147. Dodd and Dodd, Ambassador Dodd’s Diary, 277–8 (Nov. 19, 1935). Bullitt would return to Moscow in Feb. 1936, but leave for good in April 1936 without informing Soviet officials that he was not coming back.
148. No meetings are recorded in Stalin’s office from Aug. 10, 1935, through Nov. 2, 1935. Na prieme, 171.
149. Khlevniuk et al., Stalin i Kaganovich, 527 (RGAPSI, f. 81, op. 3, d. 100, l. 89–90: Aug. 19, 1935).
150. Kaganovich and others sent a telegram to Sochi with a recommendation to make the funeral broader than just a Comintern event, and to send the ashes to Paris. Stalin agreed, pending the wishes of Barbusse’s relatives. RGASPI, f. 558, op. 11, d. 83, l. 139.
151. Barbusse, Stalin. Barbusse’s book contained numerous names of people who would turn out to be enemies of the people, and within two years, all copies would be pulled. Medvedev, Let History Judge, 817–8.
152. The regime would claim a harvest of 90 million tons, based on inflated yield estimates. Davies et al., Years of Progress, 254–5 (citing RGASPI, f. 17, op. 3, d. 977: April 29, 1936; RGAE, f. 4372, op. 35, d. 467, l. 85–6), 258; Danilov et al., Tragediia sovetskoi derevni, IV: 615 (Oct. 18, 1935); Sochineniia, XIV: 93–9.
153. Kaganovich added that “the smartest of the foreign correspondents, Duranty, had written: ‘in America they make noise about the Comintern Congress and do not see the most decisive main thing that was published yesterday in the newspapers—the report of the Azov–Black Sea territory about the completion of grain procurements.’” Khlevniuk et al., Stalinskoe politbiuro, 145–6 (RGASPI, f. 85, op. 27, d. 93, l. 1–11). See also Khlevniuk et al., Stalin i Kaganovich, 553–5 (RGASPI, f. 558, op. 11, d. 743, l. 29–36: Sept. 5).
154. Khlevniuk et al., Stalin i Kaganovich, 553–5 (RGASPI, f. 558, op. 11, d. 743, l. 29–36), 558 (f. 81, op. 3, d. 100, l. 91–4: Sept. 8, 1935), 558n3 (APRF, f. 3, op. 64, d. 663, l. 128–9: Kandelaki to Stalin, Sept. 3).
155. “Since Yenukidze does not admit his fall, and does not suffer from humility, he is trying to control the local organizations, assigning them tasks, distributing holidaying comrades among the sanatoriums, giving them their residences,” Stalin explained, adding that this had spurred talk Yenukidze had not been sent to Kislovodsk “as punishment but on holiday.” Stalin also noted that local comrades Yevdokimov and Sheboldayev had objected to Yenukidze’s appointment in Kislovodsk, and that Kalinin and Shkiryatov (head of party control), holidaying in Sochi, agreed. Khlevniuk et al., Stalin i kaganovich, 557–8 (RGASPI, f. 558, op. 11, d. 89, l. 71–76). Agranov (Sept. 5, 1935) wrote to Stalin about an anonymous letter sent early in the summer to “the Moscow party organization, Khrushchev personally,” which stated of the Kremlin Affair that “the whole plan consists in removing that odious figure who now blocks even the sun.” Stalin wrote in “Stalin” next to the words “odious figure.” In another passage, which referred to “that cook,” he also wrote in “Stalin.” The letter blamed Lominadze’s suicide (still not publicly announced) on “the new tyrant” and expressed concern that Yenukidze would commit suicide, too. The NKVD checked hundreds of people via handwriting analysis and arrested B. I. Shilikhin, who until 1930 had worked in Kalinin’s reception office and in 1935 was a jurist in the metal import office. Khaustov et al., Lubianka: Stalin i VChk, 683–6 (APRF, f. 3, op. 58, d. 238, l. 86–93), 821n163. The letter to Khrushchev was dated June 4, 1935.
156. The decree was dated Sept. 10–11, 1935, but Yenukidze stalled his relocation from Kislovodsk. Khlevniuk et al., Stalin i Kaganovich, 557–8 (RGASPI, f. 558, op. 11, d. 89, l. 71–76), 558 (RGASPI, f. 81, op. 3, d. 100, l. 91–4: Sept. 8, 1935), 560 (f. 558, op. 11, d. 89, l. 89; f. 17, op. 3, d. 971, l. 30), 580 (f. 558, op. 11, d. 90, l. 41: Sept. 22), 583 (l. 55: Sept. 23). Yenukidze would be arrested on Feb. 11, 1937. Much later Stalin would state, “I recommended that he be expelled from the party already back then, but they did not believe me, thinking that as a Georgian I am severe toward Georgians. But the Russians, you see, they decided to defend ‘this Georgian.’” RGASPI, f. 558, op. 11, d. 1120, l. 28–57 (at 46–7: Stalin, June 2, 1937, Main Military Council).
157. Yezhov sought permission to conspire behind Yagoda’s back with Yagoda’s first deputy Agranov to get to the bottom of things. Agranov, it seems, fell ill, so Yezhov schemed with others in the NKVD. Pavliukov, Ezhov, 162–3, 170–1 (citing RGASPI, f. 671, op. 1, d. 28, l. 177–81); Pavliukov, Ezhov, 172; Khaustov and Samuelson, Stalin, NKVD, 91.
