Beria pursued the goal of having his own people in the field, without consideration for their political loyalty to the [Communist] Party. As is now clear, we must perceive a number of appointments of such people as Raikhman, Eitingon, Sudoplatov, Meshik, Milstein and others… who were expelled from the organs of the MVD prior to his appearance, as a desire to surround himself with people totally faithful to him.87
After this, Merkulov and others close to Beria were arrested. Eitingon was arrested again on August 20, 1953.88 Sudoplatov was arrested in his own office the next day, August 21, 1953 (Sudoplatov’s prisoner card; Document 22, Appendix II), by the head of the MVD Seventh (Operative) Directorate and searched like a common criminal.89 After his arrest, Sudoplatov’s deputy, Lev Studnikov, became acting head of the Ninth Department,90 which was later renamed the Thirteenth Department and then Department V. In 1971, after the defection in England of Oleg Lyalin, an agent of this department, functions of Department V were given to Department S (illegal agents) of the KGB First Main (Foreign Intelligence) Directorate.91
| Date in 1953 | Event | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|
| June 26 | Beria’s secret arrest | Stickle, The Beria Affair, p. 201 |
| June 29 | Decision of the Presidium of the Central Committee to start Beria’s investigation | Naumov and Sigachev, Lavrentii Beria, p. 72; Stickle, The Beria Affair, p. 201 |
| July 10 | Official announcement of Beria’s arrest | Andrew and Gordievsky, KGB, p. 424 |
| Aug. 20 | Arrest of Eitingon | Eitingon’s Prisoner Card |
| Aug. 21 | Arrest of Sudoplatov | Sudoplatov’s Prisoner Card |
| Aug. 27 | Interrogation of Mairanovsky | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 365-368; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, p. 167 |
| Aug. 28 | The first interrogation of Beria regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 368-371; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 151-153 |
| Aug. 29 | Interrogation of Merkulov regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 234-235; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 164-166 |
| Sept. 1 | Interrogation of Sudoplatov regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 388-389; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, p. 168 |
| Sept. 1 | Interrogation of Beria regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 372-378; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 154-161 |
| Sept. | Interrogation of Raikhman, Naumov, Grigorovich, Balishansky, Podobedov regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 380-381 398; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 129-131 |
| Sept. 19 | Interrogation of Blokhin regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 390-391 396; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 129-131 |
| Sept. 23 | Interrogation of Mairanovsky | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 232-233, 389; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 70-72, 169 |
| Sept. 29 | Interrogation of Merkulov regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 234-235 385; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 72-74, 128, 166-170 |
| Oct. 14 | Interrogation of Gertsovsky regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 391-392 Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 170-172 |
| Oct. | Interrogation of B. Kobulov regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” pp. 392-394 Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 172-174 |
| Oct. 23 | Interrogation of Gertsovsky regarding Mairanovsky’s activity | Bobryonev, “Doktor Smert,” p. 394; Bobryonev and Ryazentsev, The Ghosts, pp. 175-180 |
| Dec. 18-23 | Trial of Beria, Merkulov, Kobulov and four other of Beria’s men | Petrov, “Sudy protiv NKVD-MGB”; Stickle, The Beria Affair, pp. 195-197 |
| Dec. 23 | Shooting to death Beria, Merkulov, Kobulov, and other convicts after the trial | Petrov, “Sudy protiv NKVD-MGB”; Naumov and Sigachev, Lavrentii Beria, p. 387 |