Irina Magid

My Interaction with KGB

1. Impossibility of Employment

I remembered an episode of my interaction with the KGB. It was the time when my son-in-law couldn't get a job after graduation from the Military Mechanic Institute with good marks. Usually, after graduation from the Institute (College), each person was directed by the Ministry to some Plant or Institute for work. But this rule usually did not apply to Jews. My son-in -law was among those Jews who even after the direction for work couldn't get it.

After a few failures, I decided to help him. At that time I worked as the Superior Scientific Worker in the secret Institute named "Electron." I was a much respected person and even Maya Afanasievna, the boss of the Division for Hiring people, permitted me to help. She ordered an appointment with my son-in-law, Alex and me. When Alex came, she asked him about his specialty and called another boss of the division who needed the person with such specialty and skill. Then Alex met that boss and that boss liked him. That boss suggested to him to enroll in his division immediately after filling out and signing all special employment documents.

Maya Afanasievna said to me that on the next day she had to go to the KGB boss (he worked in the special office of the "Electron") in order to get the last signature on the documents. She said to me that the presence of my son-in -law and me for that was not necessary. However I decided to go together with Maya Afanasievna and arrived that day early. But Maya Afanasievna stopped me and explained to me that it would be better if she went herself without me.

I waited for her outside the door of the KGB boss a very long time. At last she came out. Her face was a bright red color. She said to me she was very sorry; she wanted to help me, but couldn't. She suggested that I try to speak with the KGB boss myself and ask him to hire my son-in law, a good specialist in the required field.

When I opened the door of the KGB boss's office, he didn't even answer my greeting and didn't turn his head toward me. He didn't suggest me to sit down. When I came in, he began to knock rhythmically with the pencil by the table and kept silent. When I began to speak, he continued to do the same. He didn't pay attention to me. That continued a few minutes. I understood that the KGB boss wasn't going to speak to me and sign the documents about hiring my son-in-law. It was useless to stay in his office and I went away. Until the last second of my presence in the KGB boss's office, the KGB boss was continuing to knock on the table and kept silent. So my son-in-law didn't get hired for only one reason: he was a Jew.

2. Lay off

I want to share my memory about the work of the KGB at the Secret Institute named "Electron". I worked there 31 years. During this time the Director of the Secret Department (KGB) was changed very often.

Once a new Director named Victor Stepanovich O. appeared and presented many notices. At the special meeting he said that the Secret Department knows everything about each person working in the "Electron." "If you go swimming, we'll be with you; if you go for a walk, we'll be with you; if you climb on the mountains, and we'll go with you. We'll be with you always and forever", he said, "Among you there was an engineer named Rabinovich (typically Jew's last name). He went to the Synagogue, but he didn't know that we knew it. You couldn't see him at this meeting because he didn't work there any more." We heard about it and we were afraid for him. We understood very well the danger from the KGB.

3. Face of KGB

Once before a New Year the wife of Victor Stepanovich O. called the Director of the "Electron" and asked him if he knew about her husband because he didn't come home from work. It was very late at about 1:00 a.m. The director ordered special workers to open all rooms and offices in order to find the Director of the Secret Department. Victor Stepanovich was found at a locked room together with two naked drunk women. But he didn't get fired for his amoral behavior and violation of the Secret Regime. There only appeared on the notice-board some Order: "Victor Stepanovich O. is released from an occupied post".

Soon in our "Electron" there occurred a very troubling situation with the Chief of the Physics Department: a bolt of lightning killed him. His vacant place was empty only a short time. In the Physics Department there was a very talented physicist, PhD, Victor L. who worked as a leader of the Physics Department. In this situation all co-workers hoped that Victor L. would become the Chief of the Physics Department. However, that couldn't happen because Victor L. was a Jew.

After the first Order on the notice-board there appeared a second Order: "Victor Stepanovich O. released from an occupied post and transferred to the Physics Department as the Chief of the Physics Department". It was very funny because Victor Stepanovich didn't have a physics education.

This situation was very good only for one man, Victor L. who understood he would not have a professional future in Russia and therefore decided to immigrate to Israel. There he made many useful scientific investigations and discoveries.

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