Before the creation of Department D, there was the komitet-informatsii or KI (Committee of Information) was formed in 1947.[i] It was dissolved in 1951.

Committee of Information created in July 1947 combined the MGB and the GRU to become a unified foreign intelligence service. It was created as a result of the American National Security Act of July 1947 which created the CIA. The first leader was Vyacheslav Molotov, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Molotov was succeed by Andrei Vyshinsky. Vyshinsky was then succeeded quickly by Valerian Zorin. Eventually bit by bit the personnel from the KI were peeled away back to the GRU and MGB until it was dissolved in 1951 [ii]

[i] Tennent H. Bagley, Spymaster, (SkyHorse, 2013) pg 172

[ii] Christopher Andrew, The Sword and Shield, (Basic Books) pg 144