[104-10181-10154.pdf — page 11]
SECRET-2-Party and government officials. This is why so many sons of Belorussian dignitaries work for the KGB. Otherwise they would be doomed to jobs which would pay ha, et most, 120 rubles per month for the rest of their lives, even if they could survive the competition in a Party job. In the KGB, an officer, who achieves such status by going through a school, can look forward to steady promotions until he reaches the rank of major And if his sponsor retains his influence, the officer can eventually be promoted to lieutenant colonel or even colonel before retiring. Also, it is a prestigious, interesting, and financially advantageous job which places the KGB officer above the common people to the point where many officers consider themselves to be above the law. Their salaries are often supplemented by discreet cooperation with black marketeers, who pay off either in goods or a percentage of the take. And there are the services of the women who sleep with foreigners for money or for other considerations, and who report to the KGB... So a person like AKSENOV, responsible for a large tourist hotel like the Yubileynaya, actually presides over a small kingdom.5. A KGB officer meets each of his agents (filer was the word used by Source) in a safe house (konspiratívnaya kvartira). Other officers are not supposed to know who these agents are, and this "conspiracy" is a matter of great pride to them. Source was once caught leaving the hotel room of a Bulgarian girl with whom he had spent the night, but he was released when he gave AKSENOV's name to the junior KGB officer on duty (thereby implying that Source was on assignment for AKSENΟΥ).6. Source described KGB influence as "overwhelming". For example, a Soviet going abroad on an official assignment cannot refuse to cooperate with the KGB because such refusal would mean that the person wouldn't be able to travel, as the KGB has a say about his final clearance. Source also gave the example of an applicant for an unimportant job with the Minsk Symphony who was originally turned down. But when AKSENOV spoke to the KGB officer responsible for the Symphony, the applicant was not only hired but received the greatest respect from the Symphony Director during the entire period of his employment.7. The KGB likes to recruit retired military personnel (*otstavniki*) because they are considered politically reliable and patriotic. Many *otstavniki* recruited by the KGB are former *Osobyy otdel* (Special Section, security functions) people, so KGB work is not a novelty for them. Such retirees are frequently used in stationary positions, reporting on or guarding specific areas.8. Since the KGB relies on spotters for the selection of its agents, the spotters themselves can get into trouble if they recommend the "wrong" person. This means that the spotters are afraid to select clever people, so in the end they select mediocre ones. Selection is determined by the following: If the prospective agent or informer is a *kolkhoznik*, he is immediately 50% qualified. If he was in the Army, particularly in the *Osobyy otdel*, this adds another 30%. Other qualifications are based on the person's being "quiet", "average", or "ordinary".SECRET