Circles of Subversion in Khruschev's USSR.

ACTIVISTS; KHRUSHCHEV, Nikita Sergeevich, 1894-1971; COMMUNISM; SOVIET Union. Komitet gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti; PIMENOV, R. I. (Revol't Ivanovich), 1931-; KRASNOPEVTSEV, Lev; HUMAN rights workers; DEMOCRACY; SOVIET social conditions; SOCIETIES

The article examines the spread of underground groups and secret societies in the Soviet Union during the reign of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. The author distinguishes between subversive nationalist, religious, and political groups from this time period, with emphasis given to the operations of the political groups led by human rights activists Revolt Pimenov and Lev Krasnopevtsev. Both groups were associated with Soviet universities. The largely pro-communist, though also pro-democratic, stance of these groups is explained. Efforts undertaken by the Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (KGB) to document and undermine underground activity are detailed.