Recording of Stalin at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU October 16, 1952

 Stalin I.V. Works. - T. 18. - Tver: Information and Soyuz Publishing Center, 2006, pp. 584–587.

So, we held a party congress. It went well, and it may seem to many that we have complete unity. However, we do not have such unity. Some express disagreement with our decisions.

They say: why did we significantly expand the composition of the Central Committee? But isn't it clear that new forces had to be poured into the Central Committee? We, the old people, will die, but we need to think to whom, into whose hands we will hand over the baton of our great cause. Who will carry it forward? This requires younger, dedicated people, politicians. And what does it mean to raise a political, statesman? This requires great effort. It will take ten, no, all fifteen years to raise a statesman.

But desire alone is not enough. It is possible to educate ideologically steadfast statesmen only through practical deeds, through daily work to implement the general line of the Party, to overcome the resistance of all kinds of hostile opportunist elements who seek to slow down and frustrate the building of socialism. And the politicians of the Leninist experience, educated by our Party, will have to fight to break these hostile attempts and achieve complete success in the realization of our great goals.

Isn't it clear that we need to raise the role of the Party, its Party committees? Can we forget about improving the work of the Party among the masses, as taught by Lenin? All this requires an influx of young, fresh forces into the Central Committee, the leading headquarters of our Party. So we did, following the instructions of Lenin. That is why we have expanded the composition of the Central Committee. And the party itself has grown a lot.

People ask why we dismissed prominent party and state leaders from important ministerial posts. What can be said about this? We dismissed the ministers Molotov, Kaganovich, Voroshilov and others and replaced them with new workers. Why? On what basis? The job of a minister is a man's job. It requires great strength, specific knowledge and health. That is why we have released some honored [c. 584] comrades from their posts and appointed in their place new, more qualified, enterprising workers. They are young people, full of strength and energy. We must support them in responsible work.

As for the prominent political and statesmen themselves, they remain prominent political and statesmen. We transferred them to work as deputy chairmen of the Council of Ministers. So I don't even know how many deputies I have now.

It is impossible not to touch on the wrong behavior of some prominent political figures if we are talking about unity in our affairs. I have in mind Comrades Molotov and Mikoyan.

Molotov is a man devoted to our cause. Call him, and I have no doubt that he will not hesitate to give his life for the party. But you can not ignore his unworthy deeds. Comrade Molotov, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, being under "chartreuse" at a diplomatic reception, gave his consent to the British Ambassador to publish bourgeois newspapers and magazines in our country. Why? On what basis was such consent required? Isn't it clear that the bourgeoisie is our class enemy and that spreading the bourgeois press among the Soviet people will bring nothing but harm. Such a wrong step, if allowed, will have a harmful, negative effect on the minds and worldview of the Soviet people, will lead to the weakening of our communist ideology and the strengthening of the bourgeois ideology. This is Comrade Molotov's first political mistake.

And what is Comrade Molotov's proposal to transfer the Crimea to the Jews worth? This is Comrade Molotov's gross mistake. Why did he need it? How can this be allowed? On what basis did Comrade Molotov make such a proposal? We have a Jewish autonomy - Birobidzhan. Isn't that enough? Let this republic develop. And Comrade Molotov should not be a lawyer for illegal Jewish claims to our Soviet Crimea. This is Comrade Molotov's second political mistake. Comrade Molotov behaves incorrectly as a member of the Politburo. And we categorically rejected his far-fetched proposals.

Comrade Molotov respects his wife so much that we do not have time to make a decision of the Politburo on this or that important political question, as this quickly becomes known to Comrade Zhemchuzhina. It turns out as if some invisible thread connects the Politburo with Molotov's wife, Zhemchuzhina, and her friends. And she is surrounded by friends who cannot be trusted. It is clear that such behavior of a member of the Politburo is unacceptable.

Now about Comrade Mikoyan. You see, he objects to the increase in the agricultural tax on the peasants. Who is he, our Anastas Mikoyan? What is not clear to him?

The man is our debtor. We have a strong alliance with the peasants. We have assigned the land to the collective farms forever. They must repay their debt to the state. Therefore, one cannot agree with Comrade Mikoyan's position.

A.I. Mikoyan justifies himself on the podium, referring to some economic calculations.

Stalin (interrupting Mikoyan): Here is Mikoyan, the new Frumkin. You see, he is confused himself and wants to confuse us on this clear, fundamental issue.

V.M. Molotov on the podium admits his mistakes, justifies himself and assures that he was and remains a faithful student of Stalin.

Stalin (interrupting Molotov): Nonsense! I don't have any students. We are all students of the great Lenin.

Further, Stalin said that the Plenum needed to resolve the organizational issue - to elect the leading bodies of the party. 

He proposed instead of the Politburo to elect the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU in a significantly expanded composition and the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPSU. The selection procedure was quite specific. 

Stalin, taking out a piece of paper from the pocket of his jacket, said: “The Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU could be elected, for example, such comrades - Comrade Stalin, Comrade Andrianov, Comrade Aristov, Comrade Beria, Comrade Bulganin, Comrade Voroshilov, Comrade Ignatiev, Comrade Kaganovich, Comrade Korotchenko, Comrade Kuznetsov, Comrade Kuusinen, Comrade Malenkov, Comrade Malyshev, Comrade Melnikov, Comrade Mikoyan, Comrade Mikhailov, Comrade Molotov, Comrade Pervukhin, Comrade Ponomarenko, Comrade Saburov, Comrade Suslov, Comrade Khrushchev, Comrade Chesnokov, Comrade Shvernik, Comrade Shkiryatov ".

He read out candidates for the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, including Comrade Brezhnev, Comrade Vyshinsky, Comrade Zverev, Comrade Ignatov, Comrade Kabanov, Comrade Kosygin, Comrade Patolichev, Comrade Pegov, Comrade Puzanov, Comrade Tevosyan, Comrade Yudin.

Then Stalin took out another piece of paper from the side pocket of his jacket and said: “Now about the Secretariat of the Central Committee. It would be possible to elect as secretaries of the Central Committee, for example, such comrades as Comrade Stalin, Comrade Aristov, Comrade Brezhnev, Comrade Ignatov, Comrade Malenkov, Comrade Mikhailov, Comrade Pegov, Comrade Ponomarenko, Comrade Suslov, Comrade Khrushchev.

In total, Stalin proposed 36 people to the Presidium and Secretariat of the Central Committee. At the same time, he stressed: “All members of the old Politburo are on the list, except for Andreev. Regarding respected comrade Andreev, everything is clear: he is completely deaf, he can’t hear anything, he can’t work. Let it heal."

Voice from the floor : Comrade Stalin must be elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

Stalin : No! Release me from my duties as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

G.M. Malenkov on the podium: Comrades! We must all unanimously and unanimously ask Comrade Stalin, our leader and teacher, to continue to be the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

L.P.Beria also spoke in support of this proposal . 

Stalin on the podium: Applause is not needed at the Plenum of the Central Committee. It is necessary to resolve issues without emotions, in a businesslike way. And I ask to be relieved of my duties as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. I'm already old. I don't read papers. Choose another secretary.

S.K. Timoshenko : Comrade Stalin, the people will not understand this. We all, as one, elect you as our leader - the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. There can be no other solution.

All standing warmly applauding, supporting Tymoshenko. Stalin stood for a long time and looked into the hall, then waved his hand and sat down.

Efremov L.N. Roads of struggle and labor.

Stavropol, 1998, pp. 12–16 .

Note

Efremov Leonid Nikolaevich - delegate of the XIX Congress of the CPSU, a prominent party and statesman. This entry was updated with the author on November 16, 2005