A closed meeting of bureau of Amur district communist party VKP/B from September 2, 1937, 1pp, 8” x 11”, signed by first secretary Kosokin, a party stamp. The document from the special file of communist party committee is extremely rare.  In good condition. 

About dismissing one of their fellow high-ranking member Poletaev as an enemy of people.

 Presented: first secretary of district communist party Ivanov, other high positioned members of the party: Kosokin, Kaznacheev, Poshekhonov, other from different levels of party and NKVD (secret police) commanding structure: Zadumov, Mukhachenko, Lvov, Volozh, Alekhin, Aratov, Mareev, Gavlich, Vorobiev.

 Secretary Kosokin reported about Poletaev.

Concluded:

For personal and straight connections with the enemies of the people:

Pashkovsky, Kruglov, Yakubovsky, Davydov, Krutov and others who are now arrested, Poletaev to be dismissed from his job in Amur Executing Committee.

The question about his party membership to be decided separately.  1 pp, signed by Kosokin, stamp of the communist party committee.

Poletaev was already arrested by NKVD when this meeting took place. He was tried by special troika-composed of a member of the secret police, a local communist party secretary, and a state prosecutor. They had the authority to issue rapid and severe verdicts (death or exile) without the right to appeal. He was sentenced to the highest measure of punishment-execution and was shot on July 6, 1938.  Kosokin, who reported on Poletaev was also arrested later, sentenced to death and shot … on the same day as Poletaev.  Everybody, who mentioned here as an enemy of people were convicted and shot.  All other members presented at the meeting to accuse one of their own, were arrested and executed during one year.

What happened at this meeting were happening all over the country. While waves after waves of repression rolled, today’s accusers were subsequently the victims tomorrow, and it went on and on. In a mid of 1938s when the members of politburo decide to scale down repressions, the members of NKVD-a main killing machine, were being tried and executed for sending to death too many innocent.   

It was a terrifying face of Great Purges most ferocious acts of Stalin’s Terror” that took place in 1936-1938.  

It has been estimated that between 1934 and 1939, one million party members were arrested and executed. During the same period, it is thought that 10 million were sent to the gulags with many of them dying – either in transit or as a result of the terrible living conditions they had to endure.