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. 214

V. V. Kuibyshev — A. I. Rykov

[later July 3, 1926]

Another possible combination. Felix is now worried about the "control system" 1 . The management system at the present time must be largely subordinated to the interests of industrial development and industrialization. It would be possible to give Felix a part-time RCT. Nowhere is it said that the People's Commissar of the RKI must necessarily be a member of the Central Control Commission. Perhaps Felix could do something about the "madhouse" from this angle.

He has a lot of initiatives and much more than me. When he proposed to appoint him as austerity dictator, it was essentially the same.

The matter with him is so serious (after all, in the last word he directly hinted at suicide), that considerations about my ambition should fade into the background. Yes, and my ambition will not be hurt - otherwise I am somehow arranged and will not only obey any decision, but really willingly and without any resentment I will take up any work.

V. Kuibyshev.

And if he is appointed chairman of the SRT and the experience of two governments is resumed?

[Rykov]

This is out of the question. The system of two governments must be buried forever. Not to mention the fact that neither Felix's nervous system nor his impressionism is suitable for the head of the service station. He has a lot of initiative, but lacks the features of a leader (a system at work, a constant sense of the whole complexity of phenomena and their relationships, an accurate feeling for the consequences of one measure or another, etc.!). In the Supreme Economic Council, the advantages of initiative can still outweigh the disadvantages of Felix as a leader, but this will not work in the SRT.

V. Kuibyshev.

I fear that his nervousness and expansiveness, without some major [step], may lead to disaster.

[Rykov]

RTSKHIDNI. F. 79. On. 1. D. 729. L. 1-2. Autograph.

Notes:

On July 3, 1926, Dzerzhinsky sent a letter to Kuibyshev, in which he outlined his "thoughts and proposals on the management system." Earlier, on June 2, 1926, Dzerzhinsky wrote a letter to Rykov, in which he asked for his resignation from the post of chairman of the Supreme Economic Council (Communist. 1989. No. 9. P. 84, 87-88).

No. 215

M. P. Tomsky - Secretariat of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks

July 10, 1926

Copy .

TO THE SECRETARIAT OF THE CC AUCP(b).

Dear comrades!

In view of the fact that a number of symptoms from the field of economic life (first of all, a good harvest, appropriate export opportunities, etc.) indicate a high probability of an improvement in our economic situation, it seems to me quite timely to raise the question of raising wages, and I ask put it at one of the next meetings of the Politburo. It goes without saying that the decision of the Central Committee on this issue presupposes its preliminary study by the bodies of the Supreme Council of National Economy and the State Planning Commission with the indispensable participation of the trade unions. In what branches of production, in what terms, sizes, etc. - all this must be worked out and taken into account, at least approximately, in advance. Undoubtedly, this issue is of the greatest economic and political importance,1 . At the same time, I consider it necessary to take measures against distortions of the "economic regime", which is often observed during the implementation of this regime 2 .

In a personal conversation, Comrade Comrades Molotov and Bukharin fully agreed with me on these issues, I think that they will support this proposal of mine.

M. Tomsky 3 .

July 10, 1926

RTSKHIDNI. F. 558. On. 1. D. 5281. L. 2. Typewritten copy.

Notes:

1 After a long study of the issue, on September 20, 1926, the Politburo approved the proposal of the Politburo commission on wages to increase wages only for workers employed in production. A list of industries in which wage increases were proposed was approved. This decision was approved by Stalin, who was on vacation. “As for the salary, you seem to be doing well. It is important that the lower strata receive something tangible,” he wrote to Molotov on September 23, 1926. At Stalin’s suggestion, the wage increase on September 30 was also extended to certain groups of oil industry workers (Letters from I. V. Stalin to V. M. Molotov pp. 93, 95).

On August 16, 1926, the Politburo approved a draft circular on the economy regime (RTSKHIDNI, F. 17, Op. 3, D. 581, L. 3). On August 17, the circular "On the successes and shortcomings of the campaign for an austerity regime", addressed to all party and Soviet organizations, signed by Rykov, Stalin, Kuibyshev, was published in the newspapers. The circular dealt, in particular, with the worsening of the financial situation of the workers as a result of the austerity campaign.

3 Under the text of the letter there are notes by Bukharin, Stalin and Molotov: “I join - N. Bukharin. For - V. Molotov. Raise the question at the next meeting of the PB after the Plenum. I. Stalin. V. Molotov 13.VII.

No. 216

J. V. Stalin to G. L. Pyatakov

July 13, 1926

Tov. PYATAKOV.

Your paper dated July 13 has been received. A similar proposal was received by the Secretariat of the Central Committee on July 10, signed by Tomsky, Molotov and Bukharin 1, where the authors of the proposal are asked to raise the issue at the next meeting of the Politburo and resolve it by the time the collective agreements are renegotiated. Considering the issue to be quite overdue, the Secretariat decided to raise it at the next meeting of the PB after the Plenum. The Secretariat does not consider it possible to accept your proposal to raise the issue at this (July) Plenum, in view of the fact that the issue has not yet been prepared by you for raising, the control figures for the industry are not yet ready for you, as you write about this, the opinion of the Supreme Economic Council is still unknown (according to the information it turned out that Comrade Dzerzhinsky did not know anything about your letter), the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions had not yet discussed the issue, and, finally, the agenda of the Plenum had already been finally adopted by the PB, and for some reason you did not demand replenishment of the order of the day of the Plenum at the Monday (July 12) meeting of the PB, although You attended it. I remind you that according to the regulations adopted by the PB, issues should be included in the agenda of the PB three days before the meeting. I believe that this requirement should be attributed to an even greater extent to the procedure for compiling the agenda of the Plenum.

SECRETARY OF THE CC I. Stalin.

13.VII.26

RTSKHIDNI. F. 558. On. 1. D. 5281. L. 1. Typewritten text. The signature is a facsimile.

Notes:

1 See Document No. 215.

No. 217

F. E. Dzerzhinsky - V. V. Kuibyshev

July 13, 1926

13/VII-26

PERSONAL

SECRET. COPY.

Tov. Kuibyshev.

Dear V.V.

I received from Comrade CHUTSKAYEV a copy of his appeal to the P/Bureau in connection with the results of an examination of 14 self-supporting bodies. I think that the methods of our work are such that we waste a lot of energy, time and achieve minimal results - due to incorrect relations between the RCT and other departments. A heap of deadly facts relating to completely different institutions in one report, and embracing completely different times and obtained as a result of a long examination, and not promptly reported to those departments within which the audited institutions are located, cannot give positive results in the sense of elimination and prevention evil. The publication of such collected and concentrated facts brings unheard of despondency, because there is no notification at the same time that this is evil, these facts, when noticed, are immediately eliminated, and the perpetrators suffer such and such a punishment. I understand such publications on the part of the RCT, because I am against any cover-up, but by publishing evil - publishing on behalf of the authorities - without publishing at the same time that the evil has already been eliminated - this is demonstrating one's powerlessness. After all, RKI is a body of power. I understand all sorts of publications and revelations of slaves and villages and economic correspondents - but not of the authorities. This is one. On the other hand, if the RCT, having noticed somewhere evil in someone, immediately informed the head of the department with a demand to eliminate this evil and report on the elimination, then the result would have been completely different. Then the speed of eliminating evil would be achieved. With us, it is done completely differently: the noticed evil is kept secret until the entire extensive examination is completed, until it has passed all hierarchical instances, i.e., it is revealed after 1/2 year at best, after that often, when the evil is already just exhausted.

I have a Revision Department in the VSNKh, which is directly subordinate to me, if the RCT agreed to my proposal, I would instruct Comrade Samsonov, who is at the head of this Department, to specifically organize the elimination of the shortcomings noticed by the RCT, since they are indisputable, under my general leadership.

13/VII-26

F. Dzerzhinsky.

RTSKHIDNI. F. 76. Op. 2. D. 198. L. 12. Certified typewritten copy.