Document 26

Letter from Bochkaryov, Middle Volga Krai, on specialists, 1930

RGAE, f. 7486s, op. 1, d. 100, l. 21. Typed copy.

We poor peasants haven't retreated from our post, but have fought to the last drop, we finally took power into our own hands, as expected of us we switched to normal work, but then, however, the tsarist hangers-on saw at once what the deal was. They saw that our government paid for our toil as much as was needed to make a living. Then they began to enter our ranks to help us as specialists, and then snuck into our Party as well. Now this is really the way all the tsarist hangers-on infiltrated the Soviet Union. The last year I was in the service, I keep a strict eye on this. They were infiltrating our lives by joining some of our trade unions, for example, our communication services union. In this union there was some specialist-bureaucrat who works in this business, at first as a specialist, and then he sneaks his way into the Party, and then he's in charge of us. He immediately sees those who stand on the side of soviet power and immediately has those dismissed from the union. This is the way all specialists of this sort work their way into our party. Now I've been in classes six months in courses and for sure I can do any job he can [literally: "in any work I can outdrink him," meaning the more one drinks (vodka) the more one deserves respect]. When we went to repair the lines, I saw these types of specialists when we began to screw the hooks into the telephone poles, and what happens? I screw in three hooks, and he screws in one. I hold two poles, and he one, and all his work is that way, but just the same they've made him into my boss because he's the old specialist. Finally he dismissed all of us poor peasants from the union and put in his own types, those he wanted. Here's an example for you of how they climbed into our party. Now our party has begun to worry about purging its ranks. If you're going to purge the way you purged earlier, then you won't purge them. I'll tell you straight out why--and here's the reason: for each party member you need to do the purge in the place where he was born and where he grew up or where everyone knows him: who he is, if he's a landowner, a police chief, a priest's son, a police officer. They will know about all this in his native village. Now it's the right kind of purge when we purge the whole pack, then we will make socialism in our republic and be able to fulfill the five-year plan. What's needed is to have our people, the poor peasants, everywhere. Then we will be able to keep our power in our own hands even if we know there are gangs around.