Teodors Eihmans

Teodors Eihmans (Russian: Фёдор Иванович Эйхманс, Fyodor Ivanovich Eichmans; April 25, 1897 - September 3, 1938) was a Latvian Soviet security officer and first head of the Gulag (Main Directorate of Camps).

Biography

Eihmans was born to a peasant family in the Courland Governorate.[1]

He was a member of the Latvian Riflemen and served in World War I but was soon demobilized after he was in wounded in combat.

He later worked as a mechanic in Petrograd, and in 1917 joined the Bolshevik Party. After the October Revolution, he worked as an agent in the Petrograd Cheka.

During the Civil War, Eihmans was transferred to central Asia and became head of the Kazaly branch of the Cheka. He also was active in the Civil War in Turkestan and worked as an assistant to Gleb Bokii. [2]

After the Civil War he became head of the Solovki prison camp, replacing Alexander Nogtev. The camp was primarily intended to hold socialist opposition to the new Soviet government.[3]

From April 25 to June 16, 1930 Eihmans became the first head of the Camps Administration (ULag, was transformed in October of the same year into the OGPU-GULag). Eihmans was entrusted with the leadership of all the OGPU camps of that time.[4]

In 1930 he organized the Vaygach expedition of the OGPU and until 1932 was its head. Officially, the expedition was engaged in the exploration and development of non-ferrous metal ores on the Vaygach Island and the coast of the Kara Sea.

From 1932 to 1937 he was deputy head of the 9th department (the head of the department was Gleb Bokii), and head of the 3rd department of the 9th department of the GUGB NKVD of the USSR. It was a three-person department that conducted cipher work and managed cryptography, organized cipher communication with foreign missions of the USSR. At the same time, Eichmans was deputy chief of the Special Department.[5]

In July 1937, Ehimans was arrested on accounts of Trotskyism and later shot on September 3rd, 1938. He was rehabilitated on July 25th, 1956.

References
  1. "Eichmans Fedor Ivanovich. Biography".
  2. "Education and organization of the Cheka-OGPU activities".
  3. "Федор Эйхманс - второй комендант Соловецкого лагеря". www.solovki.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  4. "Память ГУЛАГа". rosagr.natm.ru. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  5. "Eichmans, Fedor Ivanovich. Staff of the NKVD 1935-1939".
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