Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Eastern Europe, The Soviet Union, Volume VI

861.00/3–1646: Telegram

The Chargé in the Soviet Union ( Kennan ) to the Secretary of State

Moscow , March 16, 1946.
[Received March 17—8:50 p.m.]

837. Yesterday’s decree of Supreme Soviet⁵⁵ transforming Councils of People’s Commissars of USSR, union republics and autonomous republics into Councils of Ministers, corresponding People’s Commissariats into Ministries and corresponding Commissars into Ministers was presented by Shvernik⁵⁶ on following grounds:

Old nomenclature arose in first period of Soviet state which was associated with radical destruction of old state machine and with establishment of new Soviet forms of state life. This was period of setting up of Soviet state when forms of administration were yet unstable and had only begun to develop. However, organs of state administration have not remained unchanged. Forms and functions of state organs have altered in course of development of Soviet state. Old nomenclature no longer reflects with sufficient distinctness the range of competence and responsibility which constitution of USSR gives to central organs and to persons who head various branches of state administration. Names of Commissariat and Commissar are applied not only to central organs of state administration of USSR, union and autonomous republics and their heads but also to certain local organs and their officials. Thus this terminology obliterates distinction between heads of central organs of administration and officials of local institutions and introduces excessive complications into concept of competence, functions and responsibilities of various organs of state administration. All this shows necessity of transforming central organs of state administration of USSR, union and autonomous republics and renaming offices of those persons who head them, applying to them terminology generally accepted in govt practice.

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Kennan

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55. The Embassy in Moscow was advised officially of the changes made by this decree in a circular note of March 20; and the Secretary of State was informed of these changes by the Embassy of the Soviet Union in Washington in a similar note on March 23.
56. Nikolay Mikhailovich Shvernik, a candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and First Assistant Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union, becoming Chairman upon the retirement of Kalinin on March 19; see telegram 876, March 20, noon, from Moscow, p. 719.