To Stalin

To Stalin Top Secret Summaries Of The most important testimonies Of Those arrested 1937‐ 1938

Summary of the most important testimonies of those arrested by the directorates of the NKVD of the USSR for April 11‐12, 1938

Archive: AP RF. F. 3. Op. 24. D. 408. L. 14‐22.

April 15, 1938

SECRETARY of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) comrade STALIN

I am sending you a summary of the most important testimonies of those arrested by the Directorates of the NKVD of the USSR for April 11‐12, 1938.

Peopleʹs Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR Peopleʹs Commissar for

State Security (EZHOV)

Top secret

For the 5th DEPARTMENT

1. Egorov A.I. , Former Deputy Commissar of Defense of the USSR. Interrogated by: YAMNITSKII, KAZAKEVICH.

In addition, he testified that after the trial of Tukhachevsky and other leaders of the anti‐Soviet military conspiracy, a meeting of the leadership of the military organization of the Right took place (in his apartment), which was attended by: EGOROV, DYBENKO and BUDENNY.

At this meeting, DYBENKO expressed the idea that as a result of the arrest of TUKHACHEVSKY, their group could win, since now they will be promoted to leading positions in the Red Army and they will be able to pull up their right‐wing cadres.

At the meeting it was decided that since TUKHACHEVSKY did not betray Egorov, BUDENNY and DYBENKO, it was necessary to continue the anti‐Soviet work, recruiting uncompromised cadres of conspirators in the lower ranks into the right‐wing organization.

At the same time, for the sake of conspiracy, it was decided to cut off all ties with persons already compromised and openly oppose the conspirators.

Egorov also talked on this issue with BUBNOV, who approved the decision of the above meeting, stressing the idea that now, in connection with the beginning of the rout of the anti‐Soviet military underground, counter‐revolutionary work must be intensified, which will facilitate the onset of the moment for an anti‐Soviet speech.

2. LEVANDOVSKY MK, former commander of the Primorsky group of troops of the OKDVA. Interrogated: YAMNITSKY, KAZAKEVICH.

He additionally showed that according to the words of the head of the military organization of the right‐wing Egorov A.I. he knew that the latter (Egorov) was connected, besides RYKOV, also with BUBNOV, ENUKIDZE and ELIAVA.

Through ELIAVA (arrested), as well as a member of the nationalist Georgian organization GEORGADZE (arrested), Egorov kept in touch with the Georgian nationalists, thus having independent lines of communication with the military nationalist underground in the ZakVO, in addition to LEVANDOVSKY.

LEVANDOVSKY also testified that he was aware of the connections of the leaders of the nationalist organizations of Transcaucasia with foreign intelligence services, including: Divisional Commander VIZIROVA (arrested) with Turkish and British intelligence services; KUTATELADZE and BUACHIDZE (division commanders ‐ Georgian nationalists, both arrested) ‐ with British and French intelligence.

LEVANDOVSKY knew about this from the words of VIZIROV, KUTATELADZE and BUACHIDZE themselves.

3. KADATSKY‐RUDNEV IN, former commander of the Amur military flotilla. Interrogated: FYODOROV, RATNER, PETROV.

Additionally, he testified that he, on the instructions of one of the leaders of the anti‐Soviet conspiracy at the DCK, was a former deputy. commander of OKDVA SANGURSKY and Japanese intelligence agencies created sabotage and sabotage groups in the Amur flotilla, aiming to blow up ammunition depots, destroy ships of the flotilla, and mass poisoning of personnel.

The groups were led by the port commander KNYAZEV (arrested), the brigade of monitors by the brigade commander KUPRIYANOV (arrested), the Zeysk detachment by the detachment commander BIREL (arrested), the flotilla headquarters was personally led by KADATSKY‐RUDNEV.

As a result of their subversive activities, artillery repairs were not systematically carried out, the material part of the artillery was brought to such a state that it requires a complete overhaul, there are no spare parts, hand weapons require 100% overhaul, and shrapnel by 50%. The aiming of hand weapons was deliberately carried out incorrectly. Mobilization reserves, as opposed to the provisions, were spent and not replenished.

On the first day of the war, the conspiracy participant KUPRIYANOV was tasked with closing the backwater by grounding the head monitor, thereby blocking the exit of ships from the backwater and blowing up a mine barge while all warships were parked in the backwater.

4. VETVITSKY VV, former assistant to the USSR military attaché in Czechoslovakia. Interrogated: PAVLOVSKY.

In addition, he showed that he was the plenipotentiary of the USSR in

Czechoslovakia, ALEXANDROVSKY, was involved in helping local Trotskyist organizations in their anti‐Soviet activities.

The Czech Trotskyist PROHAZKO, who works in Prague as a TASS secretary, is an emissary of the Trotskyist organization under ALEKSANDROVSKY.

ALEXANDROVSKY and VETVITSKY, through PROKHAZKO, helped the local Trotskyist organization in publishing anti‐Soviet leaflets, literature and collaborated in the anti‐Soviet press.

VETVITSKY, with the consent of ALEXANDROVSKY, compiled slanderous materials aimed at discrediting the Red Army.

In these materials, VETVITSKY, with the knowledge and with the help of ALEXANDROVSKY, portrayed the Red Army as weak, in every possible way slandered its command staff. Cited slanderous fictional data characterizing the weakness and inadequacy of the technical equipment of the Red Army.

These and other anti‐Soviet materials were transmitted by VETVITSKY through ALEXANDROVSKY PROKHAZKO, who used them to publish them in the Trotskyist and other anti‐Soviet press.

Plenipotentiary Representative ALEXANDROVSKY in a number of cases personally directed the anti‐Soviet activities of the local Trotskyist organization.

The anti‐Soviet campaign launched in Prague by the Trotskyist organization in 1936, aimed at discrediting the trial of the anti‐Soviet Trotskyist center and publishing a number of anti‐Soviet pamphlets by it, is the work of ALEXANDROVSKY.

He personally gave instructions to the Trotskyist PROKHAZKO about this.

According to the agreement between VETVITSKY and

ALEXANDROVSKY, the latter ensured that the brochure sent in 1936 from the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Foreign Affairs with the materials of the trial of the anti‐Soviet Trotskyist center was confiscated by the Czechs, and it was only after the protest of the Peopleʹs Commissariat for Foreign Affairs that this brochure was put into circulation, but its distribution was still limited. ...

ALEXANDROVSKY provided subsidies for TROTSKY and the local Trotskyist organization through the following channels:

1) Through the lawyer STEIN, who worked at the Trade Representation (a German, a relative of ALEXANDROVSKYʹs wife, an agent of the Gestapo), who, on the instructions of ALEXANDROVSKY and the former trade representative of ULYANOV, arranged various fictitious transactions with Czech trade circles, for which he received a high fee, calculated in tens of thousands of Czech crowns. All these funds were transferred by STEIN to PROKHAZKO for the local Trotskyist organization and SALYUS (former secretary of TROTSKY) for TROTSKY.

2) By publishing and distributing anti‐Soviet Trotskyist literature.

In December 1936, ALEXANDROVSKY financed the anti‐Soviet bibliographic reference ʺThe Soviet Union in the Literature of Czechoslovakiaʺ published by the Society for Cultural Relations between the USSR and Czechoslovakia (in this society ALEKSANDROVSKY planted many Trotskyists and other anti‐Soviet elements) from the plenipotentiary.

The proceeds from the distribution of this anti‐Soviet reference book went to finance TROTSKY and the local Trotskyist organization.

VETVITSKY and ALEKSANDROVSKY took an active part in the compilation and publication of this handbook.

ALEXANDROVSKY personally supervised its publication.

For anti‐Soviet purposes, VETVITSKY and ALEXANDROVSKY ensured that in this reference book the enemies of the people ‐

TROTSKY, ZINOVIEV, KAMENEV, EVDOKIMOV,

PREOBRAZHENSKY, RADEK, SLEPKOV, etc. were placed among the Soviet authors. All these enemies were shown as active revolutionary leaders in the reference book. and among the emigre authors in the reference book were listed works: AGABEKOV ʺNotes of a Chekistʺ, BESEDOVSKY ʺNotes of a Soviet Diplomatʺ, BESPALOV ʺConfessions

of an OGPU Agentʺ, BULGAKOV, BURTSEV, BRESHKOBRESHKOVSKAYA, etc.

In one of the conversations ALEXANDROVSKY told VETVITSKY that KRESTINSKY, whom ALEXANDROVSKY had informed about his anti‐Soviet activities, approved the publication of an anti‐Soviet reference book.

5. POPOV, former teacher of tactics at the Military Engineering

Academy of the Red Army, brigade commander. Interrogated:

PETERS.

In addition, he testified that, being in January 1937 involved in an antiSoviet military conspiracy by the former head of the Engineering Academy of the Red Army SMOLIN (arrested), he learned from the latter about the participation in the conspiracy of the former chief of staff of the Academy, Captain 1st Rank SELIVANOV (arrested), the former head of the training unit Academy of Divinener POTAPOV (arrested), teacher of the Engineering Academy, Colonel ARMADEROV (not arrested), former officer and teacher of the Academy, Colonel GOTOVSKY (arrested).

ARMADEROV and GOTOVSKY POPOV knows as members of the officersʹ monarchist organization. During the period of their joint service at the Vystrel school (1928‐1929), he was personally associated with GOTOVSKY POPOV through joint anti‐Soviet activities in the officersʹ organization.

In 1929, POPOV learned from GOTOVSKY about the existence in Moscow of a monarchist organization, which consisted mainly of former officers who had previously served in the Warsaw garrison and connected through KRAEVSKY (arrested) in Moscow with the former Polish attaché KOVALEVSKY (a former officer of the tsarist army).

This organization included SEMENOV, a former teacher of the Air Academy, KRAEVSKY, a former officer, MALAKHOVSKY (all arrested), and others.

With ARMADEROV, POTAPOV and GOTOVSKY POPOV had a personal conversation in essence of their participation in the conspiracy and thus knows about their participation in the conspiracy not only from the words of SMOLIN, but also from a personal conversation.

6. UDOLSKY , former head of the department of the special building etc. protection. Interrogated: ROGACHEV, IVKER.

Gave initial testimony that since 1931 he has been an agent of the Romanian intelligence.

UDOLSKY shows that he was recruited by the former head of personnel department of the Red Army Air Force, Colonel POLYAEV (arrested, confessed) and was a liaison between POLYAEV and the resident of the Romanian intelligence TRUNOV (the real name of TRUNESCU is being established).

At the apartment near UDOLSKY POLYAEV, he met with a number of persons recruited by him for espionage in favor of the Romanian intelligence.

Through UDOLSKY POLYAEV he received money for expenses on remuneration of the Romanian agents, and from the latter, UDOLSKY received and transmitted to TRUNOV all the espionage information obtained by POLYAEV and the agents connected with him about the state of the materiel, combat readiness, armament and deployment of units of the Red Army Air Force.

7. OS SOLONNIKOV, former chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet. Interrogated: KUDRYAVTSEV.

He additionally testified that in 1934 in Vladivostok he was recruited into a conspiracy PROTOPOPOV, the former head of the 3rd department of the fleet headquarters, a former midshipman of the tsarist fleet (PROTOPOPOV was arrested in Sevastopol, he confessed).

On sabotage work during the war period, SOLONNIKOV showed that the task was to destroy their own warships. To this end, SOLONNIKOV had to give an indication of the wrong direction of the fairways ‐ passages through minefields ‐ in such a way that the ships would fall into the minefields and explode.

Head of the Secretariat of the NKVD of the USSR, Senior Major of State Security (SHAPIRO)