Kilde: Brev fra Stalin til Molotov vedrørende kornindsamlinger, august 1929

Hello, Com. Molotov,

I read the Central Committee’s decree on grain procurements. [*] Despite all its merits, I think it is completely inadequate. The main problem with grain procurements at present is 1) the presence og a large number of urban speculators at or near the grain market who take the peasants’ grain away form he government and – the main thing- create a wait-and-see attitude among the grain holders; 2) competition between procurement organizations, which creates the opportunity for grain holders to be obstinate and not give up the grain (while waiting for higher prices), to hide the grain, to take their time turning over the grain; 3) the desire of a whole number of collective farms to hide grain surpluses and sell grain on the side. The presence of these factors – which will grow worse if we don’t take emergency measures now – prevents our procurements from increasing (and will continue to do this).

Measures ought to be taken now against this evil if we really are thinking of finishing up the procurements in January or February and coming out of the campaign as victors. The Central Committee decree should have said this first of all. But the decree skirts this issue or, if it does address it, mentions it in passing, and what is said in this regard is lost in the endless number of other (secondary) points, liberally sprinkled through the whole six-foot-long decree. I’m afraid that, because of the way this is being handled, we will not collect enough grain.

My advice:

1. Give a directive immediately to the [local] GPUs [det hemmelige politi] to immediately start punitive measures regarding urban (and urban-related) speculators in grain products (that is, arrest them and deport them from grain regions) in order to make the grain holders feel right now (at the beginning og the grain procurement campaign) that little can be gained from speculation, that the grain can be given without trouble (and without loss) only to state and cooperative organizations; 
    
2. Give a directive immediately to the directors of the cooperatives, Soiuzkhleb [state grain purchasing agency], OGPU [det hemmelige politi], and the judicial agencies to expose and immediately hand over to the courts (with immediate dismissal from their posts) all those procurement officials caught [trying to obtain grain by competing with other state agencies], as indisputably alien and Nepman elements (I don’t exclude “Communists”) who have burrowed into our organizations like thieves and have maliciously helped to wreck the cause of the worker’s state; 
    
3. Establish surveillance of collective farms (through the Collective Farm Center, the party organizations, the OGPU) so that those directors of collective farms caught holding back gain surpluses or selling them on the side will be immediately dismissed from their posts and tried for defrauding the state and for wrecking.

I think that without these and similar measures, we will fail in our job. 

Otherwise we will get only speeches and concrete measures to help grain procurement.

Please show this letter to Mikoian.

I hope there won’t be any disagreements among us on this.

I forgot to reply in the first letter to the question of the “uninterrupted week.” It goes without saying that this idea should be promoted, brushing aside the objections of Uglanov and other whiners. This will be one of the greatest achievements of our production policy and practice.

That is it for now.

Regards, 
J. Stalin,
10 August 1929.

* Stalin refererer her til følgende udkast til dekret om inddrivelse af korn, som blev endeligt vedtaget at Politbureauet, af den 15 august 1929: 
In order to fulfill completely the annual paln of grain procurements for January – February and to maintain a firm price policy, the poliburo decrees: 
a) To direct the OGPU to implement decisive punitive measures regarding urban and urban-related profiteers of grain products
b) To oblige Tsentrosoiuz, Khlebotsentr, and Soiuzkhleb [state grain purchasing agencies] to resolutely direct all their offices to immediately remove all purchasing officials caught engaging in price competition, not excepting Communists, for maliciously harming the cause of the workers’ state. To instruct the OGPU and judicial bodies to issue through their channels a directive on combating competition of this kind.
To propose that the Commissariat of Transport and the leadership of the unions of rail and water transport workers, along with the Commissariat of Trade, take additional measures to curb grain profiteering.
c) To propose that the Collective Farm Center maintain surveillance over collective farms; those directors who have been caught holding back surplus grain or selling it on the side should be immediately removed form office and tried for defrauding the government and for sabotage. Have the Commissariat of Trade, the OGPU, and party organizations ensure the implementation of this decree.
d) To send this decree to all party organizations in the regions with grain surpluses.