(For the next few contents, due to limited information, there will be more overhead elements than before.) Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 The info history is based on the book "The Whisperers: Private Life in the Soviet Union in the Stalin Era". ）

Two days later, Osinov, dressed in the uniform of a major general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with a stack of papers, walked into Manturov's office with a neat and regular pace.

"Comrade Manturov, we have recorded statements from all the whistleblowers and drawn some conclusions."

Manturov pushed down his glasses and said: "What conclusion?" Are those reports genuine? Is there sufficient evidence? ”

Osinov hesitated for a while, and said expressionlessly: "There are many truths, and there is also certain evidence, but these evidence and accusations are provided by the party who reported it, and further investigation is needed, and the confession of the reported cadre can be reached before the final conclusion can be drawn." ”

"What are the charges? Who are the main whistleblowers? ”

"Most of the whistleblowers are cadres who have just been released from the Gula camp, who have been purged by Ekh and who have inside knowledge of the Yezhov-Ekh anti-party clique. Among them, Dubov, secretary of the Tomsk City Party Committee, is accused of having close ties with the Yezhov-Ekh group and indiscriminately killing innocents together with Ekh.

Nikitin, the head of the Tomsk City Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, actively cooperated with Dubov's purges, killing innocents indiscriminately and abusing prisoners of the Tomsk Gula battalion.

In their lives and work, the two also had some problems violating party discipline. ”

"For example?"

"Keeping mistresses, embezzling public funds, neglecting work, and interfering with other departments to do things according to normal rules."

Keeping a mistress, you may ask? Corruption? Isn't this a situation that has only emerged in modern Russia? How could there have been in the Stalin era? And even if there were, then why are they corrupt? Was there a material life in the USSR?

Actually, there is.

Since 1932, the material life of Soviet cadres has begun to improve, and Soviet-style consumerism has been promoted.

A large number of comfortable, even luxurious, high-end apartment buildings have been built all over the country. These include apartments on the riverfront street in Moscow and the Stovatiny building in Novosibirsk (the building at 16 Red Boulevard, where Manturov's family is located).

In addition to housing, the supply of high-quality consumer goods has improved significantly. Since the consumer sector received additional investment from the government, the supply of food, clothing, and household necessities has improved significantly.

From the autumn of 1935, rationing began to be phased out. Coupled with Soviet propaganda, consumer optimism soared, and shop windows began to fill up.

Cameras, phonographs, and radios were mass-produced to meet the needs of the emerging urban middle class. Even the production of luxury goods (perfumes, chocolates, brandy, champagne) rose steadily, their prices were lowered on Soviet holidays, and their main customers were the new elite, that is, the cadres of the Soviets.

In the past, only the rich could afford luxury goods, but now the working masses can afford to buy them as long as they work hard. Such an impression is very important for maintaining the Soviet myth of the "good life".

New consumer magazines began to offer Soviet patrons an increasingly diverse range of fashion and furniture designs, and the opening of department stores and luxury stores received media hype.

In Moscow, the Yeliseev food store was renamed the First Food Store, which was reopened in October 1934 on Gorky Avenue in Moscow. The Moscow Evening News (Вечерняя_Москва) announced: "The new store will sell more than 1,200 kinds of food. It includes 38 types of sausages, 3 types of cheese – Camembert, Bouille and Limburger cheese – all made to order by the store, 200 types of sweets and pastries, and 50 types of bread. ”

In 1934 Pravda also made this statement: "We are in favor of beautiful, chic clothing, beautiful hairstyles, neat nails. Girls should be pleased, perfume and make-up are 'musts' for good female Komsomol members, and male Komsomol members have a shave. ”

Since then, the sales of perfumes and cosmetics, both in quantity and variety, have grown significantly in the thirties of the twentieth century. There are even meetings organized to discuss clothing, fashion and personal hygiene.

It is true that this situation led to a regression of the revolutionary asceticism advocated in Lenin's time, but at least it improved the quality of life of the Soviet cadres. Cadres work harder in order to receive material and political rewards.

In 1935, Stalin declared: "Comrades, life has changed for the better. Life also brings more joy, and when life is full of joy, work will go smoothly. "It's true that the work is going well, the efficiency of the government has improved, people are full of joy, and happy smiles can be seen everywhere.

Isn't this revolutionary? No, Stalin considered it revolutionary, and in 1934, he said: "Socialism means not poverty and poverty, but the demise of poverty and poverty and the provision of a rich and colorful life for all members of society"

That's right, since then, a large number of party members and cadres from the proletariat have shaken off poverty and begun to live a rich and colorful life. A group of proletariats began to emerge who got rich first.

But people's desires are always unlimited, and some people are not satisfied with these, they begin to use their own methods to increase their wealth in order to buy more luxury goods and live a better material life.

Some people have more money and power, and they have begun to keep mistresses to satisfy their unlimited sexual desires.

Manturov raised his head and asked: "Comrade Osinov, is the head of the Tomsk City Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also involved in the case?" ”

"Involved. Do you want to start with him? ”

Manturov made an affirmative gesture and said: "That's right, it is better to investigate and isolate the people involved in the Ministry of Internal Affairs first, and then investigate the cadres involved in other departments." Otherwise, those involved in the Ministry of Internal Affairs may reveal information about the investigation to others. ”

"Yes!"

But how do you investigate the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Do you want to send someone to catch it? Of course not, if someone is sent to arrest them directly, the information may be exposed, because it is difficult to ensure that there is a connection between the law enforcement officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the targets who are also under the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after all, they are all people in the same agency.

Well, how to capture Nikitin, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tomsk? Manturov quickly thought of a safe way.

"In this case, you first summon the head of the Tomsk City Bureau, Nikitin, to Novosibirsk, and tell him that he has something to do with his work and ask him to come and report in person, or to ask him to attend some important meeting, and as soon as he comes, arrest him immediately and bring him to the interrogation room for interrogation."

"Okay, you have a good idea. Then I'll take my leave. Osinov was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something else: "By the way, I have another thing to tell you." ”

"What's the matter?"

"About Comrade Yuri Andropov."

Manturov thought for a moment and said, "Yuri? What happened to him? ”

"Comrade Andropov said that he could not come and work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"Why?"

Oshinov recalled yesterday's conversation with Andropov, and then said: "He said that he was not suitable for the work of suppression, and he also said ......"

Speaking of which, Manturov had already guessed the reason why Andropov did not want to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, nine times out of ten, it was because of Katya, but before he could answer for sure, he chose to follow: "What else did he say?" ”

"He said that he was not at ease about handing over the Komsomol to Comrade Manturovna (i.e. Katya), that is, your wife, saying that she was not the material for leading the Komsomol organization."

"Well, it looks like I'm going to talk to him."

At this time, the secretary Anna walked in and said to Manturov: "Comrade secretary, Comrade Yuri Andropov wants to see you. ”

"Let him in."

"Then I'll take my leave." Oshinov said.

"Okay."

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