Memorandum of V. N. Merkulov to I. V. Stalin on the production of identity documents with security elements, with the draft resolution of the GOKO attached. 27 May 1943

 Politburo and state security agencies. To the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Cheka, pp. 592-594

Archive: AP RF. F. 3. On. 58. D. 8. L. 30-33. Script. Typescript

27 May 1943

No. 344/m

TOP SECRET

State Defense Committee

Comrade Stalin

The NKGB of the USSR has at its disposal a significant number of facts testifying to the unsatisfactory state of affairs in the production, execution and verification of identity documents of state institutions of the USSR.

A number of important documents of institutions of the USSR - identity cards, including identity cards of the beginning. composition of the Red Army and the Navy, travel certificates and orders, passes for entering military defense facilities, certificates of military personnel and others - are produced, as a rule, without special control in any printing houses, with a variety of texts, in various formats and do not have the most elementary ways to protect against forgery.

As a result, German intelligence and criminal elements inside the country produce any identity documents for their agents without much difficulty.

In order to streamline the document management in the institutions of the USSR and, first of all, the Red Army and the Navy, the NKGB of the USSR considers it necessary to carry out the following measures:

Introduce a single form for each type of document - an identity card, a travel order, passes to factories, a certificate and others - and uniform rules for their execution, accounting and reporting on the use of document forms.

To give these documents some elements of protection, on the one hand, making it difficult to forge, and on the other hand, making it easier to control their authenticity.

Assign to the NKGB of the USSR the development of document forms, the procedure for their production, execution and verification, and to the Goznak of the Narkomfin of the USSR - the production of documents according to the samples developed by the NKGB of the USSR and approved by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.

Presenting the draft resolution of the State Defense Committee, I ask for your decision.

Appendix:

1. Draft resolution of the GFCS

2. Samples of existing documents

3. Draft forms of documents.

People's Commissar of State Security of the USSR

Merkulov

Sent to:

comrade Stalin

comrade Molotov

Appendix

"..." May 1943

Top Secret

Project

Resolution of the STATE DEFENSE COMMITTEE

Moscow Kremlin.

In order to streamline the production, execution, circulation and verification of identity documents of state institutions of the USSR and eliminate the possibility of abuse of these documents, the State Defense Committee

Decides:

Recognize it as necessary for identity documents (identity card, travel order, pass to military facilities, certificate, etc.), introduce a single form and uniform rules for their execution in institutions and military units of the Red Army and the Navy, as well as the People's Commissariats and institutions of the USSR according to a special list approved by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.

Instruct the NKGB of the USSR within a month:

a) develop and submit for approval by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR samples of forms of basic identity documents;

b) provide for these documents some elements of protection that make it difficult to forge and facilitate the control of their authenticity;

c) to develop and submit for approval by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR instructions for the registration, storage, execution, circulation and verification of these documents in the People's Commissariats and institutions of the USSR.

Oblige the People's Commissariat of Finance of the USSR, after the approval of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of the submitted samples of documents, to organize the production of documents for the People's Commissariats and institutions of the USSR at the factories of Goznak at the request of the latter.

The Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, within a ten-day period, develop and approve a list of People's Commissariats, institutions and enterprises in which a special regime is introduced in the documentary economy.

Chairman of the State Defense Committee (J. STALIN)

AP RF. F. 3. On. 58. D. 8. L. 30-33. Script. Typescript .