The Kukhtarev two-center model for photochromic doubly doped LiNbO3:Fe:Mn crystals is both numerically and analytically solved for the recording sensitivity and the fixed nonvolatile space-charge field. An optimal prescription for material doping and oxidation/reduction processing is found, which requires that the crystal should be strongly oxidized together with a suitable Mn density with respect to the Fe density. Experiments performed with an oxidized crystal and a reduced crystal prove the prediction.