Storming in agent recruitment: Evidence from declassified Soviet secret service files

Abstract

Using recently declassified data from 1961-1990, we find that the recruitment of secret service (KGB) agents in Latvia, then part of the Soviet Union, evolved in cycles with mid-year and year-end surges. These persistent activity surges, also known as storming, occurred at the end of required reporting periods and resemble the behavior in the rest of the planned Soviet economy. Our findings demonstrate that storming characterized more than just the production of goods - it was also present in one of the most important state security agencies. We also find that storming in recruitment was more likely in strategically less important areas and among the less educated individuals.