August 10, 1929

Greetings, Comrade Molotov!

I read the CC resolution on grain procurement. With all its merits, it is, in my opinion, completely insufficient. The main evil in grain procurement right now is: 1) the presence of a large number of urban speculators on or around the grain market, who are diverting peasant grain from the state and — most importantly — creating an atmosphere of restraint among holders of grain; 2) competition between procurement organizations, which gives holders of grain the opportunity to hold out, to refuse to deliver grain (to wait for higher prices), to hide grain, to be in no hurry to deliver grain; 3) the desire of a whole number of collective farms to hide their grain surpluses and sell grain on the side. The presence of these factors — which will intensify if we do not take urgent measures right now — does not allow our procurements (and will not allow them) to rise. Measures should be taken right now against this evil, if we really intend to finish procurements in January-February and come out of the campaign as victors. This above all should have been stated in the CC resolution. But the CC resolution bypasses this question, or if it mentions it, touches on it only in passing, and what is said on this score is lost among the countless number of other (secondary) points generously scattered throughout the three-yard-long resolution. I fear that with such an approach we will not collect a sufficient quantity of grain.

My advice:

1) To issue immediately a directive to the GPU organs to immediately open repressions against urban (city-connected) speculators in grain products (i.e., arrest them and deport them from grain-producing regions), so that holders of grain feel right now (at the beginning of the grain procurement campaign) that the hope of speculators is a bad one, that grain can be delivered without scandal (and without loss) only to state and cooperative organizations;

2) To immediately issue a directive to the leading bodies of the cooperatives, Soyuzkhlib [Grain Union], the OGPU, and judicial organs to identify and immediately bring to trial (with immediate removal from office) all those caught engaging in competition among grain procurers, as unconditionally alien and NEPman elements [I do not exclude "Communists" either] who have wormed their way into our organizations in a thieving manner and are maliciously damaging the cause of the workers' state;

3) To establish surveillance of collective farms [through the Kolkhoz Center, Party organizations, OGPU] so that the leaders of collective farms caught withholding grain surpluses or selling them on the side are immediately removed from office and brought to trial for deceiving the state and sabotage.

I think that without these and similar measures, things will not work out for us. Otherwise, all we will have is agitation and no concrete measures for grain procurement.

Please show this letter to Mikoyan. I hope there will be no disagreements among us on this.

I forgot to reply in my first letter on the question of the "continuous week." It goes without saying that this matter must be pushed forward, sweeping aside the objections of Uglanov and other whiners. This will be one of the greatest achievements of our production policy and practice.

That is all for now. I shake your hand. August 10, 1929.

J. Stalin.

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Source: Letters of J.V. Stalin to V.M. Molotov. 1925–1936. P. 141–143.

RGASPI. F. 558. Op. 1. D. 5388.