Another classic method of control used by paranoid leaders was to have two nearly parallel federal police departments. The KGB, civilian, and the GRU, army intellighence, were often given the same assignments, unbeknownst to each other. The head of the KGB was ALWAYS a career GRU officer, and the head of the GRU was always a career KGB officer.

That way the intelligence agencies were working as much against each other trying to gain favor with the leadership as they were working for the leadership. They also competed with each other in the "efficiency" they could carry out their assignments. The net result was that there was no way for the leadership to be overthrown by a runaway intelligence force, as they were divided. Neither was there a way for a revolt in the hinterlands to be started without one or the other finding out, and having to tell the leaders because they would know it was a matter of time before the other did and told.

That did a lot to insure control and stability over a very diverse populace.

As long as I'm on the subject, the Hungarian revolt was not one of the USs finest hours. It was largely incited by the CIA with promises of American arms and aid. All the Hungarians had to do was start the revolt and come up with some Mickey Mouse government and Eisenhower and Dulles promised recognition and arms.

So, many, many brave Hungarians, relying largely upon those promises, revolted. The response of the USSR was much fiercer than that anticipated by the US, and Eisenhower decided that it wasn't worth risking a nuclear war in order to provide support for the Hungarians.

The rest, as they say, is history. A lot of Hungarians were hung out to dry, or be tortured and then shot. It was one more failure of US foreign policy which ultimately led to the Moon. Failures accumulated, Sputnik, the Bay of Pigs, the Berlin Wall, and in order to gain some prestige Kennedy commited America to go to the Moon. (That will be disputed by the conservatives, by the way. I don't know how they can do it, but they do.)

Arf