From the Czechoslovak State Security to the Slovak Information Service

Abstract

The search for and analysis of information on the functioning and organisation of the secret services of the former socialist bloc states is still a focus of interest. Due to the scarcity of sources and the difficulty of accessing them, every professional and scientific communication and publication is a new opportunity to gain knowledge. This paper provides a brief insight into the process of how the Slovak Information Service, the only civilian national security service in Slovakia, was established, starting from the Kosice Government Programme, which created the state security organisation in Czechoslovakia. In addition to describing the period of totalitarianism, it also describes the main organisational changes during the transition period and the circumstances of the creation and operation of the Slovak Information Service.