From a Telegram to K. Gottwald, July 14, 1948

Source: Tom 18

I have received the communication from Silin (the Soviet ambassador in Prague — Ed.) about his conversation with you on the Yugoslav question. I have the impression that you are counting on Tito's defeat, and that of his group, at the CPY congress. In view of this, you apparently intend to publish material compromising the Yugoslav leaders in the sphere of their relations with the USSR. I must tell you that we in Moscow did not expect such a quick defeat of the Tito group. We know reliably that the CPY congress has been carefully hand-picked, all dissenters are being removed from their posts or arrested, and only those who have given a written pledge to vote against the Cominform are being admitted to the congress. We proceed from the assumption that at the upcoming congress Tito will gather a majority. However, this circumstance does not in the least discourage those of us in Moscow. Our goal in the first stage was to isolate the Yugoslav leaders in the eyes of other Communist Parties and expose their fraudulent machinations. We achieved this goal with success. In the future, there will be a gradual falling away of the party-Marxist groups from Tito and his group.

Volokitina T.V., Murashko G.P., Noskova A.F., Pokivailova T.A. Moscow and Eastern Europe. The Formation of Soviet-Type Political Regimes (1949-1953): Essays on History. Moscow, 2002. P. 584.

AP RF. F. 45. Op. 1. D. 360. L. 14-15.

Note

Copies of this letter were sent as "guidance" to the leaders of all Communist Parties participating in the Information Bureau. Only the reaction of K. Gottwald to this letter is known. M.A. Silin, who had delivered Stalin's letter to the leader of the CPCz, informed the Soviet leadership on the same day: "Comrade Gottwald said that he agrees with Comrade Stalin's letter, then added: 'I have enough patience.'"