Comments on
“Some Materials on Lenin’s ‘Testament’”
(January 12, 1962)
This document can be looked at to understand the historical circumstances of this issue.
Mao Zedong
January 12, 9 a.m.


This refers to “Some Materials on Lenin’s ‘Testament’” published in the supplement of *Propaganda and Education Trends* compiled and printed by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee on January 10, 1962. The materials state that the “Secret Report of the 20th Congress of the CPSU” raised Lenin’s “Testament,” attacking Stalin for being “too rude” and “abusing power,” claiming that Lenin “promptly discerned those undesirable qualities in Stalin” and “proposed that the question of removing Stalin from the post of General Secretary should be studied.” After the 20th Congress, records were published of Lenin’s dictated “Letter to the Congress,” “On Granting Legislative Functions to the State Planning Commission,” and “On the Question of Nationalities or ‘Autonomization’” from December 23, 1922, to January 4, 1923. The materials point out that the so-called Lenin’s “Testament” refers to Lenin’s “Letter to the Congress.” This letter was not published at the time; Lenin intended to submit it to the Party Congress convened after his death. After Lenin’s death, from May 23 to 31, 1924, the Russian Communist Party held its 13th Congress. This congress denounced the “Platform of the Forty-Six” published by Trotsky before the meeting and also read Lenin’s “Testament” to the delegations. The “Testament” stated: “Stalin is too rude, and this defect, though entirely tolerable in our midst and in relations among us Communists, becomes intolerable in the position of General Secretary. Therefore, I suggest that the comrades consider a way to remove Stalin from this post and appoint another person who in all other respects differs from Comrade Stalin in having only one advantage, namely, greater patience, greater modesty, greater politeness, greater attentiveness to comrades, and less capriciousness, etc.” After discussion, the congress unanimously insisted that Stalin remain in the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee and decided not to publish this “Testament.” Thereafter, the opposition continually used Lenin’s “Testament” as a weapon to attack Stalin and the leadership of the Russian Communist Party, creating an atmosphere as if the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party had concealed Lenin’s “Testament.” Stalin refuted and explained the attacks by Trotsky and other oppositionists in his writings. In his article “The Past and Present of the Trotskyist Opposition,” written on October 23, 1927, he even quoted an entire paragraph from the “Testament” referring to “Stalin is too rude...” In July 1927, Stalin proposed at a joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission of the All-Union Communist Party to request the upcoming 15th Congress to revoke the resolution of the 13th Congress and publish the letters written during Lenin’s illness (including the “Testament”) in *Lenin’s Collected Works*; the 15th Congress adopted this proposal. Upon checking *Lenin’s Collected Works*, Lenin’s “Testament” was not included. The materials also provide excerpts on the following four topics: (1) The 12th Congress of the Russian Communist Party adopted resolutions based on Lenin’s instructions on nationalities and other issues; (2) The 13th Congress of the Russian Communist Party read Lenin’s “Testament” and decided not to publish it; (3) Trotsky used Lenin’s “Testament” to attack Stalin; (4) Discussions on Lenin’s “Testament” in Stalin’s writings.