Letter to L.M. Kaganovich, 25 July 1932

Source: Tom 17

Greetings, Comrade Kaganovich!

1) Yesterday I wrote to you by cipher about a partial reduction of the grain procurement plan for the particularly hard-hit collective farms and individual peasants of Ukraine. My proposal may have seemed strange to you (and Molotov) after the speeches at the conference of secretaries (end of June) and the Ukrainian Party Conference. But there is nothing strange here. The end of June (the conference of secretaries) and the beginning of July (the Ukrainian Party Conference) were a period of organizing grain procurement and deploying forces for the fulfillment of the grain procurement plan. To speak during this period about a reduction of the plan (even as an exception), in front of everyone and in the presence of oblast secretaries, would mean finally demoralizing the (already demoralized) Ukrainians, disorganizing the oblast secretaries, and wrecking grain procurement. That was the situation at the end of June and the beginning of July. The middle or end of August is a different matter. During this interval, firstly, the crop prospects will have become clear (they have already become clear!) as unconditionally good for the USSR; secondly, the Party and Soviet forces will already have been mobilized and deployed for the fulfillment of the plan; thirdly, closer acquaintance with Ukraine's affairs will by that time have already revealed the need for assistance to Ukrainian collective farms in the form of a partial reduction of the plan; fourthly, the end of August (I insist on the end or, at any rate, the second half of August) is the most suitable moment for stimulating winter sowing and autumn work in general by rendering assistance.

I think that 30 million puds of grain will suffice for this purpose. In an extreme case, one could go up to 40 million puds. The Ukrainians may demand that this sum be spread across all collective farms, or that individual peasants be given the same assistance as collective farms. If there are such demands, they must be rejected. Only the hard-hit collective farms should be taken, with their plan cut by an average of 50%. Individual peasants should have their plan cut by only 1/3 or even 1/4.

2) I have read Grinko's memorandum. He (and Maryasin) have some exaggerations, departmental one-sidedness, and so on. But fundamentally Grinko and his people are right, and they should be supported.

Greetings!

Stalin

25/VII-32

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Source: Stalin and Kaganovich. Correspondence. 1931-1936, pp. 244-245.

RGASPI. F. 81. Op. 3. D. 99. L. 115-119.