Report of Court Proceedings - Anti-Soviet Trotskyite Centre (1937 Moscow Trial)

586 Pages·1937·31.274 MB·English

by  People's Commissariat of Justice of the U.S.S.R.

PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT OF JUSTICE OF THE U.S.S.R.
REPORT OF COURT PROCEEDINGS
IN THE CASE OF THE
ANTI-SOVIET
TROTSKYITE CENTRE
Heard Before The
MILITARY COLLEGIUM OF THE
SUPREME COURT OF THE U.S.S.R.
Moscow, January 23-30, 1937
IN RE:
Y. L. Pyatakov,K. B.Radek,G. Y.Sokolnikov, L. P.Serebryakov,
N. I. Muralov, Y. A. Livshitz, Y. N. Drobnia, M. S. Bogualavaky,
I. A. Knyazev, S. A. Rataichak, B. 0. Norkin, A. A. Shestov, M. S.
Stroilov, Y. D. Turok, I. Y. Hrasche, G. E. Pushin, V. V. Arnold
Accused of trnson against the country, espionage, act;
of diversion, wrecking activities and the preparation of
terrorist act•, i.e., of crimes covered by Articles 58 I a,
588, 589an<l 5811 of thP Criminal Code of the R.S.F.S.R.
VERBA TIM REPORT
•
Published by the
PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT OF JUSTICE OF THE u.s.S.R.
MOSCOW 1937
This is a translation of the verbatim report of the proceed
ings of the ~Iilitary Collegium of the Supreme Court of the
U.S.S.R., January 23 to January 30, 1937, in the case of the
anti-Soviet Trotskyite centre.
Re the session of the Military Collegium of the Supreme
Court of the U.S.S.R. held in camera on January 27, 1937, this
volume contains a communication for the press approved
by the President of the Military Collegium of the Supreme
Court of the U.S.S.R.
CONTENTS
Page
MORNING SESSION, JANUARY 23
Opening of the Trial -· 1
Indictment 4
Examination of the Accused Pyatakov 21
EVENING SESSION, JANUARY 23
Examination of the Accused Pyatakov (Resumed) . 46
Examination of the Witness Bukhartsev 77
MORNI~G SESSION, JANUARY 24
Examination of the Accused Radek 82
EVENING SESSION, JANUARY 24
\
Examination of the Witness Romm 136
Examination of the Accused Radek (Resumed) 146
Examination of the Accused Sokolnikoo 146
Examination of the Accused Serebryakou 168
'MORNIKG SESSION, JANUARY 25
Examination of the Witness Loginov 176
Examination of the Accused Boguslavskg 192
Examination of the Accused Drobnis 205
EVENING SESSION, JANUARY 25
Examination of the Accused Muralov 216
Examination of the Accused Shestov 233
MORNING SESSION, JANUARY 26
Examination of the Accused Shestov (Resumed) 261
Examination of the. Accused Stroilov 26'1
Examination of the Accused Norkin 27~
Examination of the Witness Stein 292
EVENING SESSION, JANUARY 26
Questions submitted to the Expert Witnesses 300·
Examination of the Accused Arnold 302
•.
Examination of the Accused Livshitz 333
MORl'\ING SESSION, JANUARY 27
Examination of the Accused Kgnazev 358
Examination of the Accused Turok . 392
Examination of the Accused Rataichak 398
-EVENING SESSION, JANUARY 27
Examination of the Accused Rataichak (Resumed) 416
Examination of the Accused Hrasche 421
Examination of the Accused Pushin · ·. 434
Examination of the Witness Tamm 439
Additional Questions addressf!d to Pyatakov and f?/idek 442
Replies from Expert Witnesses 446
Session in Camera 461
EVENING SESSION, JANUARY 28
Speech for the Prosecution by A. Y. Vyshinsky, Pro-
curator of the U.S.S.R. 462
Speech for the Defence by l. D. Braude 516
Speech for the Defence by S. K. Kaznachegev 522
MORNING SESSION, JANUARY 29
Speech for the Defence by N. V. Kommodov
5~0
Last Plea of the Accused Pyatakov 539
Last. Plea of the Accused Radek 540
Last Plea of the Accused Sokolnikov 551
Last Plea of· the Accused Serebryakov "'"" 556
Last Plea of the Accused Boguslavsky ~.::-- ._557
Last Plea of the Accused Drobnis 559
Last Plea of the Accused Muralov 560
Last Plea of the Accused Norkin 561
Last Plea· of the Accused Shestov ,62
Last Plea of the Accused Stroilov 563
_EVENING SESSION, JANUARY 29 (CONTINUED UNTIL THE MOR
NING OF JANUARY 30)
Last Plea of the Accused Arnold . 566
Last Plea of the Accused Livshitz '566
Lasi Plea of the Accused Knyazev :·· - .-· . ~ ·-567
Last Plea of the Accused Turok 569
Last Plea of the Accused Rataichak 570
Last Plea of the Accused Hrasche 572
I , Last Plea of the Accused Pushin 573
The Verdict 574
REPORT ·oF COURT PROCEEDINGS
COMPOSITION OF THE COURT
PRESIDENT:
Army Military Jurist
V. V. ULRICH
President of the Military Collegium of the
· Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R.
MEMBERS OF THE COURT:
Army Corps Military Jurist
I. 0. MATULEVICH
Vice-President of the Military Collegium of the
Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R.
Divisional Military Jurist
N.M.RYCHKOV
Member of the Military Collegium of the
Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R.
SECRETARY:
Military Jurist of First Rank
A. F. KOSTYUSHKO
STATE PROSECUTOR:
A. Y. VYSHINSKY ~-- ..
THE DEFENCE:
I. D. BRAUDE N. V. KOMMODOV
S. R. KAZN.~CHEYEV
Members of the
Moscow Collegium of Defence
MORNING SBSSION, JANUARY 23, 1937, 12.05 P. M.
Commandant of· the Court: The Court is coming, please rise.
The President: I hereby open the Court sessiO!Il of the Military:
Coll~ium of the Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R.
The trial is of Pyatakov, Radek, Sokolnikov, Serebryakov,
Llvshitz, Muralov, Drobnis, Boguslavsky, Knyazev, Rataichak,
Norkin, Shestov, Stroilov, Turoik, Hrasche, Pushin and Arnold on
charges of ,treason against the country, espionage, committing acts
-0f diversion, and the preparation of terrorist acts, i.e., of crimes·
covered by Articles 581a., 588, 589 and 5811 of the Criminal Code
-0f the R.S.F.S.R. .
[At the request of the President, the Secretary reports that all
the accus~ in the trial are present in the dJOck, that the witnesses
-summoned-D. P. Bukhartsev, V. G. Romm, F. F.- Loginov, L. E.
Tamm and A. M. Stein-are in the wjtnesses' room and that en
gineers P. A. Lekus, B. N. POlkrovsky and Y. M. Monosovich, who
have been summoned as expert witnesses, are present in Court.1
The President: Accused Pyatakov, Yuri (Georgi) Leonidovich,
horn 1890, have you received a oopy of the indictment?
Pyatakov: Yes, I have. · ·
The President: Accused Sokolnikov, Grigori Yakovlevich, born
. 1888, have you .received a copy of the indictment?
· . Sokolnikov: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Radek, Karl Berngardovich, born 1885,
have you received a copy of the indictment?
· Radek: Yes, I have. ·
The President: Accused Serehry.a-kov, Leonid Petrovich, born
1888, have you received a copy of the indictment?
Serebryakov: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused .Livsihitz, Yakov Ahramovkh, born
1896, have you received a copy oif the indictment?
Livshitz: Yes, I have.
The President: Accu.Sed Murafov, Nikolai Ivanovich,-born 18_77.
bave you received a copy of the indictment?
M uralov: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Drabnis, Yakov ~aumovich, born 1891,
have you received a copy of the indictment?
1
Drobnis: Yes, I have.
Thi: President: Accused Boguslavsky, !'lfikhail Solomonovich,
born 1886, have you received a copy of the indictment?
Boguslavsky: Yes, I have.
- The Pnsident: Accused Knyazev, Ivan Alexandrovich, born
1893, have you received a copy of the indictment?
Knyazev: Yes, I have.
The President: ·Accused Rataichak, Stanislav Antonovioh, born
1894, have you received a copy of the indictment?
Rataichak: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Norkin, Boris Osipovich, born 1895,
have you received a copy of the indictment?
Norkin: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Shestov, Alexei Alexandrovkh, bora
1896, have you received a copy of the indictment?
Shestov: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Stroilov, Mikhail Stepanovich, born
1899, have you receivedi a copy of the indictment?
Stroilov: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Turok, Yosif Dmitrievich, born 1900~
have you received a copy of the indiictment?
Turok: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Hrasche, Ivan Yosifovich, born 1886~
have you received a copy of the indiictment?
Hrasche: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Pushin, Gavriil Yefremovt-ch, born
1896, have you received a copy of the indictment? · ----
.
Pushin: Yes, I have.
The President: Accused Arnold, Valentin Volfridovich, alias
Va.silyev, Valentin Vasilyevich, is your real name Vasilyev or
Arnold?
Arnold: Vasilyev.
The President: Name and patronymic?
Arnold: Valentin Vasilyevich.
The Pr_fsident: Born 1S94?
Arnold: Yes.
The President: Have you received a copy of the indictment?
Arnold: I have. ---- -- -- ---
The President: I announce the composition of the Court: Pre.si.--
dent-Army Military Jurist, President of the Military Collegium,
-v.
V. Ulrich, Members of the Court-Army Corps Military Jurist
.I. 0. Matulevich and Divisional Military Jurist N. M. Rychkov.
-Are there any objections to the composition of the Court? [The
accused reply in the negative.]
2
The prosecution is conducted by the Procurator of the U.S.S.R.,
Comrade A. Y. Vyshinsky.
The accused Knyazev is defended by Counsel Braude, Member
_of the Collegium of Defence; the accused Pushin is defended by
Counsel Kommodov, Member of the Collegium of Defence; the ac
cused Arnold is defended by Counsel Kaznacheyev, Member of the
Collegium of Defence.
Upon receiving the indictment, the accused Pyatakov, Radek,
Sokolnikov, Serebryakov, Livshitz, Muralov, Drobnis, Boguslav
sky, Rataichak, Norkin, Shestov, Stroilov, Turok and Hrasehe de
clined the services of counsel for defence and declared that they
would conduct their own defence. I consider it necessary once more
to ask the accused I have named, who prevfously declined the ser
vices of counsel for defence, whether they desire· to be represented
by counsel. (Turning to the accused.) Perhaps any of ·you has
changed his mind and desires counsel for defence?
Vgshinsky: I request that you ask each one separately.
The President: Accused Pyatakov, do you desire counsel for
defence?
Pyatakov: No.
The President: Accused Sokolnikov, do you desire counsel for
defence?
Sokolnikov: No.
The President: Accused Radek, do you desire c0UI1Jsel for
defence?
Radek: No.
The President: Accused Serebryakov, do you desire oounsel for
defence? · . · ·
Serebrgah>V: No.
The President: Aocused Livshitz, do you desire counsel for
defence?· ·
Livshitz: No.
The President: Accused Muralov, do you desire counsel for
defence?
Muralov: No.
The President: Accused Drobnis, do you Elesire counsel for
defence?
Drobnis: No~ _ .
The President: Accwsed BoguslaV'sky, do you desire counsel for
defence?
Boguslavsky·: No. . .
The President: Accused Rataichak, do you deSire· oounsel for
defence? ·
Ratai.chak: Ne.
3
The President: Accused Norkin, do you desire counsel for
defence?
Norkin: No.
The President: Accused Shestov, do you desire counsel for
:defence?
Shestov: No.
The President: Aocused Stroilov, do you desire counsel for
defence?
. Stroilov: No.
The President: Accused Turok, do you desire colU1.Sel for
defence?
Turok: No.
The President: Accused Hra.sclle, do you desire counsel for
defence?
Hrasche: No.
The President: I must ex:p1ain to t!he accused who:havie d~lined
couooel for defence that in addition to the other rights of the ac-.
cused which I will presently explain, they are entitled to speak
in their defence after the speech for the prosecution.
I must explain to all the accused that they have the right to put
questions to the witnesses, experts, and to the other accused, and
also to submit explanations on any question that may form the
subject of investigation by the Court.
Has the State Prosecutor any request to make?
Vyshinsky: No.
The President: Have the Counsel for Defence?
Counsel for Defence: (Reply in the negative.) "'":':
The President: Have the accused any requests to ma:Ire re~::-.
ing the summoning of witnesses or the inclusion of any documents
in the materialc; of the trial?
The Accused: (Reply in the negative.)
The President: Comrade Secretary, read the indictment, pleas~.,,
[The Secretary of the Court, A. F. Ko.styus!hko, reads the in-
dictment.]
INDICTMENT
in the case of Y. L. Pyatakov, K. B. Radek, G. Y. Sokolnikov,
L. P. Serebryakov, N. I. Muralov, Y. A. Livshitz, -Y. N~ Dr..ol>JJ(s, __
M. S. Boguslavsky, I. A. Knyazev, S. A. Rataichak, B. 0. Norkin,
A. A. Shestov, M. S. Stroilov, Y. D. Turok, I. Y. Hrasche, G. E. Pu
s.bin and V. V. Arnold, aecused of treason against the eountry,
espionage, committing acts of diversion, wrecking activities and
fhe preparation of terrorist acts, i.e., of crimes covered by Articles
.:5s1a, 58'5, 589 and 5811 of the Criminal Code of the R.S.F.S.R.
4