On September 4, 1943, I was summoned to Comrade Stalin, where the following questions were put to me:

a) what Metropolitan Sergius was like (his age, physical condition, his authority in the Church, his attitude toward the authorities);
b) a brief characterization of Metropolitans Alexius and Nikolai;
c) when and how Tikhon was elected Patriarch;
d) what connections the Russian Orthodox Church has abroad;
e) who the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the others are;
f) what I know about the leadership of the Orthodox Churches of Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania;
g) what material conditions Metropolitans Sergius, Alexius, and Nikolai are currently living in;
h) the number of parishes of the Orthodox Church in the USSR and the number of bishops.

After I had given answers to the above questions, three questions of a personal nature were put to me:

a) was I Russian;
b) since what year had I been in the Party;
c) what was my education and why was I familiar with Church matters.

After this, Comrade Stalin said:

"A special organ needs to be created that would maintain liaison with the Church leadership. What proposals do you have?"

Noting that I was not entirely prepared for this question, I put forward the proposal to organize a department for religious affairs under the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, proceeding from the fact of the existence of the Permanent Commission for Religious Affairs attached to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

Comrade Stalin, correcting me, said that no commission or department for religious affairs should be organized under the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, that the matter concerned the organization of a special organ under the government of the Union, and that it could be a question of forming either a committee or a council. He asked my opinion.

When I said that I had difficulty answering this question, Comrade Stalin, after a moment's thought, said:

1) a Council must be organized under the government of the Union, i.e., under the Council of People's Commissars, which we shall call the Council for Russian Orthodox Church Affairs;
2) the Council will be charged with maintaining liaison between the government of the Union and the Patriarch;
3) the Council does not make independent decisions, but reports and receives instructions from the government.

After this, Comrade Stalin exchanged views with Comrades Malenkov and Beria on the question of whether he should receive Metropolitans Sergius, Alexius, and Nikolai, and also asked me how I viewed the fact that the government would receive them.

All three said that they considered it a positive occurrence.

After this, right there at Comrade Stalin's dacha, I received instructions to telephone Metropolitan Sergius and, on behalf of the government, convey the following: "You are speaking with a representative of the Council of People's Commissars of the Union. The government wishes to receive you, as well as Metropolitans Alexius and Nikolai, to hear your needs and to resolve the questions you have. The government can receive you either today, in an hour or an hour and a half, or if this time does not suit you, the reception can be arranged tomorrow (Sunday) or on any day of the following week."

Right there, in the presence of Comrade Stalin, having telephoned Sergius and introduced myself as a representative of the Council of People's Commissars, I conveyed the above and asked him to exchange views with Metropolitans Alexius and Nikolai, if they were at that moment with Metropolitan Sergius.

After this I reported to Comrade Stalin that Metropolitans Sergius, Alexius, and Nikolai were grateful for such attention on the part of the government and wished to be received today.

Two hours later, Metropolitans Sergius, Alexius, and Nikolai arrived at the Kremlin, where they were received by Comrade Stalin in the office of the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Present at the reception were Comrade Molotov and myself.

Comrade Stalin's conversation with the metropolitans lasted 1 hour and 55 minutes.

Comrade Stalin said that the government of the Union had known of the patriotic work being carried out by them in the churches from the first day of the war, and that the government had received a very large number of letters from the front and the rear approving the position taken by the Church in relation to the state.

Comrade Stalin, having briefly noted the positive significance of the Church's patriotic activity during the war, asked Metropolitans Sergius, Alexius, and Nikolai to speak about the mature but unresolved questions that the Patriarchate and they personally had.

Metropolitan Sergius told Comrade Stalin that the most important and most pressing question was that of the central leadership of the Church, since for almost 18 years he had served as Patriarchal Locum Tenens and personally thought that there were probably few places where such prolonged difficulties existed, that the Synod in the Soviet Union had not existed since 1935, and therefore he considered it desirable that the government permit the convening of a Council of Bishops, which would elect a Patriarch and also form a body of 5-6 bishops.

Metropolitans Alexius and Nikolai also spoke in favor of forming a Synod and provided justification for this proposal of formation as the most desired and acceptable form, also saying that they considered the election of a Patriarch at a Council of Bishops to be fully canonical, since in fact the Church had been headed without interruption for 18 years by the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius.

Having approved Metropolitan Sergius's proposals, Comrade Stalin asked:

a) what the Patriarch would be called;
b) when could the Council of Bishops be convened;
c) was any assistance from the government needed for the successful conduct of the Council (was there a venue, was transport needed, was money needed, etc.).

Sergius replied that these questions had been discussed among themselves in advance and that they would consider it desirable and correct if the government permitted the adoption of the title of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for the Patriarch, although Patriarch Tikhon, elected in 1917 under the Provisional Government, was called "Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia" (using a slightly different form of the Russian word for Russia).

Comrade Stalin agreed, saying this was correct.

To the second question, Metropolitan Sergius replied that the Council of Bishops could be convened in a month, at which point Comrade Stalin, smiling, said: "And could it not be done at a Bolshevik pace?" Turning to me, he asked my opinion; I expressed the view that if we helped Metropolitan Sergius with the appropriate transport to deliver the episcopate to Moscow as quickly as possible (by aircraft), the Council could be convened in 3-4 days.

After a brief exchange of views, they agreed that the Council of Bishops would convene in Moscow on September 8.

To the third question, Metropolitan Sergius replied that for the conduct of the Council they were not requesting any subsidies from the state.

As the second question, Metropolitan Sergius raised, and Metropolitan Alexius developed, the question of the preparation of clergy cadres, and both requested that Comrade Stalin permit them to organize theological courses at certain dioceses.

Comrade Stalin, agreeing with this, at the same time asked why they were raising the question of theological courses, when the government could permit the organization of a theological academy and the opening of theological seminaries in all dioceses where needed.

Metropolitan Sergius, and then even more so Metropolitan Alexius, said that for the opening of a theological academy they still had very few resources and appropriate preparation was needed, and regarding seminaries — admitting persons no younger than 18 they considered inappropriate given the times and past experience, knowing that until a person had formed a definite worldview, training them as pastors was very dangerous since there was a large dropout rate, and that perhaps in the future, when the Church had acquired the appropriate experience with theological courses, this question would arise, but even then the organizational and programmatic aspects of the seminaries and academies would need to be radically modified.

Comrade Stalin said: "Well, as you wish, that is your affair, but if you want theological courses, start with those; the government will have no objections to the opening of seminaries and academies either."

As the third question, Sergius raised the question of organizing the publication of a journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, which would appear once a month and would cover both the chronicle of the Church and articles and speeches of a theological and patriotic character.

Comrade Stalin replied: "A journal can and should be published."

Then Metropolitan Sergius touched on the question of opening churches in a number of dioceses, saying that almost all diocesan bishops raised this question with him, that there were few churches and that churches had not been opened for very many years. Metropolitan Sergius said that he considered it necessary to grant the diocesan bishop the right to enter into negotiations with the civil authorities on the question of opening churches.

Metropolitans Alexius and Nikolai supported Sergius, noting at the same time the uneven distribution of churches in the Soviet Union and expressing the wish that churches be opened first and foremost in regions and territories where there were no churches at all or where there were few.

Comrade Stalin replied that the government would place no obstacles in the way of this question.

Then Metropolitan Alexius raised before Comrade Stalin the question of releasing certain bishops who were in exile, in camps, in prisons, and so forth.

Comrade Stalin told them: "Present such a list; it will be reviewed."

Sergius then raised the question of granting the right of free residence and movement within the Union, and the right to perform church services, to former clergy who had served their court-imposed terms of imprisonment, i.e., the question was raised of removing the restrictions associated with the passport regime.

Comrade Stalin asked me to study this question.

Metropolitan Alexius, having asked Comrade Stalin's permission, made a special point of the questions related to Church funds, namely:

a) Metropolitan Alexius said that he considered it necessary to grant dioceses the right to allocate certain sums from the funds of churches and from diocesan funds to the fund of the central Church apparatus for its maintenance (the Patriarchate, the Synod), and in connection with this Metropolitan Alexius cited an example that the inspector for administrative supervision of the Leningrad Soviet, Tataryntseva, had not permitted such allocations;

b) that in connection with this same question, he, as well as Metropolitans Sergius and Nikolai, considered it necessary that the Regulations on Church Administration be modified, namely that clergy be given the right to be members of the executive body of the Church.

Comrade Stalin said there were no objections to this.

Metropolitan Nikolai in the conversation touched on the question of candle factories, stating that at the present time church candles were made by craftsmen, the retail price of candles in churches was very high, and he, Metropolitan Nikolai, considered it better to grant the right to have candle factories at dioceses.

Comrade Stalin said that the Church could count on comprehensive support from the government in all questions related to its organizational strengthening and development within the USSR, and that just as he had spoken of the organization of theological educational establishments, not objecting to the opening of seminaries in dioceses, so there could be no obstacles to the opening of candle factories and other enterprises at diocesan administrations.

Then, turning to me, Comrade Stalin said: "It is necessary to ensure the bishop's right to dispose of Church funds. No obstacles should be placed in the way of organizing seminaries, candle factories, and so forth."

Then Comrade Stalin, turning to the three metropolitans, said: "If it is needed now or if it will be needed in the future, the state can provide the appropriate subsidies to the Church's central body."

After this Comrade Stalin, turning to Metropolitans Sergius, Alexius, and Nikolai, said to them: "I have been told by Comrade Karpov that you are living very badly: cramped quarters, buying food at the market, no transport at all. Therefore the government would like to know what needs you have and what you would like to receive from the government."

In response to Comrade Stalin's question, Metropolitan Sergius said that as premises for the Patriarchate and the Patriarch he would request that the proposals introduced by Metropolitan Alexius be accepted, providing the Patriarchate with the use of the former abbot's building in Novodevichy Convent, and as regards food supply, they purchased these products at the market, but regarding transport he would request assistance, if possible, with the allocation of a car.

Comrade Stalin said to Metropolitan Sergius: "Comrade Karpov has inspected the premises at Novodevichy Convent: they are entirely unimproved, require major renovation, and it will take a great deal of time before they can be occupied.

They are damp and cold. One must bear in mind that these buildings were constructed in the 16th century. The government can provide you tomorrow with a fully improved and prepared premises, offering you a three-story mansion in Chisty Lane, which was previously occupied by the former German Ambassador Schulenburg.

But this building is Soviet, not German, so you can live there in complete peace. Furthermore, we provide you with the mansion along with all the property and furniture that is in it, and in order to give you a better idea of this building, we shall now show you its plan."

A few minutes later, the plan of the mansion at No. 5 Chisty Lane, with its outbuildings and garden, which had been presented to Comrade Stalin by Comrade Poskrebyshev, was shown to the metropolitans for their review, and it was agreed that on the following day, September 4 (a slip of the pen; should read September 5 — Ed.), Comrade Karpov would provide the metropolitans with the opportunity to personally inspect the above-mentioned premises.

Returning to the question of food supply, Comrade Stalin said to the metropolitans: "It is inconvenient and expensive for you to buy products at the market, and at present the collective farmer puts few products onto the market. Therefore the state can provide you with products at state prices. In addition, tomorrow or the day after we shall place 2-3 passenger cars with fuel at your disposal."

Comrade Stalin asked Metropolitan Sergius and the other metropolitans whether they had any more questions for him, whether the Church had other needs, and Comrade Stalin asked this several times.

All three stated that they had no more particular requests, but that sometimes locally there was an excessive taxation of the clergy with income tax, to which Comrade Stalin drew attention and asked me to take appropriate verification and corrective measures in each individual case.

After this Comrade Stalin said to the metropolitans: "Well, if you have no more questions for the government, perhaps there will be some later. The government intends to create a special state apparatus, which will be called the Council for Russian Orthodox Church Affairs, and it is proposed to appoint Comrade Karpov as Chairman of the Council. How do you view this?"

All three stated that they received the appointment of Comrade Karpov to this post most favorably.

Comrade Stalin said that the Council would serve as the point of liaison between the government and the Church, and its Chairman should report to the government on the life of the Church and the questions arising in it.

Then, turning to me, Comrade Stalin said: "Select 2-3 assistants for yourself who will be members of your Council, form an apparatus, but remember: first, that you are not a Chief Procurator; second, emphasize through your activity more the independence of the Church."

After this Comrade Stalin, turning to Comrade Molotov, said: "This must be brought to the attention of the population, just as it will be necessary subsequently to inform the population of the election of the Patriarch."

In connection with this, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov immediately began to draft the text of a communique for radio and newspapers, in the drafting of which appropriate remarks, corrections, and additions were made both by Comrade Stalin and individually by Metropolitans Sergius and Alexius.

The text of the announcement was adopted in the following wording:

"On September 4 of the current year, a reception was held with the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Comrade I.V. Stalin, during which a conversation took place with the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius, the Metropolitan of Leningrad Alexius, and the Exarch of Ukraine, the Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia Nikolai.

During the conversation, Metropolitan Sergius informed the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars that in the leading circles of the Orthodox Church there was an intention to convene a Council of Bishops for the election of a Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the formation of a Holy Synod under the Patriarch.

The head of the government, Comrade I.V. Stalin, treated these proposals sympathetically and stated that there would be no obstacles to this on the part of the government.

Present at the conversation was the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Comrade V.M. Molotov."

This announcement was published in the newspaper Izvestia on September 5, 1943.

The communique was transmitted to Comrade Poskrebyshev for transmission by radio that same day and to TASS for publication in the newspapers.

After this Comrade Molotov turned to Sergius with the question: when would it be better to receive the delegation of the Anglican Church, wishing to come to Moscow, headed by the Archbishop of York?

Sergius replied that, since the Council of Bishops would be convened in 4 days, meaning the election of the Patriarch would take place, the Anglican delegation could be received at any time.

Comrade Molotov said that in his opinion it would be better to receive this delegation a month later.

In conclusion of this reception at Comrade Stalin's, Metropolitan Sergius made a brief speech of thanks to the government and personally to Comrade Stalin.

Comrade Molotov asked Comrade Stalin: "Perhaps a photographer should be called?"

Comrade Stalin said: "No, it is already late, the second hour of the night, so we shall do this another time."

Comrade Stalin, having said farewell to the metropolitans, escorted them to the door of his office.

This reception was a historic event for the Church and left a great impression on Metropolitans Sergius, Alexius, and Nikolai, which was evident to all who knew and saw Sergius and the others in those days.