Comrade Molotov!

I received your letter of 20/VIII. I had a talk with Bukharin today.

1) You propose a five-point agenda for the plenum: 1) foreign trade, 2) trade unions, 3) ECCI, 4) wages, 5) land reform in Central Asia. I have no objection to this agenda. It is important to prepare the question of wages (planned wage increases, etc.). This matter was initiated by the Seven, and its preparation was entrusted, in a non-Politburo manner, to Schmidt. Press him. When prepared, the question should first be taken through the Politburo. It would be good to add the question of industrial construction, with a report by Feliks or Pyatakov (Smilga has no business butting in here -- he is a phony economic leader, and besides, the issue is not the economy in general but industry). But if Feliks cannot yet give a report, it can be postponed to the next plenum, provided, however, that a firm guarantee is given that not a single factory of Union-wide scale will be started for construction during this period without the sanction of the Politburo.

2) On the question of the Ukrainian komnezam (committee of poor peasants -- Ed.), there is no need to be formalistic. The decision of the Ukrainian CC on this question fully coincides with the decisions of the XIV Conference of the RCP. It would be better to put before the CC plenum, as a separate item, a report of the village conference and in the report to speak about the komnezams, krestkoms, and so forth. This will serve as ratification of the decision of the CC of the CPU. You must give the report. Without fail.

3) The question of the economic plan can be put, if this proves necessary, at the next plenum, with the report given not by Gosplan but by Rykov (the Council of People's Commissars) or Kamenev (the STO), with the participation of the CCC.

4) We can talk about the agenda of the congress later.

5) If you have time, write more often -- I will answer punctually (I have plenty of time).

6) Bukharin says you are now severely overloaded. I shall try to be in Moscow by the 10th, or even earlier, to relieve you.

I am healthy. I have recovered quite substantially.

I shake your hand.

Yours,

I. Stalin.

P.S. The theses on trade unions are on the whole acceptable but need to be reworked on account of their weakness and insufficient definiteness in certain formulations. They must definitely be corrected in the spirit of Andreyev's well-known speech.

I. St.

Letters of I.V. Stalin to V.M. Molotov. 1925-1936. Pp. 44-47.

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