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Papers: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1954.
Papers: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1955.
Papers: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1956.
Papers: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1958.
Papers: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1959.
Papers: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1962.
Papers: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1963.
Russkii Obshche-Voinskii Soiuz (ROVS or the Russian Universal Military Union) was founded on September 1, 1924 in Yugoslavia by Petr Vrangel (in his order no. 35 of that year) in conjunction with several emigre White military organizations.
In its early years, ROVS was es-sentially an umbrella organization for several other military unions, such as the Soiuz Ofitserov and the Soiuz Gallipoliitsev, which generally encompassed smaller constituent groups. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich,who was living in France at that time, became the nominal commander-in-chief, although Vrangel as the military commander-in-chief was responsible for the actual functioning of ROVS. Vrangel and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich directed ROVS until their deaths in 1928, whereupon Aleksandr Kutepov assumed the chairmanship and directed it until his kidnapping in January, 1930. Evgenii Miller succeeded Kutepov as chairman and remained in con-trol until his kidnapping in September, 1937. Mikhail Kedrov took overcommand of ROVS in, the interim between Miller's disappearance and theappointment of Aleksei Arkhangel'skii as chairman. Arkhangel'skii served as chairman until 1957. Aleksei von Lampe succeeded Arkhangel'skii, serving until his death in 1967.
Sremski Karlovci, Yugoslavia and Paris were the first two major centers of ROVS1 activity. Then, during 1926-1927, Vrangel moved from Yugoslavia to Brussels. When Kutepov assumed command of ROVS, most of the central activities were consolidated in the region of Paris. Miller, Pavel Shatilov and Ivan Khol'msen had been active in Paris since 1924.
Europe was the primary arena of ROVS'activity. It was divided into six otdely (sections). I Otdel - France (and Belgium during 1924); II Otdel - Germany and also including Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Danzig; III Otdel - Bulgaria, Turkey; IV Otdel - Yugoslavia; V Otdel - Belgium, Luxembourg; VI Otdel - Czechoslovakia.
There were also two otdely in North America, one based in New York and the other in San Francisco. In addition, there were several other, small groups in Australia, South America, China and elsewhere.
ROVS Leadership: Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, 1924-1928 Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel, 1924-1928 (25 April) Aleksandr Pavlovich Kutepov, 1928-1930 (Jan.) Evgenii Karlovich Miller, 1930-1937 (Sept.) Aleksei Petrovich Arkhangel'skii, 1937-1957 Aleksei Aleksandrovich von Lampe, 1957-1967
Who's Who in ROVS: Abramov, Fedor Fedorovich - III Otdel, Sofia. Arkhangel'skii, Aleksei Petrovich - with Vrangel in Yugoslavia; later moved to Brussels; chairman of ROVS from 1937 to 1957. Arkhangel'skii, Petr Grigorevich - assistant to Kholfmsen. Asmolov, Vasilii - assistant in Paris office. Barbovich, Ivan Gavrilovich - IV Otdel, Belgrade. Bazarevich, Vladimir Iosifovich - IV Otdel, Belgrade. Chekotovskii, Ignatii Ignatfevich - Ob''edinenie Konnitsy i Konnoi Artillerii. Ekk, Eduard Vladimirovich - IV Otdel, Belgrade. Erdeli, Ivan Egorovich - nachal'nik, I Otdel in France, June 1934 until c. June 1935 (until I Otdel was combined with Central Office). Gartman, Boris Egorovich - V Otdel, Brussels. Kedrov, Mikhail Aleksandrovich - admiral in Russian Imperial Navy; in command of ROVS after Miller was kidnapped. Khodorovich, Nikolai Alekseevich - VI Otdel, Prague. Khol'msen, Ivan Alekseevich - nachal'nik, I Otdel in France, c.1924-c.1930. Kondzerovskii, Petr Konstantinovich - aide to Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. Kusonskii, Pavel Alekseevich - with Vrangel in Yugoslavia and Belgium; then moved to Paris to work with Miller. Kutepov, Aleksandr Pavlovich - succeded Vrangel' and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich as chairman in 1928; retained his post until his kidnappingin January, 1930. von Lampe, Aleksei Aleksandrovich - II Otdel, Berlin. Chairman of ROVS from 1957 to 1967. Matsylev, Sergei Aleksandrovich - assistant to Vitkovskii in the I Armeiskii Korpus; after Miller's kidnapping, ran, I Otdel office in Paris (also assisting Vitkovskii). Miller, Evgenii Karlovich - chairman of ROVS from 1930 to 1937 Monkevich, Nikolai Avgustovich - assistant to Kutepov. Popov, Vladimir Vladimirovich - succeeded Matsylev in the Paris office; active during the 1950's. Semenovskii, A.G. [P?]. II Otdel, Berlin. Aide to von Lampe. Shatilov, Pavel Nikolaevich - worked under Khol'msen and Miller during the1920's; nachal'nik of I Otdel from c. 1930 until June, 1934. Stanislavskii, Andrei Vasil'evich - assistant to Shatilov, Erdeli and Miller,in that order. Stogov, Nikolai Nikolaevich - worked with Kutepov; after his disappearance worked with Miller. Vitkovskii, Vladimir Konstantinovich - head of I Armeiskii Korpus, based in Nice; became nachal'nik of I Otdel in 1937. Vuich, Georgii Ivanovich - assistant to Khol'msen. Vrangel, Petr Nikolaevich - Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army and administrative leader of ROVS from 1924 to 1928; first based in Sremski Karlovci, Yugoslavia and then in Brussels.
Aleksandr Pavlovich KUTEPOV, Aleksei Aleksandrovich von LAMPE, Aleksei Petrovich ARKHANGEL'SKII, Andrei Vasil'evich STANISLAVSKII, Boris Egorovich GARTMAN, Eduard Vladimirovich EKK, Evgenii Karlovich MILLER, Fedor Fedorovich ABRAMOV, Georgii Ivanovich VUICH, Ignatii Ignat'evich CHEKOTOVSKII, Ivan Alekseevich KHOL'MSEN, Ivan Egorovich ERDELI, Ivan Gavrilovich BARBOVICH, Mikhail Aleksandrovich KEDROV, Nikolai Alekseevich KHODOROVICH, Nikolai Avgustovich MONKEVICH, Nikolai Nikolaevich STOGOV, Pavel Alekseevich KUSONSKII, Pavel Nikolaevich SHATILOV, Petr Grigorevich ARKHANGELSKII, Petr Konstantinovich KONDZEROVSKII, Petr Nikolaevich VRANGEL, Sergei Aleksandrovich MATSYLEV, Vladimir Iosifovich BAZAREVICH, Vladimir Konstantinovich VITKOVSKII, Vladimir Vladimirovich POPOV.
Bakhmeteff Archive. Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Columbia University.
Papers Accessioned 1954.
Papers Accessioned 1955.
Papers Accessioned 1956.
Papers Accessioned 1958.
Papers Accessioned 1959.
Papers Accessioned 1962.
Papers Accessioned 1963.
Papers Processed 04/--/83.
Related materials can be found in the following Bakhmeteff Archive collections: Arkhangel'skii, Kutepov, Lampe, ROVS-North America, and Shatilov.
Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, organizational records, subject files and printed materials of the Russkii Obshche-Voinskii Soiuz (ROVS; Russian Universal Military Union). ROVS was founded in 1924 by Petr Vrangel and several otherhigh ranking officers of the Russian Imperial and White armies. The cataloged correspondence includes letters by Vrangel, Evgenii Miller, Nikolai Tsurikov and leading French military figures of the 1920's and 1930's. Arranged correspondence series consist of the ROVS Central Office, Vrangel's Headquarters, "Khodataistva," the ROVS I, II, III, IV, V, and VI Otdely (sections), topical correspondence files and letters sent to Ivan Khol'msen, Aleksandr Kutepov and Miller. Among the manuscripts are several reminiscences by White military figures of World War I, the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War and an account of Miller's kidnapping. There are photographs taken during World War I and the Civil War from the I. I. Chekotovskii files. See the albums in the Simbirskii Kadetskii Korpus subject file for photographs of Nicholas II andother members of the Imperial Family. The organizational records include alfavity, ROVS circulars and informational bulletins, court of honor proceedings, financial records, informational reports, surveys and summaries, particularly on Soviet activities and developments inside the USSR, inquiries on numerous individuals, and orders. There are also the organizational files of the I Armeiskii Korpus (I Army Corps), of the six otdely in Europe and Kutepov's files. Subject files concern such topics as Russian military agents in Japan, the Netherlands and Switzerland during World War I, ROVS film-making projects, military education in exile, Kutepov's kidnapping, military organizational records prior to ROVS' existence and the development of officers' unions in the emigration. The printed materials include three scrap-books compiled during World War II entitled "Na Vostochnom Fronte," and circulars and pamphlets of other emigre organizations.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Box 20 is missing as of 2022. kws 2023-06-24
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