32 Yel’tsin,
33 Ivan Sukhomlin in Khinshtein,
34 Memorial was founded in 1987. The Nineteenth Conference had agreed to the idea of the monument, but Memorial soon broadened its agenda to human rights in general. Yeltsin attended one meeting of the board and communicated with Memorial leaders. Nanci Adler,
35 Jonathan Sanders, interview with the author (January 21, 2004).
36 Sukhanov,
37 “Vstrecha v VKSh,” 66–67.
38 Aleksei Yemel’yanov in L. N. Dobrokhotov, ed.,
39 See on this process Alexei Yurchak,
40 “Vstrecha v VKSh,” 56.
41 Pavel Voshchanov, “Ne zabudem o cheloveke” (Let us not forget about the person),
42 Naina Yeltsina, first interview with the author (February 9, 2002).
43 “Vstrecha v VKSh,” 56.
44 See the perceptive discussion in Vitalii Tret’yakov, “Sverdlovskii vyskochka,” part 5,
45 Georgii Shakhnazarov,
46 Sukhanov,
47 “Vstrecha v VKSh,” 28–29.
48 The archival transcript of the January plenum duly records Yeltsin’s historic abstention. In March dozens of negative votes were cast as Gorbachev led the members through the list of official nominees, one at a time. The number but not the identities of the nays was noted in each case. Yeltsin said in public that he was one of the seventy-eight in March to vote against sending Ligachëv to the congress, which was by far the largest number of nay votes. Since Yeltsin’s disgrace in October 1987, the Central Committee had convened in February, May, July, and November of 1988, and on each occasion he added his vote to the unanimous support for motions from the leadership.
49 Boldin,
50 Yel’tsin,
51 Muzykantskii interview.
52 David Remnick, “Boris Yeltsin, Adding Punch to Soviet Politics,”
53 Author’s interviews with Valerii Bortsov (June 11, 2001) and Valentina Lantseva (July 9, 2001).
54 On this important group, see Marc Garcelon, “The Estate of Change: The Specialist Rebellion and the Democratic Movement in Moscow, 1989–1991,”
55 Bill Keller, “Soviet Maverick Is Charging Dirty Tricks in Election Drive,”
56 Yeltsin had addressed Ipat’ev House, and admitted to his role in the destruction of the landmark, at the Higher Komsomol School in November 1988. He said more in the first volume of his memoirs, published in 1990.
57 Vitalii Tret’yakov, “Fenomen Yel’tsina” (The Yeltsin phenomenon),
58 Michael McFaul,