Ivan Agayants
Encyclopedia
Ivan Ivanovich Agayants (ru:
Иван Иванович Агаянц) (28 August 1911 – 12 May 1968) was a leading Soviet NKVD
/KGB
intelligence officer of Armenian
origin.
Born the son of Fr Hovhanes Agayants, priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church
, in the Azerbaijan
i town of Elizavetpol on 28 August 1911, he followed two elder brothers into the secret police. In 1930 he moved to Moscow
to begin work in the OGPU economic department. In 1936, as purges decimated secret police ranks, he was transferred into foreign intelligence, helped by his knowledge of foreign languages (which included Turkish, Persian, French, Spanish and English).
In 1937 he was sent to Paris
, under cover first of the trade mission, then of the consular section of the Soviet embassy. He returned to Moscow in 1940, but was sent to Teheran in August 1941 as resident. He reportedly helped prevent a German
operation to attack the three allied leaders meeting at the 1943 Teheran Conference. He returned to Moscow later that year.
From 1947 to 1949, he was again in Paris, this time as resident under the alias "Avalov". There he is said to have recruited numerous spies for the Soviet Union. However, his health was affected by tuberculosis he had acquired in the 1930s.
On his return to Moscow Agayants was appointed to head the Western European Department of what would become the KGB. After working on forgeries of memoirs sponsored by the Soviet secret police to further the leadership's political goals, and, as part of Operation Seat 12
, helping to produce a play The Deputy
that maligned Pius XII, he was appointed the first head of Department D (disinformation) of the KGB First Chief Directorate
.
In 1967 Agayants was appointed deputy head of the First Chief Directorate, but died on 12 May 1968. He is buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery
.
During his lifetime he was given many awards by the Soviet government, including the Order of Lenin
, and his name is engraved in gold on the wall of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service
headquarters in Moscow among the seventy or so leading intelligence officers.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Иван Иванович Агаянц) (28 August 1911 – 12 May 1968) was a leading Soviet NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
/KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
intelligence officer of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
origin.
Born the son of Fr Hovhanes Agayants, priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
, in the Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i town of Elizavetpol on 28 August 1911, he followed two elder brothers into the secret police. In 1930 he moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to begin work in the OGPU economic department. In 1936, as purges decimated secret police ranks, he was transferred into foreign intelligence, helped by his knowledge of foreign languages (which included Turkish, Persian, French, Spanish and English).
In 1937 he was sent to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, under cover first of the trade mission, then of the consular section of the Soviet embassy. He returned to Moscow in 1940, but was sent to Teheran in August 1941 as resident. He reportedly helped prevent a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
operation to attack the three allied leaders meeting at the 1943 Teheran Conference. He returned to Moscow later that year.
From 1947 to 1949, he was again in Paris, this time as resident under the alias "Avalov". There he is said to have recruited numerous spies for the Soviet Union. However, his health was affected by tuberculosis he had acquired in the 1930s.
On his return to Moscow Agayants was appointed to head the Western European Department of what would become the KGB. After working on forgeries of memoirs sponsored by the Soviet secret police to further the leadership's political goals, and, as part of Operation Seat 12
Seat 12
Seat 12 also known as Operation Seat 12 was an alleged disinformation campaign of communist propaganda during the Cold War to discredit the moral authority of the Vatican because of its outspoken anti-communism...
, helping to produce a play The Deputy
The Deputy
The Deputy, a Christian tragedy , also known as The Representative, is a controversial 1963 play by Rolf Hochhuth which indicts Pope Pius XII for his failure to take action or speak out against The Holocaust. It has been translated into more than twenty languages...
that maligned Pius XII, he was appointed the first head of Department D (disinformation) of the KGB First Chief Directorate
First Chief Directorate
The First Chief Directorate , of the Committee for State Security , was the organization responsible for foreign operations and intelligence collection activities by the training and management of the covert agents, intelligence collection management, and the collection of political, scientific and...
.
In 1967 Agayants was appointed deputy head of the First Chief Directorate, but died on 12 May 1968. He is buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
.
During his lifetime he was given many awards by the Soviet government, including the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
, and his name is engraved in gold on the wall of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
headquarters in Moscow among the seventy or so leading intelligence officers.