June 5, 1932

Greetings, Comrade Kaganovich!

I received your letter of June 2.

1) The assignment of Comrade Pyatakov to Germany is the right measure.

2) The decision of the Far East Commission concerning the categorical prohibition on firing without Moscow's authorization (that is, the Council of People's Commissars and the CC) is entirely correct. It is clear that such questions and "incidents" -- which carry the danger of "unexpectedly" unleashing a war -- must be resolved in every detail exclusively by Moscow. I advise holding firm to the end on this policy and not yielding (under any circumstances!) to Comrade Blyukher's protests.

3) How do things stand with consumer goods? How many goods have already been sent to the countryside, when were they sent or when is it planned to send them, and what goods exactly? Pay special attention to consumer goods. Tell Lyubimov and Sergo that the fate of the alliance between town and country depends on the development of consumer goods, that the decisions on consumer goods are subject to unconditional and punctual fulfillment on schedule. Do not let Zelensky and the cooperators sleep and be complacent. You together with Postyshev must constantly keep after Zelensky and the cooperators and compel them to establish a lively Soviet trade with the countryside. That is the crux of the matter now.

4) Make Pravda publish daily production reports from AMO and the Automobile Factory. This is the only real means of tightening up both these factories and the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry, which is not supplying them with metal. Once more: make Pravda (I suspect Mekhlis has a bloc with the apparatus of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry) give daily reports on AMO and the Automobile Factory.

Greetings!

I. Stalin.

Source: Stalin i Kaganovich. Perepiska. 1931-1936 gg. [Stalin and Kaganovich. Correspondence. 1931-1936], p. 141.

RGASPI, f. 81, op. 3, d. 99, ll. 54-56.