Letter from student P.S. Vasilyeva I.V. Stalin. Leningrad, 3.XII.30

 A source: "I, without stopping at all, aim at you" // Source. Documents of Russian history. 2002. No. 1. S.103-104.

Archive: RGASPI. F.558. Op.11. D.717. L. 32ob. Certified typecopy.

Comrade Stalin!

Me, a student of the Leningrad Pedagogical College. K. D. Ushinsky (peasant by origin, father has 1 cow, 1 horse, 4 hectares of land and pays agricultural tax of 11 rubles), is interested in one question that concerns you personally. If this does not particularly bother you, then give at least a brief summary of your opinion on the issue below.

My comrades and I, while giving pedagogical practice at school, learned from the pupils to make specially folded pieces of paper out of rubber bands, which beat quite sensitively. Once, carried away by these childish jokes, things went quite far. My friend and I were alone in the room. Out of nothing to do for fun, they staged a firefight from this primitive weapon. But after a while the target seemed large and we started looking for a smaller target. Seeing the portrait of Bukharin, with the words"right deviator" we fired several charges at this target, then transferred our targets to my personal, enlarged, portrait and cards of our comrades.

The excitement reached the highest degree. I have two more charges in my hand. Your portrait catches my eye. I, without stopping at all and without thinking, aim at you and the first blow was quite unsuccessful. Offended by the failure, I also recklessly aim the secondhit. And unfortunately, this blow was very accurate and quite strong. The shell hit right in the left cheek, where the hole formed. I affirm that this act was completely without a purpose, not thought out and performed in oblivion. I didn't notice the hole right away, but the next day my friend starts scolding me, showing the hole. Having come to my senses and discussed this provision, I realized that I had acted badly (albeit in oblivion), but nevertheless decided to bring this fact to the attention of my guys, who brought it to the attention of the entire public (for which I do not blame them at all, but vice versa).

For this act I was removed from the chairmanship of the bureau of the physical education circle by order of the trade union committee, expelled from the physical education circle, from the trade union, transferred to a public demonstration court with a proposal to exclude from the technical school and transfer the case to the people's court.

Although joking, but for the mistake I made, I agree to bear any punishment that the public demonstration and the people's proletarian court deems worthy of my actions. I would like, if it is impossible in a technical school and in the pedagogical field, then in production at the machine to prove the title of a worthy fighter for culture, for socialism.

Well, now a little about my biography. My father was busy with the peasantry all the time. At the end of 1924, I joined the pioneer detachment, although against the will of my parents, I was fond of work and immediately became a link leader, whom I had been working for more than a year. At the beginning of 1926, I was promoted to the leader of the "Octobrist" detachment, and in July 1926 I was unanimously accepted into the Komsomol. Through the fault of the section * of the collective, I do not receive a ticket and remain not a member of the Komsomol to this time. He worked in the pioneer detachment in 1926-27 and in the 132nd school. In 1929 and 1930 I am fond of social work.

Your opinion on my action and your advice for my future are very valuable to me. If this does not bother you, then give me an answer as soon as possible, since the court will be in a few days.

With friendly greetings

3rd year student VASILIEV Petr

Semenovich.

My address: mountains. Leningrad, 22, Malaya Posadskaya d. No. 26, third-year student VASILIEV PS

* Executive Secretary

The answer of I.V. Stalin's student P.S. Vasiliev

A source: "I, without stopping at all, aim at you" // Source. Documents of Russian history. 2002. No. 1. P.104.

Archive: RGASPI. F.558. Op.11. D.717. L.31. Mashcopy with a facsimile signature; handwritten postscript.

Mountains. Leningrad, 22, Malaya

Posadskaya, no. 26 -

Comrade P. S. VASILIEV

Comrade VASILIEV!

I think that there is something wrong related with your case. I ask the students of the third year of the pedagogical college not to subject Comrade Vasiliev to any punishment whatsoever. If Comrade Vasiliev hits the target well, he should be commended for that.

I. Stalin.

7.XII.30.

A copy of the letter was sent on December 7 to third year students of the Leningrad Pedagogical College. P [oskrebyshev].