Letter to Comrade Molotov J.V. Stalin

Sochi 8/1/25

1) I was told that Manuilskii sent L'Humanite the first draft of Trotsky's article for publication, not accidently, but on purpose. If that's true, it's an outrage. If it's true, then we are dealing, not with a "mistake," as you wrote me, but with the policy of a few people who for some reason are not interested in publishing Trotsky's article in its final edited version. This is unquestionably the case.

This matter cannot be left as it is. I propose raising the issue with the seven and condemning Manuilskii's intolerable action, since he has placed the Russian Communist Party and L'Humanite in a ridiculous position; in doing so, we must definitely find out who it was that instigated Manuilskii to take this malicious step.

As background, let me tell you several necessary facts:

 a) the documents were given to Manuilskii at Manuilskii's written request (it should be in the Central Committee's files) and with the knowledge of the seven (Zinoviev raised the issue of giving Manuilskii the documents at a meeting of the seven);

 b) the documents were given before the final version of Trotsky's article was available;

c) they were handed over to brief the top people of the Comintern and were not for publication (see, by the way, Manuilskii's request);

d) the question of publishing the documents, specifically, of publishing my memo on Eastman's book, was discussed by the seven, and in fact we all had in mind publishing my memo after the final version of Trotsky's article was published; Manuilskii knew this: e) before Manuilskii's departure to Germany (in early July or late June) I asked Manuilskii to return to the Secretariat of the Central Committee all documents. He agreed, but yet he did not return the documents and took them with him.

Those are the facts. I urgently ask the seven to follow up on this matter and thus put an end to such dirty tricks in our party.

2) I do not agree with the seven regarding the publication of only Trotsky's article in its final version. First, Krupskaia's article* must be published as well. Second, it is quite possible to publish some documents (including my memo on Eastman's book) after Trotsky's article is published, in order to prove that Trotsky wrote the article only under pressure from the Russian Communist Party (otherwise Trotsky might appear as the savior of the party's prestige).

3) Report to me on the fate of Trotsky's and Krupskaia's articles on Eastman: Were they published in England or not? I have asked for this three times and still do not have an answer.

4) I still don't have an answer from you to my letter about Dneprostroi. Give your answer verbally to Tovstukha--he'll write me.

5) I don't believe that Trotsky "didn't read" Eastman's article that you sent out to Politburo members. Trotsky is putting you on.

6) I read Trotsky's "answers" to the German delegation.** I do not agree with everything in them. Does Pravda agree with them? This is a platform for Trotsky's group.

7) I am getting better. The Matsestinskii waters (near Sochi) are good for curing sclerosis, reviving the nerves, dilating the heart, and curing sciatica, gout, and rheumatism. I should send my wife here.

I shake your hand,

J. Stalin

* Krupskaia's article, "Letter to the editor of the Sunday Worker") was published in the journal Bolshevik, 1925, no. 16.

** In July and August 1925 a German workers' delegation visited the USSR. On July 25, they met with Trotsky. Trotsky's answers to the delegation were published in Pravda on July 29, 1925.