Bolshevik Leaders correspondence

Bolshevik leadership Correspondence. 1912-1927
Collection of documents 1996.
Compiled by: A.V.Kvashonkin, L.P.Kosheleva, L.A.Rogovaya, O.V.Khlevnyuk.

No. 165

J. V. Stalin - V. I. Lenin

November 13, 1922

Owls. Secret.

Copy to Comrade Kamenev.

T. LENIN!

I consider it necessary to provide you with some data on two issues:

1) Today, Comrade Kamenev told me (by telephone) about the need to approve an agreement with French merchants on the organization of a mixed company for the sale of our platinum, and we must provide at least 60 poods of platinum for sale abroad to this company, but we ourselves refuse enter the foreign market with its platinum. Since there are no elements of “mixture” in this draft treaty (the platinum is all ours, the French have no platinum, they are just commission agents for the sale of platinum, and it must be assumed that, since platinum is an almost monopoly commodity, they, the French, will try to sell a minimum of platinum in order to please American platinum sellers and give them the opportunity to sell American platinum at exorbitant prices), but, on the contrary, the whole agreement is a complete mockery of Russia, I suggested so-called. Kamenev summoned all the supporters of the treaty and talked to them on the merits, advising him to annul the treaty on a "mixed" society by offering the French a certain percentage of the total amount of platinum sold for a commission. I think that one should pay attention to this issue, strongly exaggerated by Sverdlov (a person is more than unreliable)1 .

2) I received a number of statements from practitioners of the Moscow Party Organization and from members of the Russian faction of the Congress of the Comintern about some inconvenience created by your interview with the Observer correspondent about left and right communists. Statements indicate that the interview with Comrade Lenin sanctifies the existence of left communism (perhaps the workers' opposition) as a legal party phenomenon 2. Practitioners believe that now that left communism in all its forms (not excluding the workers' opposition) has been eliminated, it is dangerous and inappropriate to speak of left communism as a legitimate phenomenon that can compete with official party communism, especially since on the 11th At the Congress, we stated the complete unity of our Party, and the period following the Eleventh Congress speaks of the further strengthening of the Party in the sense of its unity and cohesion. I think that if in the diplomatic respect the emphasis on the existence of Left Communism may be useful, then in respect of the Party this emphasis leads to some negative results to the detriment of the Party and to the benefit of the workers' opposition, creates confusion and ambiguities. It would be nice to correct this shortcoming in the future.

November 13, 1922

I. Stalin.

RTSKHIDNI. F. 5. Op. 2. D. 272. L. 1. Typewritten text. Signature - facsimile.

Notes:

On November 23, 1922, the Politburo considered the issue of a mixed company for the sale of platinum. The adopted decision provided for measures for a more detailed study of the possibility of selling platinum both independently and with the help of a mixed company. The Politburo, in particular, provided for the creation of a special commission to study the circumstances of the preparation of the treaty (RTsKhIDNI. F. 17. Op. 3. D. 323. L. 2). On January 18, 1923, at the suggestion of Stalin, the Politburo recognized the issue of platinum as settled, and the commission created earlier was liquidated (Ibid. D. 330. L. 6) *

2 This refers to Lenin’s interview with the Observer and the Manchester Guardian, published in Pravda on November 10, 1922. When asked whether the refusal to ratify one of the economic agreements between Russia and England means the victory of the “Left Communists”, Lenin replied that the unjust step of England, which opposed the admission of Russia to the Lausanne Conference, "caused such indignation in Russia and so rallied not only the right communists with the left, but also the gigantic mass of the non-party Russian population, workers, peasants, that the matter did not and could not reach what a disagreement between the left and right communists ”(Lenin V.I. PSS. T. 45. P. 242).

No. 166

A. M. Nazaretyan — G. K. Ordzhonikidze

November 27 [1922]

Dear Sergo!

27/XI

The comrades recalled here, especially (apparently) Iliko, put great pressure on Bukharin and others. In this regard, in order to put an end to all conversations once and for all, they decided - to [omi]ssia 1 . Well, you had to work hard. Kabakhidze filed a sneak against you at the Central Control Commission 2 . They asked me about Kabakhidze. Today Shkiryatov laughed, said, it's a pity it didn't work, he only hit once!? We have already worked out the foundations of the constitution of the Union of Republics. The commission of the Plenum will finish its work soon 3 . I will send the materials to you in a few days. You probably received our encryption about the registration of the Zakfederation in the sense of the creation of the ZakTsIK and ZakSNK. Things are going well. The koba keeps very firmly. In the Comintern, except for ours, there is squabble and fight in all other parties. In the field of foreign policy - here in Lausanne 4great support for Italy (oddly enough) from Mussolini. France continues to flirt. The Turks seem to be having a hard time. They stopped the persecution of our Foreign Trade in Angora and begin to behave more decently. I will go to Lausanne. Came to see me several times. I was a little surprised by his courtesy. Alyosha works as the head of the currency department of the NKF. Lives in the same house with me. Today she is expecting a zhinka. Gambarov was appointed responsible instructor of the Central Committee, also Yegorov. Odilavadze was sent to Orel, to Gubprofsvet. Kakabadze - in Moscow, in the NKPS; Iliko Tsivtsivadze at the disposal of the Moscow Committee, was appointed Deputy Head of the Moscow Communal Economy. Sov.* You ask Levan Gogo - he is ill - he is being treated at the Gabay sanatorium near Moscow. Coughs incredibly. He needs a long rest. Vardzieli does not want to go, begged me not to touch him from Moscow.5 . Returned from abroad Avanesov, Tsyurupa, Yaroslavsky, Medvedev. Well, you'll be here soon, you'll know everything in detail.

The old man is alive, healthy, sometimes a little sick. Well, nothing. Recently I spoke at the Moscow Soviet, you probably read his speech 6 . The triumph was extraordinary. The applause lasted more than ten minutes. It was at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Well, I'm dying here under a pile of papers. And then Koba also instructed the closed letters of the Central Committee to draw up. Doesn't let you breathe. It seems that soon it will freeze so that it will be impossible to breathe. This is not in order of complaint, but of my actual being. Well, dear Sergo, after all, I have completely now come off the so-called party work, party masses, etc., I haven’t even been at a cell meeting for 8 months. It seems that the only elective position I have is membership in the CEC of Georgia. I hope that in spite of the separation, you will not forget me there when compiling the Transcaucasian Tsik, if you do not want to completely turn me into a party official and clerk.

Well, I kiss you hard. Hello to all comrades. Hello Zina and Aram.

Your Amayak.

RTSKHIDNI. F. 85. Op. 1/S. D. 13. L. 8-9. Autograph.

Notes:

On November 24, 1922, the Secretariat of the Central Committee decided to appoint a commission chaired by Dzerzhinsky “for the urgent consideration of applications submitted by retired members of the old Central Committee of Georgia [...] and for outlining measures necessary to establish peace in the Communist Party of Georgia” (Failed Anniversary pp. 140).

2 We are talking about a quarrel between Ordzhonikidze and one of the Georgian leaders, Kabakhidze. Ordzhonikidze hit Kabakhidze, who called him "Stalin's donkey."

On October 3 , 6, 1922, the plenum of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) considered the question of relations between the RSFSR and the independent republics. To develop a Soviet bill on the union of the republics and pass it through the Congress of Soviets, as well as to prepare and pass the relevant resolutions through the Central Executive Committees of the independent republics, a commission was created under the chairmanship of Stalin (Izvestia of the Central Committee of the CPSU. 1989. Nq 9. P. 214-215).

4 The Lausanne Conference, dedicated to the Middle East, was held from November 20, 1922 to July 27, 1923. Great Britain, France, Italy, Turkey, and others took part in the conference. Representatives of the USSR took part in the discussion of the question of the straits. The adopted convention provided for the demilitarization of the straits, allowed the passage through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles not only of commercial, but also of military (with some restrictions) ships of any country. This convention, as violating the vital interests of the USSR, was not ratified by the Soviet government.

5 We are talking about the selection of senior officials for the Zakkraykom. The issue was considered by the Secretariat of the Central Committee on January 4, 1923 (RTSKHIDNI. F. 17. Op. 112 D. 400. L. 4).

6 Lenin's speech at the plenum of the Moscow Soviet on November 20, 1922 (Lenin V.I. PSS. T. 45. P. 140-142).