The Great Terror

The Court acceded to both these requests, so that the Telephone Address Directory of the German Reich, 7th edition, Volume 2, now forms part of the dossier, which, somewhere in the purlieus of the Soviet State Archives, has been gathering dust for half a century.

Like Drobnis, Muralov had been in jail at the time of the Tsentralnaya explosion. But he refused to accept responsibility.

The President:

Did you know that at the Kemerovo coal mines the Trotskyites had gassed the pits and created absolutely intolerable conditions of work?

Muralov:

Drobnis was at the Chemical Works—these are under one trust, and the mines are under another trust.

The President:

I understand. I am speaking about the Kemerovo mine.

Muralov:

I did not know that there they had adopted the course of gassing the Tsentralnaya Pit, and Drobnis did not report this to me. This occurred when I was already in prison.

The President:

One of the passages in your testimony contains this sentence: ‘At the Kemerovo mine the Trotskyites gassed pits and created intolerable conditions for the workers.’

Muralov:

I learned about that while I was in prison, as being a result of all the undermining Trotskyite work.

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His main concern, in any case, was assassination. One of the weaknesses in the whole legend came to light:

Vyshinsky:

But was it not said that terrorism in general produces no result if only one is killed and the others remain, and therefore it is necessary to act at one stroke?

Muralov:

Both I and Pyatakov felt that it was no use working by Socialist-Revolutionary, guerrilla methods. We must organize it so as to cause panic at one stroke. We regarded causing panic and consternation in the leading ranks of the Party as one of the means by which we would come into power.

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But while admitting to the preparation of attempts on Eikhe and Molotov, he warmly repudiated the accusation that Ordzhonikidze was another intended victim:

Muralov:

…About 1932 and Shestov’s reference to the attempt on the life of Ordzhonikidze, I categorically declare that this belongs to the realms of Shestov’s phantasy. I never gave such instructions.

Vyshinsky:

He is mixing things up?

Muralov:

I do not know whether is he mixing things up or whether he is simply letting his phantasy run away with him.

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Vyshinsky was so annoyed that he referred to this is his closing speech: “Muralov, who will under no circumstances agree to having the preparation of an attempt on the life of Comrade Ordzhonikidze attributed to him … admits that he did indeed organize a terrorist act against Comrade Molotov.” And it certainly is anomalous. We can hardly see it as other than a demonstration of loyalty to, and hope of help from, Ordzhonikidze.

As to the attempt on Molotov, this is interesting as the only piece of action the terrorists had accomplished since the Kirov murder. The presumable truth of the matter was given in 1961:

Here is still another example of Molotov’s extreme cynicism. On a trip to the city of Prokopyevsk in 1934, the car in which he was riding went off the road, its right wheels landing in a ditch. None of the passengers was injured in any way. This episode subsequently provided grounds for a story about an “attempt” on Molotov’s life, and a group of completely innocent people was sentenced for it. Who knew better than Molotov that in reality there had been no such attempt? But he had not a word to say in defense of these innocent people.¹⁰⁵

As explained by Muralov, the plan was for the driver to sacrifice himself by plunging Molotov to destruction:

Muralov:

The car was to turn into a ditch while at full speed. Under such circumstances, the car by its own momentum would overturn and get smashed, while the people …

Vyshinsky:

Was the attempt made to overturn the car in the ditch?

Muralov:

The attempt was made, but then the chauffeur funked and the car did not fall into the ditch….

Shestov:

… One spot—for those who know Prokopyevsk—was near Pit No. 5 on the way to the Mine Management Office, and the second spot was between the workers’ settlement and Pit No. 3. There is a gully there, not a ditch, as Muralov said, a gully, about 15 metres deep.

Vyshinsky:

A ‘ditch’ 15 metres deep! Who chose this spot?

Muralov:

Permit me to say something about Shestov’s explanation. I will not argue with Shestov about whether it was a ditch or a gully….

Vyshinsky:

Have you yourself been at the spot where this ditch is?

Muralov:

No, I have never been there.

Vyshinsky:

So you have not seen it?

Muralov:

No, but there are many gullies in Prokopyevsk, gully upon gully, hill after hill.

Vyshinsky:

If you have not seen the place you cannot argue about it.

Muralov:

I will not argue about it.’

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