Document 24

Letter from I. Gusev on food shortages in North Caucasus Krai, 1932

RGAE, f. 7486s, op. 1, d. 236., l. 12. Typed copy.

The members of the Kolkhoz Named for Budënny find themselves without grain, the grain we had was taken away by the former Shakhtin Raion, and Novocherkassk Raion says: "You gave it to us yourselves, hand over your documents. For food, they say, you'll get no grain, but we'll give you grain for planting." But whatever shall we do without bread, what will we have to eat until the next harvest?

He who bolted in time for work in industry did well for himself, he can live and has bread to eat, and the others made a dash for it, but late, written permissions are not being given now by the rural soviet which says: "If you all leave, there will be no one to do the work." Now we are left naked, barefoot, two hundred grams of barley bread a day and we eat cabbage without butter. It's terrible to see a big strong man cry, and he cries because they deceived him with the kolkhoz, because he's left without a farm, without bread, without clothes, and he's lost his freedom.

We don't want anything, we'll give up our huts and home country, if they'd only give us permission to leave so we could go to industry, what's the point of us kicking the bucket at the kolkhoz from not eating.