Vsevolod Nikolayevich Merkulov
Encyclopedia
Vsevolod Nikolayevich Merkulov (Всеволод Николаевич Меркулов in Russian
) ' onMouseout='HidePop("28087")' href="/topics/Azerbaijan">Azerbaijan
– December 23, 1953), was the head of NKGB from February to July 1941, and again from April 1943 to March 1946. He was a member of the so-called "Georgian mafia" of Lavrenti Beria, head of the NKVD
.
In 1913, Merkulov graduated from the Tiflis Gymnasium with the gold medal and became a student at St. Petersburg University, Department of Physics
and Mathematics
. From 1921-1922, he worked as a detective
at the Transportation Unit of the Cheka
in Georgia. From 1925-1931, Merkulov held the posts of Head of Secret Operations Directorate and Deputy Head of GPU of Adzharistan.
Merkulov was People's Commissar of State Security of the USSR from February 3, 1941 until July 20, 1941, when the NKGB again fell under control of the NKVD as GUGB. From 1941-1943, Merkulov was Deputy People's Commissar of the NKVD. In 1943 the GUGB was again separated from the NKVD, and Merkulov became head of the NKGB from July 20, 1943 until 1946.
He briefly served as Minister of the MGB in 1946, but was soon replaced by his rival Viktor Abakumov
. Merkulov later served as Minister of State Control, replacing Lev Mekhlis
. He was arrested and executed by firing squad along with his patron Beria and five other associates on December 23, 1953. It is rumored that all six bodies were cremated and buried in an unknown location near Moscow
.
Merkulov may be best known for a letter he wrote to his boss, Laventri Beria, on October 2, 1944 regarding the cooperation the Soviet Union had received from a top scientist in the United States' program to develop an atomic bomb.
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...
) ' onMouseout='HidePop("28087")' href="/topics/Azerbaijan">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...
– December 23, 1953), was the head of NKGB from February to July 1941, and again from April 1943 to March 1946. He was a member of the so-called "Georgian mafia" of Lavrenti Beria, head of the 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....
.
In 1913, Merkulov graduated from the Tiflis Gymnasium with the gold medal and became a student at St. Petersburg University, Department of Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. From 1921-1922, he worked as a detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
at the Transportation Unit of the Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
in Georgia. From 1925-1931, Merkulov held the posts of Head of Secret Operations Directorate and Deputy Head of GPU of Adzharistan.
Merkulov was People's Commissar of State Security of the USSR from February 3, 1941 until July 20, 1941, when the NKGB again fell under control of the NKVD as GUGB. From 1941-1943, Merkulov was Deputy People's Commissar of the NKVD. In 1943 the GUGB was again separated from the NKVD, and Merkulov became head of the NKGB from July 20, 1943 until 1946.
He briefly served as Minister of the MGB in 1946, but was soon replaced by his rival Viktor Abakumov
Viktor Abakumov
Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov , was a high level Soviet security organs official, from 1943 to 1946 the head of SMERSH in the USSR People's Commissariat of Defense, and from 1946 to 1951 Minister of State Security or MGB . Abakumov was a notoriously brutal official who was known to torture prisoners...
. Merkulov later served as Minister of State Control, replacing Lev Mekhlis
Lev Mekhlis
Lev Zakharovich Mekhlis was a Jewish-Soviet statesman and party figure.-Career:He however served incompetently as a party commissar at the front during World War II, among his mistakes being failures, in conjunction with General Dmitri Kozlov, which meant the Crimean Front was defeated and had to...
. He was arrested and executed by firing squad along with his patron Beria and five other associates on December 23, 1953. It is rumored that all six bodies were cremated and buried in an unknown location near 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...
.
Merkulov may be best known for a letter he wrote to his boss, Laventri Beria, on October 2, 1944 regarding the cooperation the Soviet Union had received from a top scientist in the United States' program to develop an atomic bomb.