To Kaganovich, Molotov, Kuibyshev.

Cooper is a great boor and is spoiled by the ease with which he obtains audiences with Soviet officials. I am almost certain he has no concrete instructions, neither political nor commercial. Most likely he wants to attach himself to the construction of our new hydroelectric stations on the Volga. He should not be pampered. Nevertheless, he should be received politely, listened to attentively, and every word should be recorded and reported to the CC.

I do not wish to see him, as the interests of the cause do not require it.

Stalin

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Source: Stalin and Kaganovich. Correspondence. 1931-1936, p. 252.

RGASPI. F. 558. Op. 11. D. 78. L. 100.

NOTE

Reply to a cipher telegram of 29 July 1932, signed by Kaganovich, Molotov, and Kuibyshev: "Sochi. To Stalin. Cooper, who has arrived, told Kuibyshev that he is authorized by decisive business circles of America to conduct negotiations on relations between the USSR and the USA. He asked Kuibyshev whether he could meet with the entire Politburo, because the questions with which he had come were supposedly so exceptionally important.

Kuibyshev, of course, rejected such a way of putting the answer and said that he would report to the government and inform him whether the government agreed to conduct negotiations and whom it would designate for the negotiations. Cooper expressed the wish that on the 31st, when he has been promised a reception by Molotov, he be given an answer on consent to negotiations and who is authorized. On the 31st Cooper will report in more detail on the assignments given to him by business circles. He requested a meeting with you. Kuibyshev promised to give an answer also on the 31st. Please communicate your opinion...."

The next day Stalin received another cipher telegram from Molotov and Kuibyshev: "You were absolutely right that Cooper has no serious proposals, either political or commercial. Everything came down to the question of the arrival of 10 major banking and industrial figures, Republicans and Democrats, and even that in an extremely indefinite form both as to time and as to composition.

The central point of the conversation was the question of 30 Negroes who had come to the USSR to take part in the filming of a motion picture. Cooper learned about this on the steamship on the way to the USSR. Cooper stubbornly argued for an hour that the arrival of Negroes in the USSR, and still more the filming of a picture as an example of anti-American propaganda, would be an insurmountable obstacle to recognition.

Cooper himself does not consider it possible for him to continue work in the USSR, or to participate in the campaign for recognition, if this film is made. Apparently Cooper was waiting for proposals about new work. He continued to insist on a meeting with you.

In response to the request about the Negroes, we limited ourselves to remarks that the film was not the issue and that facts of that kind were not obstacles to recognition. We simply listened about the delegation of business circles, and he did not insist on a concrete answer.

Tomorrow Cooper goes to Dneprostroy, where he asked that an answer about the Negroes and about a meeting with you be sent. We propose giving no answer about the Negroes and politely refusing a meeting with you."

Stalin approved these proposals. On 1 August 1932 the Politburo agenda included the question "On Negroes," proposed by Kuibyshev. The Politburo instructed Postyshev and Pyatnitsky to take measures on the basis of the exchange of opinions that had taken place. On 22 August, on Pyatnitsky's submission, the Politburo adopted the following decision: "a) Not to announce a complete refusal to release the picture White and Black; b) Instruct Comrades Postyshev and Pyatnitsky to review the scenario of the picture in the direction of serious alteration of the picture in accordance with the exchange of opinions that has taken place."