Telegram to L.M. Kaganovich, V.M. Molotov, September 21, 1931

Source: Tom 17

I am introducing the following amendments to the draft NKID reply: 1) after the words "prepared to support any proposal in the field of," strike out the words "disarmament as a guarantee of peace" and replace them with the words "reduction of armaments"; 2) after the words "from the agenda," add the word "main"; 3) after the words "or reductions," add the words "of already existing"; 4) after the word "armaments," place a comma and add the words: "subject to resolution in the very near future."

Stalin

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Source: Stalin and Kaganovich. Correspondence. 1931-1936, pp. 112-113.

RGASPI. F. 558. Op. 11. D. 76. L. 74, 74 ob.

NOTE: This concerns the NKID reply to the Italian government's proposal, introduced at the plenary session of the League of Nations, regarding the suspension of new armaments programs at least for the duration of the disarmament conference proceedings. The USSR had also received an invitation to the conference. Litvinov had proposed the following reply: "I thank you for the kind telegraphic communication about the decision of the Third Commission to invite the USSR to participate in an advisory capacity in discussions on questions of a temporary halt to armament. Without touching on the other terms of the invitation, I will confine myself to pointing out the brevity of the time period, which does not allow the Soviet government to delegate a representative to Geneva. I consider it necessary, however, to note that the Soviet government, always prepared to support any proposal in the field of disarmament as a guarantee of universal peace, would be ready to join the proposal of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs on the condition that it be adopted in binding form by all countries, that it extend to all types of armaments, and that the signatories confirm that it in no case replaces or removes from the agenda the question of disarmament or reduction of armaments."