Feliks Dzerzhinsky

Born in Vilna, Lithuania in 1877, wanted to become a priest at an early age. Became involved in politics as a teenager and helped to lead protests against the czarist regime in Russia at the time. Was arrested several times from 1897 to 1900 and twice escape from the Siberian prison to which he was confined.

Continued as a political agitator in Berlin, Germany and in Poland and again was arrested and imprisoned. Twice more he was imprisoned for the same charge and in 1917 was released from prison by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution.

Was a trusted ally of Vladimir Lenin and was placed in charge of security for senior party members. He was later appointed by Lenin to serve as the head of Cheka, the Russian Secret Police (and precursor to the KGB). Cheka consisted of less than 25 employees when it was established but boasted more than 37,000 just two years later.

Cheka was designed as three divisions. The First Directorate was concerned with detected and putting down subversive activities within the Soviet Union, the Second Directorate with subversive active outside of the Soviet borders and the Third Directorate looking for the same within the Soviet military system.