By 1965, Sergo Beria had lived with his KGB-assigned new last name ‘Gegechkori’ (his mother’s maiden name) for a decade. He’d also found himself, in his words, unaware that he had been stripped of his academic credentials, and that his discharge from the Soviet Army had been accompanied with a demotion down to the lowest enlisted ranks. Add to this the embarrassment of having more than 350 thousand rubles taken from his family to be (officially, at least) fed back into the State revenue, and a good deal of the family’s personal belongings, and you can possibly forgive him the strong desire to dash a letter off to KGB Chairman Vladimir Semichastnyy. Some might suggest that it’s a small price to pay for being the son of, and doing the bidding of, Stalin’s second-in-command, Lavrentiy Beria.
After Lavrentiy Beria’s death in 1953, Sergo was arrested under suspicion of belong to an anti-Soviet cabal led by his father. The evidence didn’t hold up, and Sergo was exiled (with his mother and wife) to Sverdlovsk, where he would devote his scientific expertise at Scientific Research Institute 592, where ballistic missile control systems were developed and manufactured.
Jumping ahead again to 1965, Sergo’s letter was forwarded for comment to the KGB’s Investigative Branch and the USSR Prosecutor’s Office. We present you with translations of three documents: The first is a brief cover letter from Aleksandr Volkov, Deputy Chief of the Investigative Branch, to Boris Zhulchenko, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian SSR KGB. The second in the package is the letter from Sergo himself, addressed to Semichastnyy, and the third is the statement regarding Sergo’s request, which was sent to Volkov by Nikolai Zakharov, the First Deputy Chairman of the KGB.
First Document:
Investigative Branch SECRET Copy No. 1
4 March 1966
TO THE DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE
OF STATE SECURITY under the COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE UkSSR
General Major Comrade B. S. SHULZHENKO
Kyiv
I am forwarding to you copies of the request by S. A. GEGECHKORI and the statement based on the request, with Comrade N. S. ZAKHAROV’s decision.
ATTACHMENT: 5 pages, as referred to above.
Second Document:
TO MEMBER OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPSU
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE FOR STATE SECURITY
under the COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE USSR
Comrade V. YE. SEMICHASTNYY
REQUEST
from S. A. GEGECHKORI
In 1953 I was involved in the investigation of my father’s case.
The inquiry established my innocence in the case in question.
I was transferred to Sverdlovsk, to NII-592, and worked there until 1964 in my field of specialty.
In light of the fact that all of my documents have been located at the prosecutor’s office, for some long time I was unaware that I had been expelled from the Party, had my academic credentials revoked, and was discharged from the Army, and demoted to the enlisted ranks.
In addition, my government decorations and state monetary award have not been returned to me.
At the time, I felt I was in no position to pose these questions, and for ten years I have dutifully and selflessly worked on creating new weapon systems.
Considering that I have not been found guilty neither in the eyes of the Communist Party nor the Soviet State, I turn to you as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Committee for State Security with the request of assisting me resolve the following issues:
1. The possibility of restoring my Party membership.
2. The restoration of my academic title.
3. The return of my government decorations and state monetary award.
4. A conventional arrangement of discharge from the Soviet Army.
5. At least partial compensation for my personal belongings that were confiscated in 1953.
I assure you that I will devote all of my expertise and effort to the field in which I work.
S. GEGECHKORI
Certified to be a true copy of the original
REGIONAL OFFICE DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE INVESTIGATIVE BRANCH OF THE KGB under the
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE USSR
Colonel SHARAPOV
Third Document:
DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE INVESTIGATIVE BRANCH OF THE COMMITTEE
FOR STATE SECURITY under the COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE USSR
Major General of Justice VOLKOV
To Comrade A. F. VOLKOV
I am forwarding to you the statement by Comrade SHULZHENKO (Kyiv) for GEGECHKORI’s request, if the latter comes to you with these questions. 23.II.66 N. ZAKHAROV
STATEMENT
regarding the request of S. A. GEGECHKORI
To the attention of the Chairman of the Committee for State Security under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, a request was received from S. A. GEGECHKORI, in which he petitions for:
– Party restoration;
– restoration of academic title;
– return of government awards and award payments;
– the “conventional arrangement of discharge from the Soviet Army,”
– “at least partial compensation for personal effects confiscated in 1953.”
S. A. GEGECHKORI was arrested in July 1953 by the Prosecutor’s Office of the USSR and was arraigned on the criminal charge based on the suspicion of belonging to the anti-Soviet, traitorous group of conspirators, led by his father, L. P. BERIA.
In November 1954, the criminal case against S. A. GEGECHKORI was terminated due to lack of evidence.
In addition, it was established that GEGECHKORI, occupying the post of engineer, and later chief designer of the design bureau under the 3rd Main Directorate of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, which was under the jurisdiction of L. P. BERIA, and in 1950-52 fraudulently secured the appointments of Candidate and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, having provided dissertations that were written on his instruction by design bureau personnel; in February 1953, he was undeservingly awarded the honorary title of Laureate of the State Prize of the First Order, and a financial award in the sum of 500,000 rubles, 100,000 of which was given to his father. In the same month, among the designers and research engineers decorated with government awards, he received the Order of Lenin.
Earlier, in October 1944, GEGECHKORI, amongst the employees of the NKVD and NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR, was decorated with the Order of the Red Star, although he was not involved with those state organs at all, and from 1942 to 1947, he was studying at the Leningrad Military Electrical Engineering Academy of Communications.
It has also been established that GEGECHKORI, from 1941 to 1952, was undeservedly awarded accelerated military promotions up to and including Engineer-Colonel.
By Council of Ministers of the USSR Decree No. 154-66, dated 6 February 1958, GEGECHKORI was stripped of the academic distinctions of Candidate and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the title of Laureate of the State Prize, and the military rank of “Engineer-Colonel”. The diplomas attesting to the academic distinctions were sent to the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Higher Education of the USSR for cancellation.
Of the financial award received by GEGECHKORI as part of the State Prize, 349,768 rubles were confiscated from him during a search in 1953. During their release from custody, he and his mother were given 10,000 rubles, and the remainder of the money was handed over to the USSR revenue.
Government decorations: the Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Star, four medals, and associated certificates were shipped on 30 November 1953 to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. There is no decision on the revocation of these awards.
As regards the confiscated possessions, from 1953 to 1956, various household items were returned to GEGECHKORI, his wife M. M. PESHKOVA, and his mother N. T. GEGECHKORI, along with articles of clothing, footwear, undergarments, furniture, kitchenware, and so forth – in all, 850 items, including 5 bicycles, an accordion, a number of fur coats, rugs, pictures, books, and 35 articles of gold and precious gems.
Moreover, bond certificates from various loans were returned, to the amount of 111,435 rubles, along with a savings book with an account balance of 3,868 rubles (in the old price scale).
The remaining property taken from GEGECHKORI and L. BERIA (they lived together) was sent to the government revenue.
In view of the above, we believe:
In the filing of the petition before the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the restoration for S. A. GEGECHKORI of the academic distinctions, the title of Laureate of the State Prize, and military rank of “Engineer-Colonel” – refuse due to lack of grounds;
Taking into account the fact that GEGECHKORI and the members of his family had a significant part of their belongings and valuables returned after being confiscated in 1953, his request for compensation for the additional part of the belongings that were handed over to the state revenue is to be refused.
We believe it necessary, based on the merits of his request, that he be provided clarification, and that he is told that the issue of his restoration into the KPSS is subject to review by the appropriate party organs.
The question on S. A. GEGECHKORI’s government awards will also be reviewed by the Prosecutor’s Office of the USSR.
CHIEF OF THE INVESTIGATIVE BRANCH OF THE KGB under the SM USSR
General-Major of Justice
A. VOLKOV
CHIEF OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE OF THE USSR
State Councilor of Justice 2nd Class
G. TEREKHOV
15 September 1965
Certified to be a true copy of the original
REGIONAL OFFICE DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE INVESTIGATIVE BRANCH OF THE KGB under the
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE USSR
Colonel SHARAPOV
Translating History 