To Stalin

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

A summary of the most important testimonies of those arrested by the GUGB of the NKVD of the USSR for February 10, 1938

Archive: AP RF. F. 3. Op. 24. D. 404. L. 189‐205

13 February 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 GUGB NKVD of the USSR for February 10, 1938.

Peopleʹs Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR General Commissar of State Security (EZHOV) [1]

Top secret

For the 3rd DEPARTMENT

1. IOLSON. Interrogated: IORSH, GOLOVANOV.

He testified that in 1923, during a business trip to Berlin, he contacted the emigrant White Guard Kardakov on the basis of philately exchange operations.

IOLSON received a number of valuable gifts from KARDAKOV ‐ collection material on philately worth 600‐700 rubles, assisted Kardakov in obtaining the latter a representative office of the authorized person for philately in Germany.

IOLSON was first used by Kardakov for information about the economic and political state of the Soviet Union, and then recruited by German intelligence.

This collaboration of IOLSON was reinforced in 1924 by a meeting with one of the prominent members of German intelligence, IONAS Hans, who was then secretary of the Society for Eastern European Studies.

In 1925, on the instructions of the German intelligence service, IOLSON left for Vladivostok to conduct reconnaissance and espionage work in the Far East, where, under the name of the representative office of the representative for philately, he organized a safe house for the resident of German intelligence in the Far East LANGELITKE, for which IOLSON received 500 monthly from LANGELITK ‐600 rubles.

In 1925, KIMURA, a resident of the Japanese intelligence service in Vladivostok, issued a recruitment with IOLSON on the basis of relations on philately affairs by receiving a receipt from IOLSON for 300 rubles.

From 1925 to 1930, IOLSON, in addition to maintaining a safe house for German and Japanese agents, was widely used by intelligence agencies for reconnaissance and espionage work.

After IOLSON returned to Moscow from the Far East in 1930, German intelligence established contact with him through a German who worked at the Shchelkovo chemical plant (last name not established). Then in 1931 IOLSON switched to communication with the agent of the German intelligence LIPSKY.

While working on the design of laboratories at factories of the chemical and defense industries, IOLSON collected detailed data on the state and capacity of the defense and chemical industries and transmitted these data to the German and Japanese intelligence services. To collect the necessary spy information, IOLSON widely used young specialists working at defense and chemical facilities and in design organizations. He hired these individuals to collect spy information by providing them with his ʺfreeʺ scientific advice on design and operation.

Thus, IOLSON brought in for espionage: employee Giprospetskhima

AGRANOVICH, employees of Orgkhim VINOGRADOV and

KOVALKO, former chief accountant of the powder trust MAKAROV, engineer of plant No. 191 APTOV, engineer of the Ugreshsky plant

SHRAYBMAN and engineer of the NKOP KRESTYANIKOVA Ammunition Institute.

In 1934, VITVITSKY established contact with IOLSON from Japanese intelligence. This connection was maintained until the end of 1936.

In 1936, after the expulsion of the resident of the German intelligence service LIPSKY from Moscow, the German intelligence maintained contact with IOLSON through the signalman VASILKOVSKY, an

employee of the society of philatelists.

During the period from 1931 to 1936, IOLSON, through LIPSKY, transferred to the German intelligence in detail information about the state, capacity, nature of the products of the following defense facilities: plant No. 96, No. 97, Magnitogorsk, Kemerovo, Lisichansk, Stalinogorsk, Erevan chemical plants, data on Chirchikstroy, chlorine shops Rubezhanskiy plant and materials for plant number 1012.

Likewise, in the period from 1934 to 1936. IOLSON passed on to the Japanese intelligence through its agent VITVITSKY detailed information on plant No. 97, Magnitogorsk and Kemerovo combines.

In 1925, IOLSON handed over to the resident of German intelligence LANGELITKA a description and a plan for the development of the Far Eastern shipbuilding mechanical plant, and in 1928 he also gave him information that was not subject to publicity from a five‐year plan for the development of the economy in the Far East.

IOLSON also reveals the specific espionage activities of a number of German intelligence services known to him.

2. AP USHAKOVA, former typist‐translator of the Danish mission. Interrogated: BELOV.

She showed that in 1923 she was involved in espionage work by a member of the Danish mission KONRAD. Subsequently, USHAKOVA was connected by espionage activity with the vice‐consul of the Danish mission PETERSEN and with the trade attaché of the same mission LANGE.

USHAKOVA testified that in order to collect espionage information on the Soviet Union, KONRAD used the employees of the Peopleʹs Commissariat for Land ‐ Professors MAKAROV, CHAYANOV, KONDRATYEV and KARATYGIN. According to the State Planning Committee of the USSR, KONRAD received secret information from an employee of the State Planning Commission Bogoslovsky V.N. and on the Air Force Directorate from AKASHEV K.V.

USHAKOVA to collect spy information was used by a VOKS employee [2] Pokhitonov and others.

For her espionage activities, USHAKOVA received a reward in the form of various gifts.

3. EXCELLENT PP , a former diplomatic courier of the NKVD, a former member of the CPSU (b) since 1919. Interrogated by: SHCHERBAKOV, PISYAZHNYUK.

He showed that in 1936 he was recruited on the basis of decomposition by the Japanese intelligence and during his trips to Japan in 19361937. he handed over to Japanese intelligence the Soviet diplomatic mail, which he received both in Moscow for Soviet organizations in Japan, and in Tokyo for the USSR.

In addition, OTLICHIN reported to the Japanese intelligence service spy information on the NKID, in particular, information characterizing the department of diplomatic courier communications, NKID employees and workers of the Soviet embassy in Japan.

Otlichin also confessed that he was a member of the anti‐Soviet Trotskyist terrorist organization that existed in the NKID system. Otlichin was recruited into this organization in 1936 by the diplomatic courier GUFT for illegal communication between the Moscow terrorist center and TROTSKY. Otlichin named 5 people as members of the anti‐Soviet Trotskyist organization (they were all arrested).

The indications are primary.

4. DUKOR Giri I., former head of the financial department of the USSR Peopleʹs Commissariat for Food Industry. Interrogated:

LUKHOVITSKY.

He testified that he was a member of the counter‐revolutionary right‐

Trotskyist organization that existed in the food industry.

DUKOR has been carrying out its counter‐revolutionary activities since 1927, first in Belarus, and then in the State Bank. Here DUKOR was directly connected with MARYASIN.

Together with the employees of the financial apparatus of the central administrations recruited by him into the organization, he systematically undermined the financial economy of the central administrations and enterprises of the Peopleʹs Commissariat for Food Industry, disrupted funding for new construction, deliberately introduced confusion and delayed the payment of wages, and caused colossal losses to industry.

For his subversive work in the Peopleʹs Commissariat for Food Industry, DUKOR was associated with the former Deputy Peopleʹs Commissar of the Food Industry BELENKIM (arrested).

Dukor showed that the organization of the Rights and Trotskyists in the food industry, represented by BELENKY, was associated with the counterrevolutionary Right Trotskyist organization in the Peopleʹs Commissariat for Internal Affairs, represented by WEITSER and KHLOPLYANKIN.

DUKOR named the participants of the counter‐revolutionary organization in the food industry: OIKHMANA ‐ deputy. early Glavkonserva, SHADKHANA ‐ head of Glavtabak, VAYINGURT ‐ head of the financial department of the Glavryba, LEVITIN ‐ former deputy peopleʹs commissar of the food industry

(arrested), YAGLOM ‐ former head of Glavkonserva (arrested) and others.

For the 4th DEPARTMENT

5. BOGDANOV PA , Deputy Peopleʹs Commissariat for

Industry. Interrogated: BARTOSHEVICH.

During previous interrogations, he confessed that he was a member of the anti‐Soviet organization of the Rights, into which he was recruited by Rykov in 1927.

In addition, he testified that before leaving for work in America as chairman of Amtorg, he had a special meeting with TOMSKIM, who, on behalf of the leadership of the organization of the Rights, instructed him to use his tenure as chairman of Amtorg in the interests of the antiSoviet organization of the Rights.

This instruction boiled down to the following: firstly, BOGDANOV was to establish and consolidate ties with American business circles in order to use these ties in the event of the right‐wing coming to power and specifically to obtain financial and political support; secondly, BOGDANOV was to carry out sabotage in the field of economic transactions with American capitalists. Motivating this second assignment, TOMSKY told BOGDANOV that the leadership of the right and, in particular, he personally attach particular importance to sabotage work and that the latter should be considered in terms of all the activities of the right to discredit the party leadership in the eyes of the population. “The worsening economic situation of the country in every possible way, we will achieve such a situation that the population, not knowing the true reasons for economic difficulties,

In carrying out these instructions from TOMSKY, BOGDANOV established close ties with a number of prominent representatives of the American business world and committed a number of sabotage acts, thereby causing economic damage to the Soviet Union.

BOGDANOV cites in his testimony a number of specific acts of sabotage committed by him, in particular, he says that as a result of sabotage in the purchase of machine‐tool equipment, he “let loose” about 10 million rubles.

6. N. V. KRYLENKO Interrogated: GERZON.

He gave additional testimony about the anti‐Soviet organization of the right created by him in the apparatus of the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Justice and about the recruitment of people from among the workers of the Peopleʹs Commissariat on the periphery.

KRYLENKO names a number of people recruited by him, including

BULAT, BIRMAN, PASHUKANIS, KUZMIN, SHLYAPOSHNIKOV, VOLKOV, DURMANOV, OSHEROV, MANFELSKY, BURMISTROV (arrested), NACHIMSON and VISHNYAK.

Among the participants in the anti‐Soviet organization of the rightists on the periphery, KRYLENKO also names a number of leading officials of regional courts, regional and regional prosecutors.

KRYLENKO also showed about the wrecking practice in the work of the judiciary. Fulfilling the instructions of the center of the right, he, through the members of the organization, gave sabotage directives, used the law of August 7, 1932 on the protection of socialist property to repress the peasants, the former poor, in order to cause discontent among the population.

He spread this sabotage attitude in every possible way, instilling in the workers of judicial and prosecutorial bodies an extra‐class point of view on the court in order to anger the broad masses against the laws of Soviet power.

7. ISAEV ‐ Head of the Main Fish. Interrogated: KREININ.

He additionally testified that in August 1936, on behalf of BITKER, while in Paris, he contacted SEDOV.

ISAEV arrived in Paris from New York, where he was on a business trip as part of the commission comrade. MIKOYAN. In Paris, Isaev contacted the French Trotskyist Alfred TREN, whom he knew from Berlin in 1928‐29, and informed the latter of his intention to talk with SEDOV.

The meeting with SEDOV took place at the Atlantic Hotel, located at the Le Havre station. At this meeting, ISAEV informed SEDOV of the state of affairs in the Soviet Union.

SEDOV instructed Isaev to convey to BITKER, on behalf of TROTSKY, a directive not to weaken the fighting methods of Trotskyist cadres and, in response to the trial (ZINOVIEVA‐KAMENEVA), to intensify repressions against the Central Committee.

In the same conversation, SEDOV was interested in a number of persons in the Soviet Union who are conspiratorial Trotskyists known to TROTSKY and SEDOV.

Isaev also testified that with a similar assignment, Comrade MIKOYAN ‐ Arkady YURISOV, director of a meat‐packing plant in Moscow, known to ISAEV as a conspiratorial Trotskyist.

YURISOV traveled around America with the director of Amtorg in

New York, PINK, with whom he was in close personal relations.

For the 5th DEPARTMENT

1. TKACHEV IF, Head of the Civil Air Fleet, former corps commander. Interrogated: ROGACHEV, EDLIN.

He additionally showed that in the fall of 1935 he was supposed to go abroad on Aeroflot business. TROYANKER suggested that he must see HAMARNIK before leaving.

TKACHEV, being on vacation in Crimea, had a meeting with GAMARNIK at the Mukhalatka government rest house. GAMARNIK, having given him general instructions on sabotage in the Civil Air Fleet, at the same time suggested using Derulyuft aviation for regular communication with the German General Staff and Trotsky. To do this, he invited TKACHEV to use his trip to agree with the German side on the delivery of materials to those addresses that will be indicated later.

GAMARNIK said that it is possible that Tkachev and GERING will meet, as between the leaders of the German and Soviet organizations of the Civil Air Fleet. GAMARNIK said that such a meeting should be used, and suggested in a conversation with GERING to emphasize that most authoritative military leaders of the Red Army do not share the official policy of the Soviet government in relation to Germany and are very friendly towards Germany, considering it quite possible to cooperate with Nazi Germany. Such confirmation to the Germans by Tkachev of the views of the commanding staff of the Red Army, according to GAMARNIK, should strengthen the organizationʹs

position and relations with the Germans.

While in Germany, TKACHEV, through the embassy, asked Moscow for permission to meet with GERING, but the meeting was strictly forbidden to him.

At the invitation of the German side, TKACHEV visited the Defuel Aviation Institute, which is headed by an officer of the German General Staff.

During this visit, the head of the institute raised the issue of cooperation between German and Soviet aviation. TKACHEV took advantage of this and told him that he was very sorry that the circumstances were developing in such a way that he could not personally see the Minister of Aviation GERING and testify to him not only his own, but also many other Russian commanders, the desire to cooperate with Germany, whose army they always highly valued ... This point of view of the leading command staff, as TKACHEV said, is unshakable even now, despite the fact that it differs from the point of view of the government and official Soviet diplomacy.

The head of the institute, expressing his satisfaction on this occasion, said that he hoped that Tkachev, since it would depend on him, would prove in practice his sincere friendly relations with Germany.

Then, while in Berlin, TKACHEV was invited to breakfast by the director of Derulyuft LUTS. LUTS told him that he was aware of his conversation with the head of the Defuel Institute and that he hoped for his active cooperation with Germany. He told him that the Germans knew that TKACHEV, like a number of other commanders of the Red Army, did not agree with the hostile policy towards Germany pursued by the Soviet government, that they were informed about the sentiments of the commanders of the Red Army and the sentiments in the “TROTSKY party” and believed the current situation in the USSR is temporary. TKACHEV confirmed that a really significant part of the leaders of the army does not share the official policy and considers close cooperation with Nazi Germany possible and that he, TKACHEV, is ready to render services to the Germans, but at the same time, he asks LYUTSA to help him establish communication via the Deruluft line with Germany for the illegal transmission of correspondence to some friends of the commanders of the Red Army. LYUTS gave his consent to this and recommended that, through ARNOLDOV, the director of the Soviet side, such correspondence should be passed on to him, which he would pass on to its intended purpose.

While in Berlin, TKACHEV learned that ARNOLDOV was supported by the Germans, receiving currency from them. TKACHEV took advantage of this and on the way back recruited him and invited him to communicate with LYUTS on his assignments.

Upon his return from Germany, TKACHEV reported everything to GAMARNIK. GAMARNIK said that NIKONOV from Razvedpur

(arrested) would maintain contact with abroad, and offered to connect NIKONOV directly with ARNOLDOV. TKACHEV did just that.

It is allegedly unknown how many times and to whom the materials were transferred to TKACHEV through NIKONOV. Subsequently, TKACHEV transmitted, at the request of LYUTSA, data on the prospects for the development of air routes in the USSR in the coming years, mainly of defense significance, on the aircraft engine fleet of the Civil Air Fleet, the state of airfields and their deployment in the western strip, on the repair base of the Civil Air Fleet from the point of view of the possibility of its use in time of war.

2. VLADIMIROV MA, former air defense inspector at the SNK RSFSR. Interrogated: BRENER, GOLDFARB.

Gave initial testimony about his participation in an anti‐Soviet military conspiracy.

He was recruited into the conspiracy at the beginning of 1935 by the former head of the Air Defense Directorate of the Red Army KAMENEV S.S. (died in 1936).

VLADIMIROV named three participants in the conspiracy known to him: I.F. BLAZHEVICH. ‐ Deputy Head of the UPVO RKKA (arrested), A.S. MILOVIDOV ‐ the head of the department of the UPVO of the Red Army (arrested), and CHAUSOV, the former head of the department of the UPVO of the Red Army (not arrested).

After the death of S.S. KAMENEV VLADIMIROV kept in touch on a conspiracy with the head of the UPVO RKKA SEDYAKIN (arrested).

On the instructions of KAMENEV and SEDYAKIN, VLADIMIROV from the beginning of 1935 carried out subversive work in the field of training in air defense, disrupted measures to organize collective protection of the population and air defense of industrial enterprises in the cities of the RSFSR.

3. DUDNIKOV M.K., head of the economic planning sector of the agricultural department of the Central Committee of the All‐Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. Interrogated: PANIN.

He gave initial testimony that in January 1936 he was recruited by the former head of the agricultural department of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) YAKOVLEV (arrested) into an anti‐Soviet Trotskyist terrorist organization. DUDNIKOV named the members of the organization headed by YAKOVLEV: POLOVINKINA, GEGECHKORI, SIDELNIKOV, SIVACHENKO, MIKHAILOV, IOSIFOV, TANKHILEVICH, TOKAREV and TUMANYAN (all arrested).

The organization set itself the task of forcibly eliminating the current leadership of the party and government and committing terrorist attacks against comrades. STALIN, MOLOTOV and EZHOV.

The committing of terrorist acts was supposed at a meeting of Stakhanovite flax growers in March 1936. The direct executors of this terrorist act were IOSIFOV and SIVACHENKO.

In addition, on the instructions of YAKOVLEV, DUDNIKOV personally had to commit a terrorist attack on the leaders of the party and government at the time of the Politburo meeting when discussing the state plan for pedigree livestock.

DUDNIKOV received weapons for the terrorist attack personally from POLOVINKIN.

4. VINOKUROV BC, former divisional commissar. Interrogated:

IVANOV, PROKHOROV.

He additionally showed that in 1924‐26. he worked as the chief of the 26th section of the division in the Siberian Military District. This period of time is characterized by the fact that a military SocialistRevolutionary organization began to take shape in the army.

A strong Socialist‐Revolutionary group was organized in the Siberian Military District, which began to deploy underground work in the district. This group included:

1) PAPIRMEISTER Lev ‐ was the head of the organizational department of PUOKRA [3], Kolchak, from the merchants (arrested).

2) SCHNEIDERMAN ‐ former head of the agitation and industrial department of PUOKR (to be established).

3) SHANIN ‐ former chief of supply for the district (to be established).

4) GRUBER ‐ the former head of the 2nd p. Division (to be established), and a number of other persons who held high command and political positions in the SIBVO.

At the same time, the civil Siberian center began to take shape, which included the former chairman of the regional executive committee in Krasnoyarsk POMODOV (convicted) and others.

The military‐Socialist‐Revolutionary organization in the Siberian Military District made a special record of former nobility, career officers of the tsarist army among the higher and senior command staff of the Siberian Military District. Taking advantage of their official position, the members of the organization promoted these commanders in the service and drew from their midst cadres for subversive anti‐Soviet activities. The interrogation continues.

5. HARRY AN, journalist. Interrogated by: ESTRIN, PANIN.

He gave initial testimony that in 1936 he was recruited by Boris Nikolayevich IVANOV, the former head of the NKVD construction in the Far East (arrested), into a terrorist organization and, on the instructions of IVANOV, was scheduled to be the direct executor of the terrorist act against the leaders of the party and government.

Head of the Secretariat of the NKVD of the USSR, Major of State Security

(SHAPIRO)

[1] Signed by Deputy Peopleʹs Commissar of Internal Affairs Frinovsky.

[2] All‐Union Society for Cultural Relations with Abroad.

[3] District Political Directorate.