Stalin to Molotov

Stalin Letters to Molotov

[21 July 1935]
Hello, Viacheslav,

Today we discussed the target figures for 1936. 1 Based on a figure of 19 billion for construction projects, Mezhlauk [head of Gosplan] proposed this distribution among the ministries: Heavy Industry would receive 6 billion; Transport3 billion plus; Agriculture, Light Industry, Food Industry, Timberreduced numbers. Health, Education, Municipal Services, Local Industry, and so onalso reduced numbers. Even allowing for the most economical approach, it doesn't work out, especially if we consider that Defense must be fully provided for under any circumstances. I proposed a figure of 22 billion rubles. With this number, Heavy Industry would receive 6 billion 500700 million (along with 8 billion plus in the year '35); Transport an additional 400500 million; Light Industry200 million; Food Industry400500 million; Education, Health Carearound 300 million; Agriculture, State Farms, Local Industry, Municipal Services, Communications, etc.all that remains. Heavy Industry (they want to get 9 billion) and Transport (they want to get 4 1/2 billion). Food Industries, and all the others are howling.

Mezhlauk and Chubar were told to make a distribution (roughly) based on a total of 22 billion. We shall see.
Some things can't be cut. Defense; repair of roads and moving stock, plus payments for new trains and steam engines for Transport; the construction of schools for Education; re-equipping (technical) for Light Industry; paper and cellulose factories for Timber; some essential industries (coal, oil, blast furnaces, rollingmills, viscous materials, electric plants, chemicals) for Heavy Industry. This complicates things. We'll see.

How's life? Are you getting any rest?
My health is good; my friends are well also.
Regards to Com. Zhemchuzhina.
J. Stalin
21 July 1935

P.S. The final resolution on the target figures, like the conversion of prices, was put off until the fall. 2
1. The reference is to a meeting on target production figures for1936 that took place on 26 July 1935 [sic]. The government and party directive establishing target figures was confirmed by the Politburo on 28 July 1935 (RTsKhIDNI f. 17, op. 3, d. 969, ll. 3138).
2. This probably refers to substantial changes in factory wholesaleprices that occurred in 1936 to eliminate the need for huge subsidies. For price movements during this period, see Alec Nove, An Economic History of the U.S.S.R., 1st ed. (Harmondsworth, Eng., 1969), 24651U.S. Ed.

[Later than 28 July 1935]
Hello, Viacheslav,1

1) I received your letter. We are considering organizing militaryschools for the artillery, aviation, and navy.
2) I am sending the directive on the target figures for 1936 to theCouncil of Commissars and Central Committee.2 As you can see, the total amount budgeted for construction has been set at 27 billion rubles, with financing at 25 billion rubles. If the cost of those construction projects is reduced by 8 percentand this is an obligatory directivethe amount budgeted for construction will be reduced to 27 billion, with a government subsidy of 25 billion rubles. This will create a material interest in reducing the cost of construction projects.

Twenty-two billion was insufficient and, as is evident, would never have been enough. The increase for school construction (up 760 million), for Light Industry, Timber, Food Industry, Local Industry (up 900 plus million rubles in all), for Defense (up 1.1 billion), for Health Care, Moscow Canal construction, and other items (more than 400 million rubles) determined the nature and size of the target figures for 1936.

I do not regret this, since everything that increases the production of products for mass consumption must be strengthened each year. Otherwise there is no possibility of moving ahead.

Well, greetings,
Greetings to Com. Zhemchuzhina
J. Stalin

1. In the upper left-hand corner is Molotov's notation: ''1935=?"
2. On the meeting on target figures for 1936, see note 1 to letter 80.

[5 August 1935]
5 August 1935
Hello, Viacheslav,
I received your letter. With respect to the complete abolition of ration books for food and consumer goods this year, of course you're right. We must see this matter to its conclusion. 1
The Comintern Congress wasn't so bad.2 It will be even more interesting after the reports from Dimitrov and Ercoli [P. Togliatti]. The delegates made a good impression. The draft resolutions came out pretty well. I think now is the time to create within the Comintern the office of first secretary [gensek]. I imagine Dimitrov could be appointed first secretary. Piatnitskii, Manuilskii, and others (from among the foreigners) can be put in as secretaries in the Secretariat of the Comintern Executive Committee.
I am indeed a little tired. I had to spent a lot of time with the Comintern members, with the 1936 target figures, with all sorts of ongoing questionsinevitably you get tired. But it's not a disastertiredness passes quickly, with a day's rest, or even a few hours'.
Greetings,
J. Stalin
1. The rationing system for meat and fish products, sugar, oils, andpotatoes was abolished on 1 October 1935, and for manufactured goods on 1 January 1936.
2. The XII Congress of the Comintern took place in Moscow from
25 July to 20 August, with 513 delegates representing sixty-five Communist parties and a number of international organizations that had joined the Comintern. The Congress discussed the following issues: Comintern activities (W. Pieck reporting), the work of the International Control Commission (Z. Angaretis reporting), the fascist offensive and the Comintern's tasks in fighting for the unity of the working class against fascism and war (G. Dimitrov reporting), imperialist preparation for war and the tasks of the Comintern (M. Ercoli [Togliatti] reporting), results of the construction of socialism in the USSR (D. Manuilskii reporting), elections to the highest bodies of the Comintern.
The Congress elected ruling bodies for the Comintern: the Executive Committee of the Comintern, which was composed of forty-six members and thirty-three candidate members, and the International Control Commission, which consisted of twenty people. The following were full members of the Comintern Secretariat: G. Dimitrov (general secretary), P. Togliatti, D. Manuilskii, W. Pieck, O. Kuusinen, A. Marty, K. Gottwald; candidate members of the Secretariat were M. Moskvin (Trilisser), F. Florin, Van Min.

[September 1935]
Hello, Viacheslav, 1
Regarding the Constitution, I think that under no circumstances should it be confused with the party program. It must contain [only] what has already been achieved. The program, however, must contain what we are still striving for.
I have the following preliminary plan. The Constitution must consist of (approximately) seven sections: 1) Social system (the soviets, socialist property, socialist agriculture, etc.); 2)

Government system (union and autonomous republics, the union of these republics, equality of nations, races, etc.); 3) Supreme government bodies (the Central Executive Committee or the body that replaces it; the two chambers and their powers; the presidium and its powers, the Council of Commissars, etc.); 4) Administrative bodies (commissariats, etc.); 5) Judicial bodies; 6) Rights and responsibilities of citizens (civil liberties, freedom of unions and associations, the church, etc.); 7) Electoral system.
In the Constitution, the principles should not be separated from the other articles but must instead be incorporated as the first articles of the Constitution.

In my opinion, a preamble is not needed.

I think we need to hold a referendum.

As far as grain purchases are concerned, the plan will have to be somewhat curtailed. Everyone is complaining that the plan is too big. If the allotment for Ukraine is to be cut by 10 million poods, for the North Caucasus [by] 7 million poods, for the AzovBlack Sea region by 5 or 6 million poods, and if the plans for the other regions are to be cut by another 2530 [million poods], then we could still have a plan for 250240 million poods.

Regards,
Yours, J Stalin
9/26/35
1. In the upper right-hand corner is Molotov's notation: "2/1936."

[February 1936]
Reviewed. Not bad. See comments in the text.
J. Stalin1,2 2/1936

1. This letter is Stalin's notation on the following note fromMolotov:
To Comrade Stalin
Sending you text of my report on the Soviet Constitution.

Waiting for your comments during the day on 2/6. Molotov
2. When Molotov sent a copy of his report on the Constitution to
Stalin for his approval in February 1936, he evidently attached Stalin's letter from the previous September (letter 83). Stalin wrote the same marginal note on both his own letter and Molotov's cover letterU.S. Ed.
Letters with Undetermined Dates

Viacheslav! 1
I am sending you Zinoviev's letter to Sergo.2 Read it and weep. It turns out that all these "notes" (from Kamenev and then from Zinoviev) came about not so that copies could be sent to Trotsky (to whom, even after the "break," our "Leninists" found it necessary to give an account), but rather because Kamenev and Zinoviev have the habit of talking among themselves via special "notes." And these geniuses want the Central Committee to trust them ''in advance"!
Regards,
J. Stalin
1. In the upper right-hand corner is Molotov's notation: "1926=?"
2. Zinoviev's letter to Ordzhonikidze has not been found.
Letter 86
Hi, Molotov,
The waters here are truly remarkable. Terrific. I'll tell you in detail when we meet.
I will be in Sochi (most likely!) by 1 September, if not earlier.
Greetings from Nadia [N. S. Allilueva, Stalin's wife] to Zhemchuzhina.
J. Stalin.