West Trying to Undermine Reforms, KGB Chief Says

The head of the Soviet KGB secret police, in what was seen as the toughest stand since the introduction of the Kremlin’s glasnost , or openness policy, has accused the West of trying to penetrate Soviet society through its intelligentsia, Pravda reported Friday.

KGB boss Viktor M. Chebrikov was quoted by the Communist Party as saying in a speech that Western secret services were making increasing efforts to undermine the achievements of Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s reconstruction program.

Politburo Member

In addition to his KGB post, Chebrikov is a member of the party’s ruling Politburo.

“The special services of imperialism are trying to discover new loopholes to penetrate our society,” Chebrikov told a rally Thursday marking the 110th anniversary of the birth of Felix E. Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Cheka, the forerunner of the KGB.

One of the main targets of the Western secret services was the moral and political outlook of the Soviet people, he said.

“All strands of the population of our country are in the sights of the imperialist special services,” Pravda quoted the KGB chief as saying. “And the creative intelligentsia are no exception.”

Chebrikov said the works of writers, film makers, artists, musicians and theater directors all had a strong influence on people.

“Our enemies are aware of this, and strive to force individual representatives of the artistic intelligentsia into the position of criticism, demagogy and nihilism,” he said.

In his speech, which foreign analysts described as the toughest since the policy of glasnost promoted by Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev gained momentum, Chebrikov issued a strong attack against what he called anti-Communist elements in Soviet society.

“We have among us, and here one must speak plainly, people with alien ideas which are even openly hostile to socialism,” he said.

There were also cases of extremists infiltrating unofficial groupings and making provocative demands, he said in a clear reference to the Pamyat (Memory) organization, which promotes Russian nationalist views.

“One gets the impression that these people have understood the process of the broadening of democracy as a possibility to do anything that comes into their heads without punishment and act against the interests of Soviet society,” Chebrikov said.

Analysts said the speech was in line with warnings by chief Soviet ideologist Yegor K. Ligachev against allowing glasnost and democratization to get out of hand.