Statistical Report

Top Secret

Special Folder

Committee of State Security of the USSR

March 21, 1988 No. 458-Ch Moscow

TO THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE of the CPSU

Results of the work of the KGB in investigating authors of anonymous materials of a hostile nature.

In 1987 the measures implemented in the country for economic perestroika and the broadening of democratization and glasnost resulted in a 29.5% reduction in the distribution of anonymous materials of an anti-Soviet, nationalistic, and politically injurious content as compared with the previous year. However, the number of persons who took part in their preparation and distribution (1663) increased by 9.4% because of some growth of cliquish, negative occurrences among the youth of the Kazakh SRR and Latvia.

The number of instances of distributed materials criticizing the international assistance to Afghanistan by the USSR declined by 77%, and the number of pro-fascist slogans and symbols fell by 24%.

During the year 44 instances of distribution of anonymous materials containing terrorist statements against leaders of the CPSU and the Soviet government, 108 threats of physical violence against representatives of the local party, soviet activists, and functionaries, 308 nationalistic, basically anti-Russian fabrications, and 46 instances of disagreement with the measures for perestroika in Soviet society were recorded.

A significant number of anonymous incidents occurred in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moscow, and Leningrad.

In 1987, 1,312 authors of pamphlets, letters, and graffiti were identified. Of this number, 33 persons admitted to statements of a terrorist nature about the leaders of the party and the government; and 67, to threats of physical violence against local party and soviet activists and functionaries.

Of the total number of authors investigated, 37.2% are university students and students in vocational and trade schools, 18.6% are workers, 16.8% are office workers, 9.5% are retiredpersons, 17.9% are other categories of citizens, including persons serving time in correctional-labor facilities.

Among the authors who were identified are 59 members and candidate members in the Communist Party and 361 in the Young Communist League.

Reasons for preparing and distributing anonymous materials are: nationalist sentiments (248 persons); dissatisfaction with measures taken to strengthen discipline and fight drunkenness and alcoholism (187 persons); inadequacies in the food supply to the population and also high prices for certain commercial products (43 persons); difficulties with housing and household needs (41 persons); hooliganism (238 persons); mercenary motives (86 persons); mental illness (86 persons); illegal actions by some local managers manifested in coarse treatment of subordinates, officious treatment of citizens' petitions, violations of ethical behavior, etc. (23 persons).

The reasons for the preparation and distribution of anonymous materials by the remaining 276 authors are now being investigated.

After appropriate review, the majority of the authors under investigation (55.6%) were dealt with through measures of a preventive nature, 66 persons were tried pursuant to articles of the general Criminal Code of the RSFSR and the criminal codes of other union republics.

The KGB is implementing measures to prevent and suppress in a timely fashion negative incidents connected with the distribution of anonymous materials of hostile content and to increase the effectiveness of the effort to identify the authors and distributors of these materials.

For your information.