Letter
from Dimitrov and Manuilsky to Ezhov, Zhdanov and Andreev on the effects of the
arrests on the ECCI apparatus.
SECRET
To:
cc. EZHOV, ZHDANOV, ANDREEV.
Narkomvnudel[i]
[NKVD] organs have recently exposed a number of enemies of the people, and a
wide ranging espionage organization in the Comintern apparatus has been
revealed. The Communications Service, the most important department in the
Comintern apparatus, turned out to be the one most saturated. It is now
necessary to completely abolish this [Communications Service] and to proceed
without delay to organize this department anew with fresh, carefully selected
and verified workers. Other units of the Comintern apparatus also proved to be
saturated, although to a lesser degree: the Cadres Department, political
assistants to the ECCI secretaries, analysts, translators, etc.
In
addition, the Comintern leadership conducted a verification of the whole
apparatus which resulted in the firing of about one hundred people as
individuals who were not sufficiently trustworthy politically.
In
the past, the Comintern apparatus was usually staffed with the cadres from
foreign, especially illegal, com[munist] parties who made up the large
émigré reserves in the USSR. Experience has shown that such a
method of staffing the Comintern apparatus is, in the current conditions,
dangerous and harmful, since a number of C[om]I[ntern] sections, for example the
Polish, turned out to be completely taken over by the enemy. Therefore, we will
not be able to overcome this serious crisis without the help of the CC VKP(b).
We ask the CC VKP(b) to help us with cadres, members of the VKP(b), a request
that we have presented to c. Malenkov. The most urgent and pressing need is for
CC VKP(b) help in staffing the Communications Service, since the suspension of
its work has completely cut us off from abroad. In light of this, we request a
Polit[ical] Bureau resolution to satisfy the request [that we] sent to com.
Malenkov.
per order of /Dimitrov/.
/Manuilsky/.
10
October 1937
N1/3/ld.
RGASPI, f. 495, op. 73, d. 50, ll. 25-26.
Original in Russian. Typewritten.
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[i] Narkomvnudel – Narodny komissariat vnutrennikh del (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs) (Trans.).