EXAMINATION OF THE ACCUSED EVDOKIMOV

Report of Court Proceedings

The Case of the Trotskyite-Zinovievite Terrorist Centre

Heard Before the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R.

August 19-24, 1936 (Moscow)

EXAMINATION OF THE ACCUSED EVDOKIMOV

Questioned by Comrade Ulrich, President of the Court, whether he confirms the testimony he gave at the preliminary examination, Evdokimov replies in the affirmative. After that Evdokimov answers a number of qestions put to him by Comrade Vyshinsky.

Vyshinsky: You were a member of the centre?

Evdokimov: Yes, I was.

Vyshinsky: Did you know that the centre was preparing assassinations of the leaders of the C.P.S.U. and the Soviet Government?

Evdokimov: Yes.

Vyshinsky: Did you personally approve of the preparation of these assassinations?

Evdokimov: I agreed to them.

Vyshinsky: You took part in and considered it necessary to proceed by the path of assassination?

Evdokimov: Yes.

Vyshinsky: Do you admit that the assassination of Comrade Kirov was prepared with your assistance?

Evdokimov: Yes, I admit that.

Vyshinsky: At the trial in Leningrad, on January 15-16, 1935, when facing the court as you do now, you emphatically asserted that you had nothing to do with that murder. At that time you told untruths?

Evdokimov: Yes, I deceived the Court.

Vyshinsky: You thought you deceived the Court. As a matter of fact the deception did not work. Now it is exposed.

Evdokimov: Yes.

After that Evdokimov relates to the Court in detail that the assassination of S. M. Kirov was committed on the direct instructions of the terrorist centre of the Trotzkyite-Zinovievite organization. The instuctions about terrorism came from Trotsky. "Smirnov and I," says Evdokimov, "discussed this question several times. In the summer of 1932, a conference was held in the railway car of Mrachkovsky who had just arrived in Moscow. I Mrachkovsky, Smirnov and Ter-Vaganyan were present at this conference. We talked of terrorism, Smirnov, particularly, was in favour of terrorism."

Smirnov makes the attempt to deny this testimony of Evdokimov. However, the replies of Mrachkovsky and Evdokimov to questions put to them by Comrade Vyshinsky establish that the conversation about terrorism did take place and that Smirnov fully and completely supported the line of terroristic acts.

Soon after this conversation in Mrachkovsky's car, says Evdokimov, continuing his testimony, a conference took place in the summer villa at ilyinskoye, where Kamenev and Zinoviev lived at that time. At this conference, at which Karev, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Evdokimov and Bakayev were present, it was decided to form a Moscow centre and a Leningrad centre for the purpose of combining the terrorist groups. And this decision was subsequently put into effect. At this same conference at Ilyinskoye in 1932, there was outright talk about the necessity of terrorism, in the first place against Stalin and Kirov. The organization of these terroristic acts was, on Zinoviev's proposal, entrusted to Bakayev.

Vyshinsky: Accused Bakayev, do you confirm this?

Bakayev: During that conference Zinoviev said that the Trotskyites, on Trotsky's proposal,had set to work to organize the assassination of Stalin and that we should take the initiative in this matter into our own hands.

Vyshinsky: Zinoviev said that?

Bakayev: Yes.

Vyshinsky: Zinoviev said that you should take the initiative in?

Bakayev: At that conference I was instructed to organize a terroristic act against Stalin.

Vyshinsky: And you undertook to do that, did you?

Bakayev: Yes.

Continuing, Evdokimov states with reference to the facts concerning the preparations for assassination of S. M. Kirov, that in the summer of 1934 a conference was held in Kamenov's apartment in Moscow at which Kamenev, Zinoviev, Evdokimov, Sokolnikov,Ter-Vaganyan, Reingold and Bakayev were present. At this conference it was decided to expedite the assassination of S. M. Kirov.

Vyshinsky: So it was put as straight as that: "To expedite the assassination of S. M. Kirov"?

Edokimov: Yes, it was put like that.

Continuing, Evdokimov says that for this purpose Bakayev, in the autumn of 1934, went to Leningrad to check up on the progress of preparations for the terroristic act against Sergel Mironovich Kirov by the Leningrad terrorists. These terrorist groups began to shadow Sergel Mironovich Kirov and walted for an opportune moment to commit their terroristic act.

Vyshinsky: Was the murder of Sergel Mironovich Kirov prepared by the centre?

Evdokimov: Yes.

Vyshinsky: You personally took part in these preparations?

Evdokimov: Yes.

Vyshinsky: Did Zinoviev and Kamenev participate with you in the preparations?

Evdokimov: Yes.

Vyshinsky: On the instructions of the centre, Bakayev went to Leningrad to check up on the progress made in the preparations, did he not?

Evdokimov: Yes.

As a result of further questioning Comrade Vyshinsky establishes that while on his visit to Leningrad, Bakayev met the future murderer of S. M. Kirov, Nikolayev, with whom he discussed the preparations for the assassination.

Vyshinsky: (to Bakayev): Did you meet Nikolayev in Leningrad?

Bakayev: Yes.

Vyshinsky: Did you confer about an understanding regarding the assassination of S. M. Kirov?

Bakayev: There was no need for me to come to an understanding with him about it because the instructions for the assassination had been given by Zinoviev and Kamenev.

Vyshinsky: But Nikolayev told you that he had decided to assassinate S. M. Kirov, didn't he?

Bakayev: He did, and so did other terrorists - Levin, Mandelstamm, Kotolynov, Rumyantsev.

Vyshinsky: You discussed the assassination of Kirov?

Bakayev: Yes.

Vyshinsky: He expressed his determination. And what was your attitude towards it?

Bakayev: I was for it.

In reply to further questions put by Comrade Vyshinsky to Bakayev it is ascertained that after his visit to Leningrad, Bakayev reported to Evdokimov and Kamenev on the progress of the preparation for the assassination of S. M. Kirov. Asked by Comrade Vyshinsky whether Bakayev had actually reported to him, Kamenev answered in the affirmative.

Vyshinsky: (to Kamanev): What did he report to you?

Kamanev: He said that the organization was prepared to strike a blow and that the blow would be struck.

Vyshinsky: And what was your attitude towards this?

Kamenev: The blow was planned and prepared on the order of the centre of which I was a member, and I regarded it as the fulfilment of the task we had set ourselves.

This concludes the morning session.