Nazi SD Intelligence & Surveillance Manual (1936–1945) (Irving File 3D)

The file is an extensive, historically significant manual originating from the Nazi Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and related SS intelligence bodies, compiled between roughly 1936 and 1945, with later Russian-language annotations likely added in the immediate postwar years by Soviet intelligence.

Overall Structure

1. Thematic & Numeric Classification Index

   • A comprehensive coding system for subjects such as philosophy, politics, law, economics, sciences, and racial theory.

   • Hierarchical numbering to organize surveillance reports, informant data, and political intelligence.

2. Operational Directives

   • Orders (e.g., Befehl Nr. 76/36, Nr. 76/56) detailing the recruitment, training, and management of observers (Beobachter), confidential informants (V-Leute), and agents (Agenten).

   • Procedures for establishing Beobachtungsposten (observation posts) across the Reich and occupied territories.

3. Reporting & Filing Systems

   • Standardized report formats, confidentiality oaths, and communication protocols.

   • Color-coded, regionally coded card index system for tracking individuals, organizations, and activities.

4. Geographic & Administrative Coding

   • Number assignments for SD regions (Oberabschnitte, Unterabschnitte).

   • Instructions for cataloging based on political, social, and economic geography.

5. Security & Secrecy Measures

   • Classification levels (streng geheim, etc.), handling instructions, and destruction orders for sensitive material.

6. Bilingual Content

   • Russian translations and explanatory notes interspersed throughout, indicating use as training or reference material by Soviet NKVD/KGB archives after capture in 1945.

Archival & Research Value

• Historical Insight: Offers a rare, intact view into the bureaucratic and operational mindset of the Nazi intelligence network.

• Rarity: Complete SD manuals are scarce due to wartime destruction of classified materials.

• Provenance: Likely preserved in Soviet trophy archives before digitization.

• Research Use: Relevant for WWII historians, intelligence scholars, archival scientists, and studies of totalitarian surveillance systems.

Disclaimer

This document is a historical archival record originating from the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and related agencies of Nazi Germany, produced between 1936 and 1945. It contains:

• Nazi-era terminology, symbols, and propaganda.
• Descriptions of surveillance, intelligence gathering, and racial policies integral to the operations of the SS and Gestapo.
• Language and ideology that are discriminatory, antisemitic, and politically extremist.

The contents are preserved solely for scholarly, educational, and historical research purposes. They do not represent the views or values of the hosting institution, archivists, or researchers.

Because portions of this material may be illegal to display, distribute, or promote in certain jurisdictions, access and use are subject to applicable laws, including those prohibiting the propagation of extremist ideology.

Researchers are urged to approach this material with critical awareness of its historical context and the crimes committed by the Nazi regime. Any interpretation must recognize the document’s role as part of a totalitarian system responsible for mass persecution and genocide.