Politburo And The Church, Kremlin Archives

N. Petrovsky, S.G. Petrov

G. Ye. Zinoviev's note to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) to JV Stalin about two petitions for pardoning those sentenced to death in the case of the Petrograd clergy and believers. July 7, 1922

No. 24-31

7 / VII 1922

In the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP

Comrade Stalin

I am sending 2 documents on the case of St. Petersburg "churchmen" ²⁷ . Yesterday I had a telephone conversation on this matter with Comrade Kamenev - he promised to transfer it to the Politburo.

A representative of the tribunal leaves for Moscow on Monday [Christmas tree]. I expect to be in Moscow on Wednesday.

Please keep me informed of your decisions on this matter.

With a compressor G. Zinoviev.

- L. 43- Handwritten original on the letterhead of the chairman of the provincial Petrosovet, autograph. Above is the stamp on the document's belonging to the office work of the Politburo meeting, minutes No. 17, item 16 of July 13, 1922 (No. 24-33).

Notes and Comments:

²⁷ See # 24-29, # 24-30.

"Minutes of a conference on the possibility of mitigating the punishment of the Petrograd churchmen sentenced to capital punishment on July 5, 1922." 12 July 1922

No. 24-32 C. Secret.

Upon consideration of the verdict, we came to the conclusion: 1) The verdict passed by the Petrograd Tribunal on July 5, 22, the meeting finds quite correct and expedient. He considers all persons sentenced to capital punishment to be harmful and dangerous and, given the current political situation, subject to complete elimination; but if, for political reasons, it was found necessary to go as far as possible to meet the petition of the more loyal layers of the clergy, and in particular the higher Church administration and the Living Church group, then out of the ten condemned to capital punishment, the conference would find it possible to mitigate the fate only in in relation to the following six persons: 1) Mikhail Cheltsov, 2) Ognev, 3) Epiphany, 4) Plotnikov, 5) Chukov, and 6) Yelachich, and in relation to a citizen of Kazan (Metropolitan Veniamin), Novitsky Yuri Petrovich - professor at Petrograd University, chairman of Orthodox parishes, Ivan Mikhailovich Kovsharov - formerly. Attorney at law and member of the Board of Orthodox parishes and Shein Sergey Pavlovich (Archimandrite Sergei) - 6th member of the State Duma (nationalist) - as persons who inspired, led and quite consciously conducted counterrevolutionary policy under the church flag, the conference finds it inexpedient to mitigate their punishment.

12 July 1922

P. Krasikov ¹ *. Samsonov 12 / VII-22 g.

Mikhail Galkin. N. Popov ¹ *

- L. 42. (A). A later certified typewritten copy. Above the text is a typewritten note stating that the document is an appendix to the Politburo resolution, protocol No. 17, item 16 of July 13, 1922 (No. 24-33).

- APRF, f. 3, op. 1, d.286, l. 23. (B). Draft minutes of the Politburo meeting. Typewritten script, signature formulas - autographs in blue ink. The same ink is inscribed "in relation" above the line before listing the pardoned and the number in the date at the end of the document. Above is a stamp on the document's belonging to the office work of the Politburo meeting, minutes No. 17, item 16 of July 13, 1922 (No. 24-33). Below is a stamp of the Secret Archives of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) with an inventory number.

Notes and Comments:

¹ * Restored from B, c A Mikhail Galkin, Samsonov, P. Popov, (one signature is illegible).

Resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) on those sentenced to death in the case of the Petrograd clergy and believers. From the minutes of the meeting of the Politburo No. 17, paragraph 16 of July 13, 1922

No. 24-33 C. Secret.

LISTENED: IT WAS RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:

16.a) Agree with the Commission's proposal for 4

16. About St. and 6.

Petersburg 6) To instruct the secretariat of the Central priests. Committee to talk with the Presidium of the All-

(t. Trotsky) Russian Central Executive Committee on the basis of the commission's report.

Secretary of the Central Committee

- L. 41. Typewritten extract on the letterhead of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), made on July 13, 1922. Above the text of the extract is the mailing address: "To comrade NAZARETIAN." On the document by the hand of JV Stalin, notes: 1) “To the Archive Pol [it] B [yuro]. Stalin "; 2) "Strictly Secret ": 3) "Fulfilled. I. Stalin. 14 / VII ". Below is a stamp on the document's belonging to the office work of the Politburo meeting, minutes No. 17, paragraph 16 of July 13, 1922. There is also a stamp of the Secret Archives of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) with an inventory number. Formula of secrecy in typescript.

- APRF, f. 3, op. 1, d.286, l. 22. Draft minutes of the Politburo meeting. Handwritten script on a sheet of lined paper. In the right column, the second time written "with a proposal" is crossed out . At the bottom left is the mailing record: “t. Nazaretyan, <Niko ...>, t. Krasikov, t. Galkin, t. Samsonov. " L. 2: “There were members of the Politburo comrades. Kamenev, Trotsky, Stalin, Molotov (candidate), Tomsky, Rykov, Zinoviev. Members of the Central Committee Radek, Chubar.