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The so-called Serov Instructions (full title: On the Procedure for Carrying out the Deportation of Anti-Soviet Elements from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) was an undated top secret document, signed by General Ivan Serov, Deputy People's Commissar for State Security of the Soviet Union (NKGB). The instructions detailed procedures on how to carry out the mass deportations to Siberia of June 13–14, 1941, which occurred throughout Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia during the first (1940-1941) Soviet occupation of the three Baltic countries.

The instructions specified that the deportations would be carried out as secretly, quietly and speedily as possible. Families were restricted to taking 100 kilograms (220 lb) of their belongings (clothes, food, kitchenware). The heads of the families were sent to Gulag labor camps, and other members were transported to forced settlements in remote areas of the Soviet Union.

Dating and confusion

While the original document is undated, sources provide various dates from October 11, 1939 to January 21, 1941.^[1] However, the NKGB was created only on February 3, 1941 and so could not have issued documents earlier.^[2]

A copy of the instructions, found in Šiauliai, had a stamp that the document was received on June 7.^[3] Therefore, the instructions must have been written sometime between February and June 1941.

The Serov Instructions are often confused with NKVD Order No. 001223,^[3] a completely different document that was signed by Lavrenty Beria on October 11, 1939,^[4] which was prepared by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) and listed various groups of people (anticommunists, former military or police personnel, large landowners, industrialists etc.) to be targeted by Soviet security structures according to the Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code).^[4] The original Serov Instructions had no date or number.^[3] The confusion possibly originates from the Third Interim Report by the United States House Select Committee to Investigate the Incorporation of the Baltic States into the U.S.S.R., which published the full text of the Instructions under a misleading heading as Order № 001223.^[3]

References

^ Museum of the Occupation of Latvia Archived 2007-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ Parrish, Michael (1996). The Lesser Terror: Soviet State Security, 1939–1953. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 262. ISBN 0-275-95113-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Shtromas, Alexander (2003). Totalitarianism and the Prospects for World Order: Closing the Door on the Twentieth Century. Applications of Political Theory. Lexington Books. p. 292. ISBN 0-7391-0534-5.
^ ^a ^b Anušauskas, Arvydas (1996). Lietuvių tautos sovietinis naikinimas 1940–1958 metais (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mintis. pp. 18–19. ISBN 5-417-00713-7.

[museum-1] Museum of the Occupation of Latvia Archived 2007-02-17 at the Wayback Machine

[parrish-2] Parrish, Michael (1996). The Lesser Terror: Soviet State Security, 1939–1953. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 262. ISBN 0-275-95113-8.

[shtromas-3] Shtromas, Alexander (2003). Totalitarianism and the Prospects for World Order: Closing the Door on the Twentieth Century. Applications of Political Theory. Lexington Books. p. 292. ISBN 0-7391-0534-5.

[anusa-4] Anušauskas, Arvydas (1996). Lietuvių tautos sovietinis naikinimas 1940–1958 metais (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mintis. pp. 18–19. ISBN 5-417-00713-7.

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+{{Short description|Soviet Union's document which gave guidelines for deporting people from Baltic states in 1940s}}
 {{wikisource|Regarding the Procedure for carrying out the Deportation of Anti-Soviet Elements from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia|Serov Instructions}}
-The document  ''"On the Procedure for Carrying out the Deportation of Anti-Soviet Elements from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia"'', informally referred to as the '''Serov Instructions''', was an undated [[top secret]] document, signed by General [[Ivan Serov]], Deputy [[People's Commissariat for State Security|People's Commissar for State Security]] of the [[Soviet Union]] (NKGB). The instructions detailed procedures on how to carry out [[June deportation|the mass deportations to Siberia]] of June 13 and June 14, 1941 throughout the [[Baltic States]] during [[Occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union (1940)|the first Soviet occupation]] of 1940–1941.
+The so-called '''Serov Instructions''' (full title: '''On the Procedure for Carrying out the Deportation of Anti-Soviet Elements from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia''') was an undated [[Classified information#Top_Secret_(TS)|top secret]] document, signed by General [[Ivan Serov]], Deputy [[People's Commissariat for State Security|People's Commissar for State Security]] of the [[Soviet Union]] ([[Ministry of State Security (Soviet Union)|NKGB]]). The instructions detailed procedures on how to carry out [[June deportation|the mass deportations to Siberia]] of June 13–14, 1941, which occurred throughout [[Lithuania]], [[Latvia]] and [[Estonia]] during the [[Occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union (1940)|first (1940-1941) Soviet occupation of the three Baltic countries]].
-The instructions specified that the deportations would be carried out as secretly, quietly, and speedily as possible. The families were restricted to take only up to {{convert|100|kg}} of their belongings (clothes, food, kitchen ware). The heads of the families were sent to [[Gulag]] [[labor camp]]s, while their families were transported to [[Forced settlements in the Soviet Union|forced settlements in remote areas of the Soviet Union]].
+The instructions specified that the deportations would be carried out as secretly, quietly and speedily as possible. Families were restricted to taking {{convert|100|kg}} of their belongings (clothes, food, kitchenware). The heads of the families were sent to [[Gulag]] [[labor camp]]s, and other members were transported to [[forced settlements in the Soviet Union|forced settlements]] in remote areas of the Soviet Union.
 ==Dating and confusion==
-While the original document is undated, sources provide various dates from October 11, 1939 to January 21, 1941.<ref name=museum>[http://www.occupationmuseum.lv/eng/services/Briefing_paper_04.html Museum of the Occupation of Latvia]</ref> However, the NKGB was created only on February 3, 1941 and therefore could not issue documents prior to that.<ref name=parrish/> A copy of the instructions, found in [[Šiauliai]], had a stamp that the document was received on June 7.<ref name=shtromas/> Therefore the instructions must have been written sometime between February and June 1941.
+While the original document is undated, sources provide various dates from October 11, 1939 to January 21, 1941.<ref name=museum>[http://www.occupationmuseum.lv/eng/services/Briefing_paper_04.html Museum of the Occupation of Latvia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217181501/http://www.occupationmuseum.lv/eng/services/Briefing_paper_04.html |date=2007-02-17 }}</ref> However, the NKGB was created only on February 3, 1941 and so could not have issued documents earlier.<ref name=parrish/>
+A copy of the instructions, found in [[Šiauliai]], had a stamp that the document was received on June 7.<ref name=shtromas/> Therefore, the instructions must have been written sometime between February and June 1941.
-The Serov Instructions are often confused with Order № 001223,<ref name=shtromas/> a completely different document signed by [[Lavrenty Beria]] on October 11, 1939.<ref name=anusa/> The original Serov Instructions bear no date or number.<ref name=shtromas/> The confusion possibly originates from the Third Interim Report by the [[United States House Select Committee to Investigate the Incorporation of the Baltic States into the U.S.S.R.]], which published full text of the Instructions under a misleading heading as Order № 001223.<ref name=shtromas/> The Order was prepared by the [[People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs]] (NKVD) and listed various groups of people (anti-communists, former military or police personnel, large landowners, industrialists, etc.) that would be targeted by Soviet security structures according to the [[Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code)]].<ref name=anusa/>
+The Serov Instructions are often confused with [[NKVD Order No. 001223]],<ref name=shtromas/> a completely different document that was signed by [[Lavrenty Beria]] on October 11, 1939,<ref name=anusa/> which was prepared by the [[People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs]] (NKVD) and listed various groups of people (anticommunists, former military or police personnel, large landowners, industrialists etc.) to be targeted by Soviet security structures according to the [[Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code)]].<ref name=anusa/> The original Serov Instructions had no date or number.<ref name=shtromas/> The confusion possibly originates from the Third Interim Report by the [[United States House Select Committee to Investigate the Incorporation of the Baltic States into the U.S.S.R.]], which published the full text of the Instructions under a misleading heading as Order № 001223.<ref name=shtromas/>
 == See also ==
@@ Line 15: / Line 19: @@
 {{reflist|refs=
-<ref name=shtromas>{{cite book| first=Alexander |last=Shtromas |title=Totalitarianism and the Prospects for World Order: Closing the Door on the Twentieth Century |series=Applications of Political Theory |page=292 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fTt6lJOEEFcC&pg=PA292&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&f=false | publisher=Lexington Books |year=2003 |isbn=0-7391-0534-5}}</ref>
+<ref name=shtromas>{{cite book| first=Alexander |last=Shtromas |title=Totalitarianism and the Prospects for World Order: Closing the Door on the Twentieth Century |series=Applications of Political Theory |page=292 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTt6lJOEEFcC&pg=PA292 | publisher=Lexington Books |year=2003 |isbn=0-7391-0534-5}}</ref>
-<ref name=parrish>{{cite book| title=The Lesser Terror: Soviet State Security, 1939–1953 |first=Michael |last=Parrish | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NDgv5ognePgC&pg=PA262&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&f=false| page=262 | publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1996| isbn=0-275-95113-8}}</ref>
+<ref name=parrish>{{cite book| title=The Lesser Terror: Soviet State Security, 1939–1953 |first=Michael |last=Parrish | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NDgv5ognePgC&pg=PA262| page=262 | publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1996| isbn=0-275-95113-8}}</ref>
 <ref name=anusa>{{cite book| first=Arvydas |last=Anušauskas |title=Lietuvių tautos sovietinis naikinimas 1940–1958 metais | pages=18–19 |location=Vilnius |publisher=Mintis |year=1996 |isbn=5-417-00713-7|language=lt}}</ref>
 }}
+{{Authority control}}
-[[Category:Official documents of the Soviet Union]]
+[[Category:Government documents of the Soviet Union]]
-[[Category:History of Lithuania (1940–45)]]
-[[Category:History of Estonia]]
-[[Category:History of Latvia]]
 [[Category:1941 in Estonia]]
 [[Category:1941 in Lithuania]]
 [[Category:1941 in Latvia]]
 [[Category:1941 in the Soviet Union]]
-[[Category:Forced migration in the Soviet Union]]
+[[Category:Forced migration in the Soviet Union during World War II]]
-[[Category:Soviet military occupations]]
 [[Category:World War II documents]]
+[[Category:1941 documents]]