Federal ministry of interior

Upon the adoption of the Act on the Czechoslovak federation, significant organisational and conceptual changes occured in the Ministry of interior and the security forces as of 1 January 1969. The Federal ministry of interior was created. Unitl the end of 1970, it was headed by Jan Pelnář. Simlutaneously, the two republic ministries of interior were constituted – the Ministry of interior of the Czech Socialist Republic (led by Josef Grösser) and the Ministry of interior of the Slovak Socialist Republic (led by Egyd Pepich).

The authority of the Federal ministry of interior (FMV) was stipulated by Act No. 166/1968 Coll. Based on it, the FMV was reponsible for coordinating activities of the bodies of both republics in steering the security corps and components of the armed security corps designated to fulfil special tasks in the protection of the ČSSR, federal bodies and institutions. It was further responsible for the execution of the state administration in association issues concerning both republics, for the protection of state and economic secrets, for the legal regulations concerning the borders of the ČSSR and its state symbols and for the legal regulation of road traffic rules. Of the operative forces, only the foreign intelligence administration remained under the exclusive authority of the Federal ministry of interior. 

The other divisions of the ministry were created in triple rendition (for the federal, Czech and Slovak ministries). The regional administrations of the National security corps and the territorial bodies of the Civilian defence and fire protection on the territory of the Czech Socialist Republic were transferred into the purview of the Ministry of interior of the Czech Republic (an analogous procedure was applied for the Slovak Ministry of interior). Their organisational structure (as well as the organisation of the district departments of the Public security) however remained practically unchanged. The insufficient demarcation of the authority and responsibility of the individual ministries often led to competence disputes and conflicts. 

The Presidium of the Central committee of the Communist party of Czechoslovakia and the federal government ordered the ministers of interior to solve the deficiencies by means regular informal meetings. These problems were to be solved by a new Act on the specification of the authority of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in issues of internal order and security of 20 December 1970 which specified in more detail the authority of the Federal ministry of interior. Based on the act, the FMV was to steer the State security including the investigation units, all the units of the National security corps at times of extraordinary threats to the calm and public order, as well as important and state-wide issues lying within the competence of the Public security.

See also: Ministry of national security, Ministry of interior