Document 155

Letter from A. Tsyganov to G. I. Petrovsky requesting pardon of his wife, 22 October 1938

GARF, f. 7523, op. 23, d. 202, l. 49. Typewritten original.

From Aleksei Yegorovich Tsyganov, Junior Naval Commander, Group Petty Officer, Acting Chief of the Club of Troop Unit No. 7579 of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet

Grigory Ivanovich I am appealing to you to provide assistance in pardoning my wife, Liudmila Mikhailovna Tsyganovna, who was sentenced to three years in prison and to two years of disenfranchisement. She was convicted for blabbing under Article 58, Clause 10, Section 1.

Her mother a churchgoer was arrested, and on this basis, failing to consider the political essence of being a churchgoer [my wife] showed pity for her and for her girlfriend's mother.

I lived with her for only ten months, and in living with me she didn't have any resentments about Soviet Rule since she is almost the same age as the October Revolution, born in 1916. She is in her fifth month of imprisonment in Leningrad, at Arsenal'naia 9.

She is in her fifth month of pregnancy but there are no exceptions for pregnant women. During this time I visited her twice and each time talked for twenty minutes. During these four-plus months in confinement the woman has been educated and her eyes opened to life so that she has started to appreciate life in a completely different way.

Grigory Ivanovich I appeal to you once again for your assistance, in considering her youth and pregnancy and inexperience in life, and the political ignorance she displayed in her blabbing without being aware of anything. No formal appeal was filed, since the reading of the sentence in court caused her to faint, and she was taken unconscious to her cell and she was in such a condition that she had no idea what was going on or what she should do, and I didnt know when the trial took place, so the time limit for filing an appeal ran out.

These four-plus months have been very educational and have taught us big moral and political lessons.

For my part, I will make every effort to fortify the education that she has received in these four-plus months and lead her along the right path so that we can live together with our happy young people and toil in the Socialist family.

I have served in the Navy for four years and have stayed to serve some more, since I am considering the international situation and the threat from the fascist states. But this shameful stigma could make them release me on long-term leave, and I want to honestly serve the Soviet Union and give my life, knowledge and skills to the cause of defense to protect our homeland.

Grigory Ivanovich allow me to wait for your answer.

My address is Leningrad Oblast, town of Oranienbaum, Red Fleet Street, 3, apartment 5, A. E. Tsyganov.

Junior Naval Commander Tsyganov

22 October 1938