OMS

Abbreviation of the Russian name of the Department of International Communications of the Communist International (Comintern) – Otdel mezhdunarodnykh svyazei.

Organized in 1920, the OMS was in charge of maintaining continuous working communication between the Comintern’s Executive Committee (ECCI ) and national Communist parties in other countries. Its responsibilities included shifting and moving people between countries, providing them with documentation, safe houses, and so on. It was also in charge of transporting propaganda literature and various forms of cargo, including arms. Among its important functions were channeling funds to national Communist parties, sending secret documentation and instructions, etc. The OMS had outposts in many cities around the world, including U.S. cities.

In the early 1920s, the OMS was involved in the preparations for revolutionary upheavals in other countries (for instance, in Germany in 1923 and Bulgaria in 1924). Since its inception in 1920, and until its liquidation in 1943, the OMS had also served as a link between the Soviet intelligence services and Comintern affiliates in many countries of the world.