Memorandum to the Secretary of the CC CP(b) of Ukraine, N.S. Khrushchev

Source: Tom 18

Source: marxists.org, Volume 15

10 July 1941

14:00

Kiev. To Khrushchev.

1) Your proposals for the destruction of all property contradict the directives given in Comrade Stalin's speech, where the destruction of all valuable property was discussed in connection with the forced withdrawal of Red Army units. Your proposals, however, envisage the immediate destruction of all valuable property, grain, and livestock in a zone of 100-150 kilometers from the enemy, irrespective of the state of the front.

Such a measure can demoralize the population, provoke discontent with Soviet power, disrupt the rear of the Red Army, and create among both the army and the population a mood of inevitable retreat instead of a determination to repel the enemy.

2) The State Defense Committee obliges you, in view of the withdrawal of troops and only in the event of withdrawal, in a zone of 70 versts from the front, to remove all adult male population, draft livestock, and grain, tractors, and combines, and drive them under their own power to the east, and to destroy whatever cannot be evacuated, without, however, touching poultry, small livestock, and other food supplies needed by the remaining population. As for distributing all this property to the troops, we categorically object to this, since the troops could turn into bands of marauders.

3) Do not blow up power stations, but remove all valuable parts without which the stations cannot operate, so that the power stations will be unable to function for a long time.

4) Do not blow up waterworks.

5) Do not blow up factories, but remove from the equipment all necessary valuable parts, machine tools, etc., so that the factories will be unable to be restored for a long time.

6) After the withdrawal of our units to the left bank of the Dnieper, blow up all bridges thoroughly.

7) Warehouses, especially artillery warehouses, must be evacuated without fail, and whatever cannot be evacuated must be blown up.

8) As for the evacuation of factories beyond the 70-verst zone, where there is no direct threat from the enemy for the time being, this evacuation is to be carried out in good time, transporting primarily machine tools and other most valuable equipment.

Chairman of the State Defense Committee

I. STALIN

Istochnik. 1995. No. 2.