The principles and factors of personnel work in the Cheka

The article investigates the process of implementation of the principles and the extent of influence of different factors in the personnel recruiting to the Extraordinary Commission (Cheka). On the base of documentary sources, the author describes half-hearted measures of the Bolsheviks in the staffing of the Cheka, aimed at the formation of the party and class composition of the security officers. Age, physical endurance, as well as the prestige of the service increased the impact of the factor of lack of personnel and its quality, which largely determined the ability of the Bolsheviks to ensure the employees for the Cheka. In these circumstances, the authorities allowed the presence of security officers from noble families, even so called old specialists in its ranks, and organized presence in the Cheka large layer of Latvians, Jews and Poles.