State Department Collection of Intelligence, 1915-1927: Records of the Office of the Counselor, Undersecretary of State, and the Chief Special Agent

The UPA microfilm collection State Department Collection of Intelligence, 1915_1927: Records of the Office of the Counselor, Undersecretary of State, and the Chief Special Agent contains letters, German-language cyphered correspondence and translations, coded telegrams, reports, and messages from one legation to another before and during the war. The Soviet state was known as the Russian SFSR (Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic) in 1917 up until 1922, when it became the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). Both names are used in this guide. Users will find correspondence written in a foreign language is under the Reel Index subjects _Languages and linguistics_ and _Foreign languages._ Censor classifications apply to cablegrams and other communications. The existence of any system of classification was treated as strictly confidential. The groups in the system of classification are Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Special Privilege, and White. Descriptions of these classifications can be found on Reel 30, Frames 0459_0461. Most correspondence and telegraph messages are devoted to cyphered material and descriptions of individuals, including aliases, biographical information, travels, consular appointments, and activities involving war allies and enemies.