Authority and investigation in Russian Turkestan: interdepartmental aspect (1907-1917)

Clause is devoted to a question on authority and political investigation in Russian Turkestan after establishment here corresponding bodies of Department of Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The authors show that the military authorities of region were afraid of their influence on the Muslim and alien population, and tried to put their activity under the control. They offered projects of the organization of gendarme supervision of the population, subordinated to their interests, but without success. For example, Turkestan general-governor Mishchenko offered the project of the organization of internal investigation from native agents who should observe Muslims of the edge, submitted to military authorities. Bodies of Department of Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been obliged to supervise the alien not Muslim population. Mishchenko soon was dismissed from the post, but general-governor Samsonov who replaced it vigorously supported the project and offered additional measures for its practical realization. He recommended creating in Russian Turkestan the regional gendarme management, subordinated to the Military Ministry. Bodies of Department of Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the region should enter its structure and submit to military authorities. However, the top management of the Military Ministry recognized realization of Samsonov’s offers to be impossible. The authors mark, that Stolypin who was the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Chairman of Ministerial Council, played the main role in refusal of Samsonov's project. The authors conclude that the functions of a professional political investigation were not historically inherent in the Russian army.