A 336776

INDO-RUSSIAN RELATIONS : 1917-1947 b .,' , SELECT DOCUMENTS FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

PART E 1929-1947

Edited and Compiled by Purabi Roy Sobhanlal Datta Gupta Hari Vasudevan

THE ASIATIC SOCIETY 1 PARK STREET • CALCUTTA 700 016 CONTENTS

Foreword . . xv Introduction xvii List of the Russian Archives from where the documents have been collected xlii Abbreviations xliii Documents xlv Correspondence between USSR All Union Society For Cultural Relations (VOKS) and various institutions and personalities in 1 Letter dated 31.3.28. from A.P.Nazarov, a Russian peasant, to Rabindranath Tagore 1 2 Telegram dated 27.8.28; from Cultsviaz, Moscow to Rabindranath Tagore 4 3 Letter dated 20.11.28. from O.D. Kamenova to Cultsviaz requesting to open cultural contacts with Visva Bharati 5 4 Telegram dated 27.8.28. from Cultsviaz, Moscow to 7 5 Letter dated 10.1.29. from Survey of India, Geodetic Branch Office, Dehra Dun to Cultsviaz, Moscow 8 6 Letter dated 13.3.29. from Cultsviaz, Book Exchange Depart- ment, Moscow to the Director, Survey of India, Geodetic Branch Office, Dehra Dun 9 7 Letter dated 22.4.29. from the Director, Survey of India, Geodetic Branch Office, Dehra Dun to Cultsviaz, Moscow 10 8 Letter dated 30.5.29. from K.R.Cama Oriental Institute, Bombay to Cultsviaz, Moscow 11 9 Letter dated 24.1.29. from The Servants of India Society, Poona to Cultsviaz, Moscow 11 10 Reply (undated) from Cultsviaz, International Book exchange Department, Moscow to the letter dated 24.1.29. of The Servants of India Society, Poona 12 11 Letter dated 20.3.29. from The Servants of India Society, Poona, to the All Russian Central Election Commission, Moscow 13 12 Letter dated 3.4.29. from The Servants of India Society, Poona to Cultsviaz, Moscow 14 13 Letter dated 10.9.29. from Cultsviaz, International Book Department, Moscow to The Servants of India Society, Poona 15 14 Letter dated 18.10.29. from The Servants Of India Society, Poona to Cultsviaz, International Book Exchange Depart- ment, Moscow 16 15 Letter dated 12.9.29. from The University of Calcuta to Cultsviaz, International Book Exchange Department, Moscow 16 16 Letter dated 2.1.30. from Central Malar Bureau, Punjab to Cultsviaz, Moscow 17 17 Correspondnce between M.S. Ramaswami and Cultsviaz, Moscow dated 21.2.30. 18 18 Correspondence between M.S. Ramaswami and Cultsviaz, Moscow dated 25.2.30. 19 19 Correspondnce between M.S. Ramaswami and Cultsviaz dated 12.6.33. 20 20 Correspondence between M.S. Ramaswami and Cultsviaz dated 7.8.33. 21 21 Correspondence between Madras University Library and Cultsviaz, International Book Exchange Department, Moscow dated 26.3.31. 21 22 Corespondence between Madras University Library and Cultsviaz dated 10.9.31. • 22 23 Correspondence between Madras University and Cultsviaz dated 5.11.31. 23 Vll

24 Correspondence between the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Cultsviaz, International Book Exchange, Moscow dated 12.1.33. 24 25 Correspondence between the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Cultsviaz, International Book Exchange Department, Moscow dated 15.8.33. 25 26. Letter dated 2.8.46. from Friends of the , Punjab to Soviet Embassy, Kabul . 25 Comintern and India 27 Resolution on the Indian Question adopted by the Presidium of ECCI dated 14.3.29. 27 28 ECCI's Draft Theses on the Indian Question dated 27.3.29. 39 29 Magayar's speech in the Indian Commission, ECCI dated 2.4.29. 41 30 Ebert's speech in the Indian Commission, ECCI dated 2.4.29. 42 31 A Letter to Comintern from India on behalf of Meerut prisoners dated 18.5.29. 43 32 Letter from A.J. Bennett to Agit Prop Department of Comintern dated 21.5.29. regarding his dissatisfaction with Comintern's coverage of Indian struggle 46 33 Letter from D. Suleikin (n. d.) to Comintern re : his contact with Abdul Halim 47 34 Draft Resolution on India of the League against Imperialism (n.d.) 48 35 Resolution of the General Council of the League against Imperialism 49 36 Report on India at the Tenth Plenum of ECCI, dated. 3.7.29. 50 37 Pavel Mif's letter dated 2. 10.29./ 3.10.29. to the ECCI delegation of the Communist Party of the USA regarding Indian work in the USA 53 38 Pavel Mif's letter to the CC, CPGB, dated 3.10.29. re- garding Indian work in Great Britain 54 Vlll

39 Final Text of a document dated 3.11.29.concerning the establishment of an Indian Section of the League against Imperialism 55 40 Report of Johnstone to the Eastern Secretariat, ECCI on India dated 12.2.29. 59 41 Final text of ECCI's Tenth Plenum's Resolution on India dated 18.11.29. 66 42 Y.C.I.E.C. (Young Communist International Executive Committee) on Indian youth (1929) signed by YCLGB and an enclosed Leaflet by T.L. Vaswani to Sons and Daughters of the Sangha 76 43 Draft Resolution on India, 1930 79 44 Virendranath Chattopadhyaya's letter dated 24.3.30. to Willi Muenzenberg criticising M.N. Roy's activities 95 45 Letter of Richard (for CPI, Bengal) dated 23.4.30. to the ECCI 96 46 Campbell's report to the Indian Commission, ECCI dated 26.6.30. 98 47 Otto Kuusinen's speech dated 26.6.30. in the Indian Commis- sion, ECCI 102 48 Mohammad Ali's letter to the Small Commission, ECCI dt. 13. 7. 30. 106 49 Correspondence of Indian students at KUTV with Comintern dated 19.7.30. 107 50 M. Ali's note to Comintern re : Indian students interested in meeting Comintern dated 10.9.30. 107 51 Letter of Indian students at KUTV to the Eastern Secretariat, Comintern dated 29.10.30. 108 52 Correspondence of Indian students at KUTV with Comintern regarding their dissatisfaction with teaching programmes etc. dated 4.11.30. 109 53 Letter of John Reed at KUTV dated 18.12.30. to the Eastern Secretariat, Comintern protesting against Courses of Studies 110 IX

54 Eastern Secretariat's Report on India dated. 29.1.31. Ill 55 ECCI's letter to India dated 3.2.31. . 129 56 Lenin's works selected for translation into , , Bengali and Marathi dated 7.4.31. 138 57 A Note to Comintern signed 'N' dt. 25. 6. 31. re : FEB (Far Eastern Bureau)'s contact with India. 142 58 ECCI's (?) letter to India dated 15.8.31. 143 59 An interview with M.N. Roy by S.P.K. dated 5.9.31. 144 60 ECCI's Report on India dated. 3.10.31. 152 61 Letter of Abdul Halim dated. 18.6.32. to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of USA re: Calcutta Committee, CPI's activities 166 62 Signed letter of Calcutta Committee of CPl to ECCI dated 20.6.32. 167 63 G. Adhikari's report to Comintern dated 9. 8. 32. re : situation in the CPI and suggestions for future 176 64 Letter signed 'P' dated 13.8.32. from Berlin to Chatto, Wigdor and Berger re : dissatisfaction with Comintern's work on India 179 65 Letter of Eastern Secretariat dated 17. 8. 32. Materials for the Twelfth Plenum of the ECCI on India. 180 66 Johnson's report on India to XII ECCI Plenum dated. 13. 9. 32. 182 67 Comintern's directive to the CC, CPI (n.d.). 183 68 An unsigned note sent to Comintern's Eastern Secretariat re : situation in Bengal's communist movement (n.d.) 193 69 Material for the XHI Plenum, ECCI, dated 14. 11. 33. 194 70 A pamphlet entitled India at the Crossroads by a Samyavadi (1930 and after) 196 71 Final text of an ECCI Eastern Secretariat letter dated 4.2.34. to the Communist Party of India . 215 72 On the Draft of the Political Theses of the C. P. of India dated 16.4.34. 217 73 The Immediate Tasks of the CP of India dated 11.5. 34. 218 74 Letter from the Indian Communist Group (London) dated. 9.4.34. to the Secretariat, CPGB 224 75 Memorandum dated London 4.9.34. to ECCI re: CPGB's refusal to publish the Meerut Statement by Communist Group of Indians in London 226 76 D. Manuilsky's observation on a document "Discussion concerning the Plan of Report" (placed in a meeting of the Political Commission, ECCI dated 28.5.35.) 229 77 Ben Bradley's observations on M. R. Masani's proposed meeting dated 23. 8. 35. 230 78 M.R. Masani's letter to Harry Pollitt dated Moscow, 24. 8. 35. 231 79 Letter from "Ginger" to Johnson, Comintern re : secret Indian contacts for sending students (sometime in 1935) (n.d.) 231 80 Virendranath Chattopadhyaya's letter dated 9.9.35. to Georgi Dimitrov refuting allegations made against him 232 81 Letter from "Don" to Johnson at Comintern dated 29.11.35. re : the problems faced by CPI in building up united front 233 82 Letter from 'Mac' to Comintern dated 4. 11. 35. re : Confusion in the CPI concerning the idea of united front, after Seventh Congress 234 83 Note by Santos to Comintern regarding his proposed visit to India (n.d.) 236 84 Report by Tambe (Ben Bradley) on India at the Seventh Congress of Comintern, 1935 239 85 Letter of "Gordon" to Charlie Johnson dated 23.3.36. re: dissatisfaction with treatment of India at Seventh Congress and attitude towards Subhas Bose's release 256 86 Letter from CC, CPI to MN Roy' s group in Bombay dated 20.6.36. 257 87 Letter of CPI regarding change of line after Seventh Congress of Comintern (1935) dated 1936 259 XI

88. "Letter from abroad". Comintern Emissary's report to CPI (August, 1936) 262 89 Hand written notes on prominent CPI and trade union leaders of India (n.d.) 271 90 Politbureau, Central Committee, CPI's Circular dated 3.9.36. regarding change of line after Seventh Congress of Comintern 276 91 Letter from CC Andaman Committee to the Bengal Committee of CPI (n.d.) • 277 92 A Note entitled "India" dated 20.8.38. 280 93 J.R. Campbell's confidential report to Comintern on the situation in India dated 22.12.38. 283 94 Undated Note from the Scientific Research Institute for National and Colonial problems concerning the suspicious behaviour of Indians (1938) 297 95 Report on the activities in India of students trained in the USSR (1940) 299 96 Note dated 11.5.1940. on the fractional activity of former Gadarites in India 302 97 Letter from I. Kozlov to G.M. Dimitrov concerning Baghat Ram, and others, dated October 1941 305 98 Letter dated 2.10.41. concerning infiltration into India of Indians living in Tadzhikistan 306 99 Note of I. Kozlov dated 2.10.41. to Indians going to India 307 100 Letter concerning the infiltration of Indians into India (1941) 308 101 Memoir of Achar Singh China entitled "The National Front in India", dated November, 1940 309 102 Record of meetings between S.A. Dange and Soviet leaders in 1947 . 348 Raja Mahendra Pratap: Correspondence with Soviet leaders and other materials 103 Letters from Mahendra Pratap to Comintern, dated 27.3.29. and 28.3.29. 363 Xll

104 Letter from Mahendra Pratap to Sukermanoff dated 13.10.29. 366 105 Letter of Mahendra Pratap to Comrade Sukermanov dated 2.1.30. 367 106 Letter of Mahendra Pratap to Comrade Sukermanov dated 7.5.30. 368 107 Letter of Mahendra Pratap to Comrade Kisselov dated 23.4.30. 369 108 Writing by Mahendra Pratap entitled "Some opinions of the Indian press and Indian Leaders which should be very interesting for readers in Soviet Russia (1930)" 370 109 Writing by Mahendra Pratap entitled Evolution of Revolu- tion in India (April, 1930) 373 110 Writing by Mahendra Pratap entitled What India Expects from the Soviets ? (1930) 376 111 Writing by Mahendra Pratap entitled "How should we remould our program of work in Afghanistan? and what should be the policy of the friends of peace and progress in countries round about there?" 378 Rahul Sankrityayan : Correspondence with Soviet leaders and other materials 112 Rahul Sankrityayan's letter dated 30.8.35. to a friend seek- ing permission to visit USSR 388 113 Letter dated 1.3.44. from K.Novikov to the President, VOKS re : Rahul Sankrityayan's proposed visit of Soviet Union 389 114 Letter dated 7.3.44. from L.Kislova to K. Novikov re : Rahul Sankrityayan's proposed visit of Soviet Union 390 115 Letter dated 28.3.46. from L. Baranov to A.Y. Vyshinsky, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs , USSR re : Rahul Sankrityayan's proposed visit of Soviet Union 390 116 Rahul Sankrityayan's undated application to the Foreign Minister, USSR re : his proposed visit of Soviet Union 391 117 Letter dated 3.4.46. from V. Erofeev to A. Y. Vyshinsky re: Rahul Sankrityayan's proposed visit of Soviet Union 392 Xlll

118 Letter dated 12.4. 46. from A.Vyshinsky to L. Baranov re: Rahul Sankrityayan's proposed visit of Soviet Union 393 119 Rahul Sankrityayan's letter dated 30.8.46. to Stalin re : his proposed visit of Soviet Union 393 120 Letter dated 4.10.46. from M, Suslov to A. A. Zhdanov re : Rahul Sankrityayan's proposed visit of Soviet Union 396 121 Letter dated 9.6.47. from I. Kozlov to L. S. Baranov re : Rahul Sankrityayan's proposed visit of Soviet Union 396

Notes 399 Biographical Notes 427 Index 437