“Don’t touch him with words” – Picture of the Day – Kommersant

90 years ago, in November 1932, the central Soviet press, day after day, published lists of individuals and organizations that expressed condolences on the death of N. S. Alliluyeva, the wife of I. V. Stalin, because it was almost impossible to print all the countless letters and telegrams : responsible comrades, reasonably fearing that the leader would consider the lack of sympathy as disloyalty, tried to avert danger from themselves; but not everyone succeeded in this – in addition to clippings from newspapers, the widower chose and kept in his archive only a few letters received then.

From the diary of A. Ya. Arosev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the USSR in Czechoslovakia, November 9, 1932.

In the morning I came to Voroshilov. He is not there: urgently called. I’m going to Molotov. He meets me on the stairs and says: “Go, go there, to the apartment, Polina is there (Pearl is Molotov’s wife.— “Story”) will accept you, go.” And he is in a hurry, hastily putting on his coat. Came to his apartment. Polina Semyonovna is worried, Vyacheslav did not tell her where and why he was summoned. Gone home. Two hours later it became known that Yenukidze had summoned him.

Yesterday was a friendly evening at Voroshilov’s. Stalin’s wife Alliluyev was cheerful, pretty, as always. Then, maybe at one or two in the morning, she, Stalin and Kalinin left. She went home, and Stalin and Kalinin decided to drive around Moscow. Stalin returned late, at three o’clock. I looked into Alliluyeva’s room. She slept and he left. At eight o’clock the domestic worker wakes up Alliluyeva, she does not respond. The worker opened the blanket – Alliluyeva is dead. One hand is thrown back, the other is numb, clutching a small revolver pointed at the heart (there are other versions of this death.— “Story”).

The worker called Yenukidze, he called Molotov and Voroshilov. They went to Stalin, woke him up.

Responsible and irresponsible party workers convinced each other that Alliluyeva had died. However, almost everyone knew the truth…

(A. Ya. Arosev, like many other senior officials, did not immediately send his condolences to I. V. Stalin and was included in one of the last lists of sympathizers, published on November 16, 1932. His letter to I. V. Stalin in his archive In the same 1932, A. Ya. “Story”).

From the notice of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, published on November 10, 1932.

The Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks sadly brings to the attention of the comrades that on the night of November 9, an active and devoted member of the party, comrade. Nadezhda Sergeevna ALLILUEVA.

From a letter from A. M. Kollontai, Plenipotentiary Representative of the USSR in Sweden, written on November 17, 1932 and kept in the archives of I. V. Stalin.

Dear, highly respected Joseph Vissarionovich, with great, deep, heavy grief – do not touch him with words. But I cannot help but tell you that in these difficult days for you, my thought turned to you with purely friendly warmth.

In your grief, the hearts and thoughts of many, many comrades and friends are with you.

There are images tender, beautiful and fragile, like flowers—she belonged to them. And whoever saw her will keep the memory of her complete spiritual beauty.

I heartily shake your hand. Remember – the cause needs you, take care of yourself …

(Despite the fact that A. M. Kollontai joined the opposition in the first post-revolutionary years, she, unlike most like-minded people of those years, was not affected by repression, she remained in diplomatic work and died in Moscow in 1952.— “Story”).

From a letter from A. G. Kasperovich, Secretary of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of the Chemistry Department of the All-Union Industrial Academy named after Stalin, written in 1932 and kept in the archives of I. V. Stalin (original spelling and punctuation preserved).

Dear comrade. STALIN.

The party cell of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of the Chemical Faculty of the Industrial Academy of your name deeply respected and loved Nadezhda Sergeevna. It was impossible not to respect and dislike her—her exceptional modesty, her great human sensitivity to her comrade, and, along with this, her sharp intransigence toward everything anti-Party—created her enormous prestige.

Thanks to her personal qualities, the bureau of the cell was considered with her opinion, the whole cell was considered.

Nadezhda Sergeevna served as an example not only as a communist, she was one of the best listeners.

She really was a drummer.

Fulfilling party duties – a member of the bureau of the cell of the CPSU (b), party organizer of the group, not missing a single meeting, meeting where she had to be, she always did her homework at the same time.

Last year, when the question of awarding the best drummers was raised, Nadezhda Sergeevna was one of the few who should have been awarded. But tov. Alliluyeva categorically insisted before the bureau of the cell and the trade union committee that she be removed from the lists subject to bonuses.

Nadezhda Sergeevna served as an example to many, many of us, how to follow your instructions on the issue of mastering technique.

Together with you, we grieved after her death, together with you we led her to where there can be no return.

The memory of our Nadezhda Sergeevna will not die – it will be with us for a long, long time.

By the unanimous desire of the students and the dean’s office of the Faculty of Chemistry, a scientific office on artificial fiber named after N. S. Alliluyeva was organized. Bolsheviks, specialists in chemistry, will be forged in this office for many years.

This cabinet will be one of those hotbeds on whose bright flame the fighters of the second five-year plan, the fighters for socialism, will be trained.

We want this office to always remind us how to fight for knowledge, for mastering technology: Nadezhda Sergeevna fought for science, for knowledge in it.

We appeal to you with a request to give us the works (notebooks, notes, etc.) of Nadezhda Sergeevna related to her studies at the academy.

Her work will be stored in the office organized by us.

We are in the hope that you will not refuse us this request of ours.

With sincere love for you and sincere assurance of readiness to fight for all your instructions aimed at building socialism.

(I. V. Stalin wrote on this letter, addressing his sister N. S. Alliluyeva A. N. Redens: “Nyura! After using this note, leave it on my desk. I. Stalin.”

A party member since 1917, A. G. Kasperovich graduated from the Industrial Academy in 1934 and was sent to work at the State Nitrogen Institute, where, with the exception of two years of evacuation (1941-1943), she worked until retirement. She died in Moscow in 1981.— “Story”).

Publication by Evgeny Zhirnov