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Politburo And The Church, Kremlin ArchivesN. Petrovsky, S.G. Petrov
Letter from L. D. Trotsky to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) with proposals for additional measures to confiscate church valuables. March 26, 1922
No. 23-28 23
March 26, 1922
Top secret.
IN THE POLITBURO OF THE TSECA T. MOLOTOV
A copy of the ALL-RUSSIAN COMMISSION FOR REMOVAL OF VALUES to T. VINOKUROV
A copy of the MOSCOW [COMMISSION FOR REMOVAL OF
VALUES] T. MEDVEDU
Copy of Comrade KALININ
1. Offer tons. Muralov enter the Moscow and the Central Commission for the withdrawal of values, since it bought the some 1 * experience for his work in Shuya. His participation will ensure the necessary contact of the military apparatus with the seizure commission 24 .
2. There is great confusion in the assessment of the behavior and agitation of the priests. Our newspapers simply cite the sympathetic appeals of the priests for help to the starving, seeing in them a kind of loyal fulfillment of the decree of the Soviet 2 * government 2 *. In reality, however, the priests are issuing general empty calls for help to the starving in opposition to the decree 3 * on the confiscation of valuables. Local authorities should be instructed not to allow any ambiguity in this matter. The priests should not answer the question of whether it is necessary to help the starving, but should directly and accurately call for the execution of the decree of such and such a number 25 .
3. From telegrams published in newspapers, it is quite clear that in many places the confiscation of valuables is fictitious, that is, they seize an insignificant part of the valuables without encroaching on the main ones, and thus achieve a "peaceful" seizure. It is necessary to send instructions to the local authorities that the local authorities are responsible for the incomplete, that is, the seizure inconsistent with the decree, as for criminal negligence. In all those places where one superficial withdrawal has been made, a second withdrawal, complete and decisive, must be demanded. Bureau of the Commission should be developed on this issue quite precise instructions, which must be distributed under the signature so. Kalinina 26 .
In particular, in Vladimir, the seizure was carried out, apparently, with criminal negligence and gave negligible results. We need to talk about this firm with Vladimir delegation and get her to the decree of the whole 27 .
March 26, 1922
L. Trotsky 4 *
- L. 50. (A). Certified typewritten copy made on July 8, 1958; no signature. In the upper right corner there is a stamp indicating that the document belongs to the office work of the Politburo meeting, minutes No. 117, item 8 of April 2, 1922 (No. 23-35) and the handwritten date under it: "March 30, 22."
- APRF, f. 3, op. 1, d.269, l. 20. (B). Draft minutes of the Politburo meeting. Typewritten original, signature - facsimile. Top right typewritten vultures: 1) “p. secret "; 2) "personally". Under the text of the litter in black pencil, autograph: “ p. B. poll . 29 / IIІ. (V. Molotov) ". In the litter, after the "poll" is crossed out "by phone". Below are the records of the survey results, autographs:
Trotsky (in black ink);
“I vote for Trotsky's proposals. G. Zinoviev ” (in red ink);
"L. Kamenev " (in blue pencil); "For Stalin" (in blue pencil).
Above is the stamp on the document's belonging to the office work of the
Politburo meeting, minutes No. 117, item 8 of April 2, 1922 (No. 2335). Below is a stamp of the Secret Archives of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) with an inventory number. In the address, the name of VM Molotov is underlined.
- CA FSB, f. 1, op. 6, d.410a, l. 27. (B). Another copy of the same typewritten bookmark, signature - facsimile. Above is the handwritten incoming number of the IHO Presidium with the date "27 / III-22". FD Medved's surname is underlined in the address.
- G ARF, f. 1235, op. 140, d. 60, l. 393. (D). Another copy of the same typewritten bookmark, signature - facsimile. Above, handwritten notes: 1) “26 / III. In the Bureau "; 2) “Completed. 28 / III. <...> 5 * ". Here is the handwritten incoming number of the Pomgol Central Committee.
Notes and Comments:
1 * required BVG.
2 * on the seizure of BVG.
3 * Added Soviet power BVG.
4 * Restored according to B C D, absent in A.
5 * The signature is illegible.
23 All these proposals of Trotsky were discussed the next day, March 27, 1922 at a meeting of the Bureau of the Central Commission for the confiscation of church valuables, and corresponding orders were adopted on them - on the introduction of Muralov into the commission, on the dispatch of directives on paragraphs 2 and 3 of the letter " through the apparatus of the Central Committee of the RCP in cipher ", and under item 3 -" signed by Molotov and Kalinin. " Clause 4 of the Bureau's resolution on this letter specifically prescribed: “Instruct comrade. Beloborodov to convene a meeting of the secretaries of the regional committees, regional committees, chairmen of the executive committees and regional committees, - to come to an agreement with the delegations and set the time and hour "(he was talking about delegations at the XI Congress of the RCP (b), held in Moscow on 27.03 - 02.04 1922) - GARF, f ... 1235, op. 1, d.59, l. 34 (protocol No. 3). For a note by L. D. Trotsky with theoretical developments and practical guidelines for this meeting, see No. 23-29.
24 For the PB decree on this, see No. 23-35.
25 The cipher telegram of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) to the localities, implementing this proposal of Trotsky and sent signed by MI Kalinin and VM Molotov, see No. 23-31.
26 On the implementation of this proposal by the Trotsky Bureau of the Central Commission for the confiscation of church valuables on March 27, 1922 and on the dispatch of the CC RCP (b) cipher telegram to the sites on March 30, 1922, signed by M. I. Kalinin and V. M. Molotov, see No. 23 -32 and comm. 31 to d. 23.
27 Despite this directive, the Vladimirsky Gubotdel of the GPU reported on 24.04 to Lubyanka that the seizure in the province “is proceeding weakly, agreements with believers represented by priests are widely applied, as a result of which the work of the commission does not achieve maximum results [...] in addition, in some counties in churches, the commissions do not have to withdraw anything, and only because all the values are registered with the Glavmuseum, as it is established in the city of Alexandrov in the local women's monastery, where there are a lot of values, but absolutely nothing had to be withdrawn [...] Work in the province generally proceeds calmly "- GARF, f. 353, op. 6, d.7, l. 2.