861.00/11756: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Davies) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 2—6:15 p.m.]
56. 1. The trial of the so-called Trotskiist bloc of 21 defendants convened today at 12 o’clock noon. Tickets of admission for the Diplomatic Corps were limited strictly to Chiefs of Mission. Opening procedure was the same as in Radek trial heretofore described.21 All but three defendants waived counsel. All but two pleaded guilty. Krestinski, former Assistant Commissar for Foreign Affairs, repudiated earlier confession and pleaded not guilty. One other defendant pleaded guilty with minor reservations. Indictment charged that the Rightist bloc for many years was under instructions from British, German, Polish, and Japanese intelligence services and organized terrorism, sabotage, conspiracy to murder for the purpose of overthrowing Government, dismembering the Soviet Republic and restoring capitalism. It charged individual members of this bloc under Trotsky’s leadership with having direct relations and receiving financial help from one or more of the above-named intelligence services. It charged systematic sabotage of industry, agriculture, finance, organization of defeatist programs, and projection of plots to kill Stalin, Voroshilov and the actual murders of Gorki, Menzhinski and Kuibyshev. The indictment set forth detailed statements constituting admissions of guilt by virtually all defendants.
2. Krestinski was charged with receiving 250,000 marks from the German Government. Krestinski’s withdrawal of plea of guilty, his claim of not guilty, and his repudiation of confession made as late as yesterday was the sensation of the opening session. Prosecution apparently is basing case upon Krestinski and Bukharin as chief [Page 528] Trotskiist agents. First witness was Bessonov, former Counselor of the Soviet Embassy at Berlin, whose testimony labelled Krestinski as the chief Trotskiist agent in the alleged conspiracy. Krestinski called upon the prosecutor from time to time in the course of Bessonov’s testimony, specifically denied alleged statements of fact. Bessonov’s testimony was corroborated at the same time by Grinko, former Commissar for Finance, and Rosengolts, former Commissar for Foreign Trade. Krestinski persisted in proclaiming innocence and justified his admitted earlier confession of guilt on the ground that former statements were not voluntary, that his present statements were true and were made in open court so that the Soviet governing powers would be sure to know his position.
3. The defendants closely guarded by soldiers with fixed bayonets were neatly dressed and appeared to be in fair physical condition. Of the four defendants known personally by me three, to wit, Krestinski, Rosengolts and Dr. Pletnev seemed haggard, drawn and under great nervous tension.
Indications are that trial will be replete as in former trials with detailed confessions of guilt by most of the defendants.
My initial impressions of the opening session follow.
- 1.
- The procedure obviously is designed to emphasize that the defendants are provided with constitutional protection, viz, they were asked if they received copies of the indictment, if they desired counsel and whether they wished to question witnesses.
- 2.
- The indictment was an ex-parte statement of the Government’s case and the pleaded admissions and alleged statements of fact give the impression of propaganda. The prisoners in the box, the judges, and the prosecutors all are provided with microphones. Nevertheless, the proceedings are conducted with dignity and a remarkable degree of calm and lack of passion prevails.
- 3.
- The formulation of a definite opinion by an unbiased mind depends first on the degree of credence to be attached to the confessions of the various defendants and secondly upon developments in the course of the trial which may reflect the veracity, character and credibility of witnesses, the reasonableness of their testimony and whatever corroborating facts may exist.
- 4.
- The natural reaction to the first session is that if the charges are true a terrible sordid picture of human nature at its worst is being unfolded as contrasted with the professedly high aspirations and ideals of the philosophy with which the defendants were identified.