Page "Cheka" Paragraph 18

All results of its activities, VCheKa had either to transfer to the Investigatory Commission of Revtribunal or to dismiss a case.

The control of the commission's activity was provided by the People's Commissariat for Justice ( Narkomjust, at that time headed by Isidor Steinberg ) and Internal Affairs ( NKVD, at that time headed by Hryhoriy Petrovsky ).

Although the VCheKa was officially an independent organization from the NKVD, its main members such as Dzerzhinsky, Latsis, Unszlicht, and Uritsky ( all main chekists ), since November 1917 composed the collegiate of NKVD headed by Petrovsky.

In November 1918, Petrovsky was appointed as the head of the All-Ukrainian Central Military Revolutionary Committee during VCheKa's expansion to provinces and front-lines.

At the time of political competition between Bolsheviks and SRs ( January 1918 ), Left SRs attempted to curb the rights of VCheKa and establish through the Narkomiust its control over its work.

Having failed in attempts to subordinate the VCheKa to Narkomiust, the Left SRs were to seek control of the Extraordinary Commission in a different way.

They requested that the Central Committee of the party was granted the right to directly enter their representatives into the VCheKa.

Sovnarkom recognized the desirability of including five representatives of the Left Socialist-Revolutionary faction of VTsIK.

Left SRs were granted the post of a companion ( deputy ) chairman of VCheKa.

However, Sovnarkom, in which the majority belonged to the representatives of RSDLP ( b ) retained the right to approve members of the collegium of the VCheKa.