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In December 1929, Joseph Stalin wrote to his closest comrade-in-arms, Viacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, who was on vacation in the south. “Hello, Viacheslav. Of course I got your first letter. I know you are cursing me in your heart for my silence. I can't deny that you are fully within your rights to do so. But try to see things my way: I'm terribly overloaded and there's no time to sleep (literally!). Soon I will write a proper letter […]. Once again: I promise to write a proper letter. Warm regards.”1Close A few years later, Stalin fundamentally changed his relationship with Molotov. In 1937 and 1938, Stalin ordered that Molotov's assistants be arrested. Molotov's people were no safer than those working for other members of the Politburo, many of whose aides were swept away in the Great Terror. In 1939 the NKVD fabricated a case against Molotov's wife (although her arrest would not come until later). Molotov himself was subject to numerous demeaning attacks, and in May 1941 he was removed from the post of chairman of the Council of People's Commissars in disgrace. On 6 December 1945, Stalin, who was away on vacation, wrote the following to Lavrenty Beria, Georgy Malenkov, and Anastas Mikoyan: “I have become convinced that Molotov does not hold the interests of our state and the prestige of our government in very high regard—all he cares about is popularity in certain foreign circles. I can no longer consider such a comrade to be my first deputy.” As a final humiliating blow he added, “I am sending this cipher to you three only. I didn't send it to Molotov since I don't have faith in the trustworthiness of certain of his close associates. I am asking you to summon Molotov and read him my telegram in its entirety, but don't give him a copy of it.”2Close Molotov's response was humbly repentant. “I will try to earn your trust through my deeds. For any honorable Bolshevik, your trust represents the trust of the Party, which is dearer to me than life itself.”3Close Nevertheless, Molotov continued to be subjected to indignity. Under pressure from Stalin, Molotov divorced his wife, who was arrested in 1949. In October 1952, just a few months before he died, Stalin made Molotov the target of a sharp public rebuke during a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and then removed him almost entirely from government affairs.4Close
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