How the USSR circumvented bans on Western music

70 years ago, a few months after the death of the leader of all Soviet peoples, the existing bans on access to ideologically harmful foreign music began to be circumvented; Against the backdrop of jamming Western radio stations and the lack of tape recorders, the most important role in this was played by the amateur production of recordings on films for X-ray machines, which by 1955 had become widespread; It is generally accepted that only old photographs from medical institutions were used, but the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs also identified completely different sources of plate foundations that were dangerous for the state.

From a letter from the Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR N.P. Dudorov to the Minister of Culture of the USSR N.A. Mikhailov, the Minister of Health of the USSR M.D. Kovrigina and the Minister of Aviation Industry P.V. Dementyev, April 11, 1956

Recently, in the city of Moscow, the sale to the population of gramophone records with recordings of ideologically inconsistent, vulgar songs and melodies, as well as genre musical works, has become widespread.

During 1955–56, the Moscow police detained a large number of people for selling handicraft gramophone records, mainly from among students of higher educational institutions, high school students and unemployed youth leading an idle lifestyle.

As a result of the measures taken by the Moscow police department, a number of persons involved in the illegal production of gramophone records were identified. Among them were: senior mechanical engineer of the All-Union Institute “Giprosovkhozstroy” A. Kh. VISHKOVETSKY, radio technician of the Moscow documentary film studio V. KH. KHASYANOV, designer of the aircraft plant mailbox No. 75 L. N. MAYOROV and home worker of the “Universalprom” artel LITICHKIN N. A., who were brought to criminal liability for the illegal production of these plates, as well as the technician of the Central Telegraph LIKHACHEV A. G. and the grinder of the aircraft factory mailbox E393 GORBACHEV M. A.

To make gramophone records, these individuals had special sound recording devices and other necessary radio equipment at home.

They made gramophone recordings on used medical and technical, and sometimes new, X-ray film purchased from medical institutions and enterprises of the Ministry of Aviation Industry. They bought a significant amount of X-ray film from the designer of the aviation plant, post office box No. 75, Mayorov, who stole it from the same plant.

On gramophone records made from such film, details of machines and instruments, sometimes of a secret nature, human organs are clearly visible, and also the medical institutions that produced X-rays are indicated, in particular the Central Kirov Clinic of Moscow, the clinic of the Ministry of Railways of the USSR, tuberculosis dispensary No. 6 , Clinical Hospital of the 1st Moscow Order of Lenin Medical Institute and other medical institutions of the USSR Ministry of Health.

VISHKOVETSKY, LITICHKIN and others sold the produced records to various people, mainly students, for 4–5 rubles per record, and the latter resold them for 10 rubles.

Among these persons were: I. L. KOROLEV, born in 1938, member of the Komsomol, student of the 9th grade of secondary school No. 155 in Moscow; POLYAKOV D. A., born in 1937, student at Working Youth School No. 73; ALEXEEV A.P., born in 1930, student at the All-Union Correspondence Energy Institute; SAMORODOV A.P., born in 1935, student at the Moscow Institute of Technology; GORBUNOV A. M. 2nd year student of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. Lomonosov; LINKOV brothers: Lev, born in 1935, and Boris, born in 1937, not working anywhere, and a number of others.

Measures are taken against persons involved in the sale of gramophone records through parents and the public.

As a result of the searches, the following were discovered and confiscated from the criminals: 500 records with ideologically inconsistent recordings, 15 thousand blanks for records, 500 sheets of new X-ray film, 3 kilograms of unused aerial film and sound recording equipment.

Reporting the above, the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs requests that appropriate measures be taken on this issue…

Publication by Evgeny Zhirnov