Page 160 - The Chief Culprit

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Mobilization

Mobilization is war, in our minds there is no other meaning for it.
—M Y. N. S, C  
G S   R A

rom time to time we find a lot of interesting materials in the archives, but we will not
find what is most important. Here is why: “How many times have I told you—do
Fwhatever you want, but do not leave behind any documents, do not leave any traces.”
ese are the words of Stalin himself. He uttered them publicly at the Sixteenth Congress of
the Communist Party. e records here note the “Homeric laughter of the entire audience.”
e congress laughed heartily—comrade Stalin had made a joke. Understandably, Stalin was
not talking of himself, but of his opponents, who apparently were guided by the principle of
leaving behind no traces or documents. But the congress laughed in vain. Stalin always as-
cribed his own intentions, principles, and methods to his enemies. Soon after, Stalin executed
all his enemies, as well as almost all the delegates present at the Sixteenth Congress who had
laughed so heartily. He left a very minimal number of documents about these executions.
Not a single dictator can match Stalin in his ability to cover up the traces of his per-
sonal involvement in crimes. Anastas Mikoyan, who beat all records of political survival,
tells us how well Stalin kept secrets. Mikoyan was a member of the Central Committee of
the Communist Party from 1923 until 1976—that is, for fifty-three years, for forty years of
which he was a candidate or member of the Politburo, the most important power organ of
the country, which governed the entire Soviet Union and its satellites. Mikoyan describes a
meeting held by Stalin: “Most often there were five people. We met late in the evening or at
night, rarely in the afternoon, usually without preliminary notice. ere were no protocols or
records kept during the course of such meetings.” 1
Air Force Colonel General A. S. Yakovlev: “During the meetings of Stalin’s inner cir-
cle there were no stenographers, no secretaries present, no records or protocols were kept.”
2
Marshal of the Soviet Union D. F. Ustinov was the People’s Commissar of Arms during the

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