department and the Committee for State Security at the USSR Council of Ministers. The costs of the stay in the USSR and  of the round trip from Italy and back  will be covered by the allowance for receiving foreign Party workers.

3. The Committee for State Security of the USSR Council of Ministers is charged with developing a communications program and ciphered documents for one-way radio

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[page two]

transmissions of circular ciphered telegrams to 13-16 regional centres of the Communist Party of Italy, and also ciphered documents for re-ciphering within the two-way radio network.

4. Meet the request of the PCI leadership and prepare 500 blank and (for senior PCI workers) 50 named Italian foreign and internal identity documents, 50 spare sets of the same documents modelled on Swiss and French samples, also wigs and disguise necessities. Preparation of the forms and disguise necessities will be the responsibility of the International Department of the CPSU Central Committee and the Committee for State Security of the USSR Council of Ministers.

5. Approve text of telegram to the KGB station chief in Italy.

Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee

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[includes 3 August 1970 decision (Pb 171/23), on retraining for PCI radio operators, and equipment for Bulgaria, pp. 3-4.]

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NOTES

General

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

Translation, JC & GS

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