Resolution of the Politburo Commission

On the Petrograd Organization1

The Commission considered the materials (transcripts of the general meeting of the active workers of the Petrograd organization of 19/IX and resolutions), listened to the explanations of Comrades Zinoviev, Komarov, Uglanov, Milyutin1*, Kuklin and came to the following conclusion:

1) T. Zinoviev remains the predispospolkom of Petersburg.

2) To appoint as deputies to t. Smirnov (I.N.) and Vasiliev (Anton) should be appointed as deputies to Mr. Zinoviev.

3) To approve on the basis of the list of candidates for members of the Petrograd Committee (No. 1) with the exclusion from it of Comrades Khapov and Aminitsky and the inclusion instead of them of Comrades Smirnov and Kuklin.

4)2* Propose Uglanov, Moskvin, Kharitonov to the Secretariat of the Petrograd Committee.

5) The Comintern should remain in Moscow.

22/IX 1921.

Stalin.

Lenin

В. Molotov.

Having considered the amendments of t. Zinoviev's amendments, the commission retained the same decision, supplementing it with two paragraphs:

Supplement to the resolution of the Politbyuro Commission (Lenin, Stalin, Molotov) of 22/IX.

6) In order to eliminate the difficult conditions3* created in the Petrograd organization, which hinder4* the accomplishment of the next tasks of economic construction, the Central Committee proposes that this resolution be amicably carried out at the forthcoming Petrograd conference, in no case allowing anything similar5* to the division of the organization into groups to be maintained.

7) In the North Bureau, in addition to the present composition (Zinoviev, Uglanov, Komarov), Smirnov and 6*one or three other persons chosen from the localities should be introduced, with their submission to the Central Committee for approval.

23/IX.

Stalin.

Lenin.

В. Molotov.

Fond 2, op. 1, d. 24206 - original, autograph Stalin.

1* Further crossed out by Stalin: "Radek.

2* Further crossed out: "Approve in".

3* Further crossed out: "generated], tearing off" (one word is not parsed).

4* Further crossed out: "common".

5* Further crossed out: "like".

6* Further crossed out: "three".

On September 120, 1921, G.E. Zinoviev asked V.I. Lenin by telephone to summon him, N.P. Komarov, N.A. Uglanov and V.P. Milyutin to Moscow for "comradely negotiations" in the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) about the conflict in the Petrograd party organization. Lenin reported this to the Politburo and supported Zinoviev's request (see: Lenin V.I. Complete Collected Works, vol. 53, pp. 206-207). The members of the Politburo were interviewed by telephone; in the minutes of the Politburo of September 20 the following decision was recorded: "To summon today the members of the Central Committee - t. Zinoviev, Komarov and Radek and both candidates - t. Uglanov and Milyutin for comradely negotiations" (RCCHIDNI, f. 17, op. 3, d. 205, fol. 1). On September 21, the Politburo confirmed the decision to summon Zinoviev and Uglanov to Moscow and decided: "a) Cancel the report of Tit. Stalin 22.IX in the discussion club at the Moscow Committee in view of the meeting of the Politburo. b) Appoint a conditional meeting of the Politburo tomorrow at 6 p.m. c) Create a commission consisting of T. Lenin, Stalin and Molotov, with the fact that it will take action tomorrow, if the members of the St. Petersburg Central Committee do not require a preliminary appointment of a meeting of the Politburo" (ibid., d. 206, fol. 1, 3). On September 23, the Politburo approved by telephone poll the resolution and an addendum to the resolution of the Central Committee Commission.

On September 29, Zinoviev sent a telegram to the Politburo, in which he asked to appoint a commission and send it to Petrograd to sort out the conflict. The Central Committee Commission appointed on September 21 responded to Zinoviev the same day with a telegram: "We do not agree with you. We are sending the letter today" (Lenin V.I. Complete Collected Works, vol. 53, p. 223) and a letter justifying their decision (see: ibid., pp. 223-224).

On October 10, the Politburo on this issue approved the following proposal of Lenin: "To detach tts. Kamenev, Zalutsky and Ordzhonikidze for 2-3 days to Petrograd to monitor the implementation of the decisions of the Molotov, Stalin and Lenin Commission approved by the Politburo, as well as to assist in eliminating any traces of factionalism" (ibid., p. 424). Returning from Petrograd, they proposed to introduce A.E. Badaev into the bureau and secretariat of the Petrograd Committee of the RCP(b), and A.E. Vasiliev and I.N. Smirnov to be appointed deputy chairmen of the Petrograd Committee of the RCP(b).Smirnov to be appointed deputy chairmen of the Petrograd Soviet; to organize the Petrograd provincial economic bureau and to instruct the bureau of the Petrograd Committee to report to the Politburo in a month whether "the cessation of factional groupings in the Petrograd organization has been achieved" (RCCHIDNI, f. 17, op. 3, d. 216, l. 5-6).

For details on the conflict in the Petrograd organization of the RCP(b) see: Izvestiya TsK CPSU, 1990, No. 2, pp. 117-118.