September 13, 1929

Comrades Molotov and Ordzhonikidze!

Received your coded message about self-criticism. Your proposal is incorrect, because a special CC resolution plus a speech by Molotov may be understood (will be understood!) by Party organizations as a new course in reverse, as a call: "Retreat on self-criticism!" — which, of course, is undesirable, and which would certainly undermine the authority of the CC (and of Molotov) in the eyes of the best elements of the Party, to the benefit of all manner of bureaucrats.

The gross error was the appearance in Pravda (specifically the form of the appearance) against the Leningrad leadership (and hence against Kirov-Komarov). Someone (i.e., an enemy of the Party) wanted to make it look as if the Leningrad leadership was against correcting shortcomings (which is not true!), that it resists self-criticism and does not accept it (which is not true!). And the bunglers at Pravda took the bait. And so the rumor mill got going, to the delight of the Party's enemies. They forgot that the Leningrad organization is not the Sochi or Astrakhan or Baku organization. They forgot that a blow against the leadership of the Leningrad organization, which represents the most reliable support of the CC, is a blow against the very heart of the CC...

The CC's fault is that for a moment it let the steering wheel slip from its hands in relation to the editorial bureau of Pravda, forgetting that there, in the bureau, sits the sportsman of self-criticism, Comrade Yaroslavsky, who possesses the happy ability of not seeing anything beyond his own nose.

The same must be said about Komsomolskaya Pravda and local press organs.

Let the CC Secretariat take things in hand again, let it establish control over Pravda and Komsomolskaya Pravda, let it change the tone of self-criticism in these newspapers — and then everything will be fine.

Well, all the best.

I shake both your hands.

September 13, 1929.

J. Stalin.

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Source: Letters of J.V. Stalin to V.M. Molotov. 1925–1936. P. 164–165.

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