How Stalin rescued his disgraced deputy

In 1921, an unpleasant incident occurred in Moscow that cast a shadow over the entire Soviet leadership and Stalin personally. On December 8, in the evening, in the apartment of the first beauty of the capital, Elizabeth, Meichik was detained and taken to the Moscow Cheka by Mikhail Vetoshkin, deputy chairman of the small Council of People's Commissars and deputy people's commissar of the workers' and peasants' inspection. After his release, Vetoshkin sent complaints to the Council of People's Commissars to his immediate superior, People's Commissar of the RKI Stalin, and to the Cheka, where they immediately began a detailed check of all the circumstances of the incident.

"Feldman (pictured). To investigate this matter. Personally"

“To supplement both the general decree and the instructions on detentions and arrests with a list of responsible officials of the Soviet government who are not subject to such detention”

Photo: Kommersant / RGAKFD/Rosinform

"Isadora Duncan School (in the photo - Duncan with students). Central base - Russia (Moscow, Prechistenka, 20). Musical part: Meichik M."

Photo: Photo archive of the magazine "Ogonyok" / Photo archive of the magazine

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“He told me that he agreed to supply our home only if he received the third part of the goods ordered. I was supposed to receive the second third, and the third - the home.”

Photo: Kommersant / RGAKFD/Rosinform

Mark Naumovich Meichik

“I (in the photo - M.K. Vetoshkin) stopped by the apartment of a friend of mine, Count E.M. Meichik, intending to ask her about her ex-husband, Count Meichik

Photo: Library of Siberian Local History

“The products received directly from Pavlov did not fit in anywhere and did not arrive anywhere.”

Photo: Kommersant / RGAKFD/Rosinform

"Feldman (pictured). To investigate this matter. Personally"

“To supplement both the general decree and the instructions on detentions and arrests with a list of responsible officials of the Soviet government who are not subject to such detention”

Photo: Kommersant / RGAKFD/Rosinform

"Isadora Duncan School (in the photo - Duncan with students). Central base - Russia (Moscow, Prechistenka, 20). Musical part: Meichik M."

Photo: Photo archive of the magazine "Ogonyok" / Photo archive of the magazine

Evgeny Zhirnov

"He asked me to put my hands up"

In a statement by M.K. Vetoshkin, the events of the unfortunate evening for him looked as follows:

“On December 8, at approximately 9 o’clock in the evening, I went to the People’s Commissariat to finish my remaining business for the day, and on the way I stopped at the apartment of a friend of mine, Count E.M. Meichik... Entering the apartment of E. M. Meichik, I was met on the threshold by people I didn’t know, one of whom, as soon as I crossed the threshold, announced to me that I was under arrest and asked me to raise my hands up before I could identify myself. In the first minute of this unexpected meeting with me. I had the impression that I had fallen into the hands of robbers who had entered the apartment and placed their guard at the door. Only when I saw a Red Army soldier standing calmly at the threshold with a rifle, I realized that I was dealing with a Cheka ambush. I then identified myself and presented it to the young man who turned out to be. MBSK agent Comrade Afanasyev, his documents and stated that I would not allow myself to be subjected to a personal search and that he (Comrade Afanasyev) had no grounds to detain me.”

Vetoshkin believed that his position protected him from KGB searches and arrest. But Afanasyev had a different opinion:

“Having looked at my documents (Kremlin pass with a photographic card addressed to a member of the Board of N.K.R.K.I., my certificate as a member of the Board of the RKI signed by the Predovnarkom Comrade Lenin), Comrade Afanasyev did not insist on a personal search, but Immediately, in a rude manner, he began to lecture me about the fact that I am a responsible employee, and do not understand that when the Cheka agents declare me arrested, I have no right to reason and protest against the search. They refused to give me the opportunity to call the police. MBSK about my arrest over the phone, Comrade Afanasyev himself refused to even tell the MBSK my name over the phone. Having made sure that I was dealing with a completely stupid and rude young man (Comrade Afanasyev), I stopped further conversations with him and began to wait for his arrival. Commissioner."

However, the commissioner from the IBSC, like Afanasiev, did not take into account the high official position of the detainee:

“20 minutes later,” wrote Vetoshkin, “commissar” Karpov appeared, to whom I also showed my documents, including an official extract from the protocol of S.N.K. on my appointment as Deputy Chairman of the MSNK. Having looked at my documents, Comrade Karpov he didn’t even want to talk to me, and, treating all the detainees as obvious and despicable criminals, he ordered us all to get into his car and go to the MCHK. I was denied the right to ride my horse, which was standing at the door. the coachman, who then went into the kitchen to warm up, was also arrested as an obviously malicious criminal. The instructions that Comrade Afanasyev was guided by and which Comrade Karpov ordered the remaining agents to follow when we were leaving were such that everyone who came was to be arrested, no matter what. What".

In front of me was such gross stupidity of the IBSC agents that it was completely useless to prove anything to them.

Vetoshkin’s indignation knew no bounds:

“If Comrade Lenin or Comrade Kalinin had accidentally fallen into such an ambush, they would also have been arrested and transported to the MBSK, just like me. I found myself in a wild and humiliating position for my official rank, deprived of the opportunity to even protest against this, because In front of me was such gross stupidity of the IBSC agents that it was completely useless to prove anything to them. I saw that for a moment I found myself in an atmosphere of absolute lawlessness, about which other citizens, detained in the same manner as me, could only smile. : good, they say, we have rules, so now try them for yourself. From my conversation with Afanasyev and Karpov, the other detainees (among them was some lady who accidentally came to Meichik, who lived in the same yard and ran in, Apparently, hastily without a scarf, a well-known musician in Moscow, whose last name I don’t remember, etc.) saw that a member of the Board of the RKI and the Deputy Chairman of the MSNK had been detained, whose protests that they had no right to detain him remained a voice crying in the wilderness.”

The deputy chairman of the Small Council of People's Commissars insisted that the entire incident with his detention was of a dangerous political nature:

“With great effort I restrained myself so as not to protest in the presence of strangers against the unbridled and arrogant behavior of the IBSC agents. The protest was completely useless against the gross stupidity of the agents with which I was dealing. The IBSC released me, having mercifully agreed not to interrogate , although one of the investigators kindly slipped me an interrogation sheet, it is unknown in what case, on what basis and for what reason... Politically, this “ambush”... is a directly crude demonstration of complete lack of rights and the absence of the most basic guarantees of personal integrity even for communists , responsible workers of the Soviet government. The IBSC places its own instructions above any law, the letter of this instruction stands above political reason. If one of the representatives of the foreign missions in Moscow had accidentally visited E.M. Meichik during this ambush. also detained and sent to the IBSC, because the IBSC agents refer to an instruction that supposedly (I have not seen this instruction) prescribes arresting anyone in an ambush, regardless of the person’s position or the documents presented to them, regardless of their authenticity. If such a wild instruction really exists (and the IBSC agents behave exactly like this), then this poses a direct danger of a possible political scandal.”

At the same time, Vetoshkin tried to help the arrested Elizaveta Meichik:

“As I found out at the MBSK, the sealing (as in the text - “History” ) of the apartment of E. M. Meichik and the ambush were set up on the orders of the investigator of the Economic Department of the MBSK, Comrade Bolotnikov. Why were all these extraordinary measures necessary - the sealing of the apartment, the ambush, the arrest of everyone indiscriminately coming to the apartment, the arrest and taking away for interrogation the 13-year-old boy - I don’t know how much I know E. M. Meichik, as an acquaintance of my family, I am convinced that she is incapable of committing the criminal offense that was required. would take such measures against her and her friends. But let’s assume that Meichik is really involved in some criminal case, and yet the behavior of the MBS agents and the order of investigator Bolotnikov involuntarily raises the suspicion that an atmosphere that is far from any kind prevails in the activities of the MBS. legality, but also simple expediency."

In the same statement, Vetoshkin insisted:

"Instruct the investigator of the People's Commissariat of Justice (People's Commissariat of Justice . - History ) to carry out a detailed investigation of all the actions of the Economic Department of the ICJC in the case of E. M. Meichik."

At the same time, his story about why he actually came to Elizaveta Meichik raised many questions:

“I... stopped by the apartment of a friend of mine, Count E.M. Meichik, with the intention of asking her about her ex-husband, Count Meichik, whose case, as director of the former Philharmonic, I sent to the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal to bring Count Meichik to criminal liability. Knowing Count Meichik as an outstanding musician, I was extremely surprised in the audit materials presented to me by the small material frauds that were identified by our audit in his activities as director of the Philharmonic. This circumstance prompted me to visit E. M. Meichik. as a person who knew the musician Meichik closely from his moral side."

And most importantly, it did not coincide with the testimony of Meichik herself.

"Adequate intelligence material"

In the case, which was led by the head of the Investigative Section of the Presidium of the Cheka, V.D. Feldman, there was a “Record of testimony of Count Meichik Elizaveta Mikhailovna, 29 years old, in the case of the arrest in her apartment of a member of the NKRKI board, comrade Vetoshkin,” dated December 9, 1921, in which said:

“I have known Vetoshkin and his wife Alexandra Ivanovna for a long time already, since a year (as in the text - “History” ). We visited each other... This is a description of my acquaintance with Vetoshkin. Comrade Vetoshkin was with me for the last time before incident on Sunday, December 4. On Thursday, 8/XII-21, in the morning I called him on the phone, asking him about the case of my husband Meichik M. Naum (Mark Naumovich - “History” ). the audit of the Gambry RKI. Vetoshkin told me that the case was sent to the court on Monday. Then I asked him if he could review this case. T. Vetoshkin replied that the case had already been sent to the court, I asked him to bring the audit report, he, Vetoshkin replied that perhaps today, that is, on December 8, Thursday, he would come and tell me what was going on, Meichik, my husband, was right there and heard the conversation and was supposed to be in the evening, as usual. , I have".

But Mark Meichik was not among those detained in the apartment on Khlebny Lane. And, as follows from other documents in the case of Vetoshkin’s arrest, the arrest of Elizaveta Meichik was in no way connected with the inspection of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspectorate.

The investigation against the capital's first beauty began after Ivan Afanasyev, demobilized from the Red Army, arrived in Moscow, whose younger brother, Alexey, “served with El. Mikh. Meichik since August of this year as a domestic servant, performing her small duties.” instructions." Alexey told his brother about the strange things happening in Elizaveta Meichik’s apartment. Someone from somewhere brought a large amount of food and things, which were either bought by people who came to Meichik, or he delivered them on the orders of the hostess. He also delivered money from Meichik to certain important people. In the conditions of famine that reigned in the country, this was out of the ordinary, and Ivan Afanasyev decided that measures should be taken. His testimony stated:

An arrest warrant was issued for all suspects, because it was necessary to arrest the criminal with cash

“I reported everything I had heard to the M.S.R.S. Commission for the Improvement of the Living Standards of Workers. Secretary Tronchinsky sent me to the IBSC. The IBSC accepted my application, and I myself took part in solving the crime, receiving through my brother Alexey the information necessary for the IBSC. ".

And the investigator of the economic department of the IBSC, S. O. Bolotnikov, did not very competently inform Feldman about the further progress of the case:

"Gr. Meichik E.M., the divorced wife of musician Mark Meichik (her maiden name is El. Rosten), according to the intelligence information available to the IBSC, was involved in the illegal receipt and theft from N.K. Pros (People's Commissariat of Education . - "History " ) goods (manufacture, leather, children's shoes, etc.) and products and their sale on the private market. The receipt of the above was carried out under the guise of receipt for orphanages. A number of people from employees of the People's Commissariat for Prosecution and orphanages were involved in the case. Agent information was received through comrade . Afanasyev Ivan, a communist, demobilized Red Army soldier, former member of the Moscow Council. His brother Alexey Afanasyev, a 15-year-old boy, serves as a domestic servant for the citizen Meichik, being, on the one hand, the closest executor of her criminal actions. on the other hand, through my brother, an MBS informant. Having collected sufficient intelligence material, we began the operation on December 8th. A warrant was issued for the arrest of all the suspects, since it was necessary to arrest the criminal with cash and there was no certainty. that 1) she will carry these goods herself, and will not entrust them to Alexey Afanasyev or Ms. orphanages, for which this product was fictitiously obtained, and 2) even if she were lucky, she would not take it to her apartment, therefore, neither address nor last name was indicated in the order. The arrest was made at the apartment of Meichik Elizaveta with cash (handed over to the storage department) and her full consciousness during the subsequent interrogation. After Meichik’s arrest, an ambush was left at the apartment; the ambush was necessary in order to detain the persons involved in this case, since, according to intelligence information, in the apartment. Meichik came to the persons involved in the case to divide the spoils and settle payments. In the ambush, Ms. Vishnevskaya (Head of the Children's Home of the Art Studio) was detained, she confessed to her involvement in this case, and Ms. Gomberg (Head of other orphanages), also admitted to her involvement.”

“I received money for the rest”

The interrogation protocols confirmed Bolotnikov’s words. For example, P.P. Pavlov, head of the material part of Glavsotsvos - the Main Directorate of Social Education of the People's Commissariat for Education, which was in charge of preschool institutions, schools and orphanages, admitted:

“I met Meichik around February at the People's Commissariat for Education. Vishnevskaya, who worked at the People's Commissariat for Education, introduced me to her. Meichik somehow got me, thanks to her connections, a pair of boots through Special Products at my request. This brought us closer and made me somehow... then she owed something to her. After that, she systematically and persistently began to ask for supplies for a number of orphanages, mainly for the Art Studio house. There were also requests for the “Our Family” house. I imposed my resolutions on these demands, and they were accepted. approval to the Department of Special or General Supply. There they were finally approved by the heads of the departments. Meichik had some influence on me. Starting from the month of August, she systematically brought me demands from orphanages, mainly from the Art Studio. I carried out these demands personally. supporting them, and received for this approximately a third of the goods received. I received goods twice (50 arsh. cloth and 6 arsh. linen), for the rest I received money, for which I personally came to her, either she brought them to me, or else. sent with the boy. I received from her only 25-30 million during these 4 months (the salary of People's Commissar Stalin was 140 thousand rubles a month - "History" ). I didn’t share it with anyone, except for one case when I gave it to Biletsky - Head. Material and Administrative Department of the Supply Department of the People's Commissariat for Education - 25 arsh. matter from the amount of 50 I received from Meichik. I did not enter into such transactions with anyone except Meichik and Vishnevskaya. I would like to add that I received money from Meichik not only for special individual requirements."

Elizaveta Meichik had her own interpretation of the same events:

“About 4 months ago, my niece Vishnevskaya, the head of the orphanage of the Art Studio, asked me to arrange for additional products for her orphanage in the People's Commissariat for Education. I agreed, and the two of us went to Pavlov. Before that, I didn’t know him. At the first conversation, he He told us that he would think about whether it was possible to issue food for us outside the allocation. When I came to him again alone, he told me that he agreed to supply our home only if I received the third part of the goods ordered. , and the 3rd - home. After that, I went to him for 4 months with various demands, and they were written according to government instructions. I gave him the 3rd part of the goods received. , and I gave him the value in their money. In total, he received from me 30 million and 56 arsh. Whether he shared it with anyone, I don’t know for sure. He once told me that he had to give Beletsky 50 arsh. Whether he gave Beletsky this material or not, I don’t know. In addition to Pavlov, I also once gave Smirnov, at Pavlov’s request, 1 p. of apples and herrings. He sent his man to my apartment, which I was warned about by Pavlov. Vishnevskaya and I talked to him about this, that is, about extradition for a child’s home, but when talking to us he did not make any demands, Pavlov told me that. She wrote for the following orphanages: “Art Studio”, “Our Family”, “May 1”, a home for the hungry at the station. Blachernae. Vishnevskaya was in charge of all these houses. She delivered forms with a stamp and a seal of an art studio. The requirements were sometimes written by my friend Ivanov. He made signatures. From the art studio, I wrote requirements no more than 5-6 times. For "our family" I once wrote out things. Head. This house Zlatopolskaya V.N. brought me two forms with a seal from her house. She told me that when receiving the goods, I can take a part for myself. Zlatopolskaya asked me for products, but Pavlov could not let them go and gave goods instead. I brought them to my house and sold them for 9,000,000 rubles. Five million rubles. I gave Pavlov, since he then needed money, the remaining 4,000,000 rubles had not yet received a part, I spent partly, because I was sick and also really needed. With Gomberg, I had (D/House of Perovsky workers) the following thing. She officially received 400 arsh for her d/house besides Pavlov. Matter, 80 pairs of winter linen and 40 pairs of boots. I received this with her, and everything was brought to my apartment, despite the fact that I opposed this. From the goods of the goods, I sold with it 30 pairs of winter underwear with a profit for a million rubles. 61 arsh was stolen from the party of matter. I have in my apartment. I exchanged the resulting part of the white fabric for the calico, I had shirts at home (30 pcs.), I don’t remember how we did it all, but as a result we had up to 3 million rubles left, of which I gave it two million , I have a little more than a million rubles left. We did not fake the invoices, but earned only from the substitution of goods. "

And the questioned A. A. Vishnevskaya tried to prove that her guilt in the deed was minimal:

"Products received directly from Pavlov did not fit anywhere and did not come anywhere. In addition to the expansion, we received different goods from it for individual issues. The goods received in this way were sold. I spent on the needs of the house, I could not bear the fact that the children were starving and repeatedly bought food for them. 500 000 p.

"He did not dare to free himself"

The head of the investigative part of the Presidium of the Cheka V. D. Feldman, who was entrusted with the leadership in the shortest possible time, within a day, to give a conclusion in the case, in his report did not touch his delicate issues, but had another report of the investigator Bolotnikov with the next information besides the interrogation protocols. :

"I was interested in the reason for visiting Vetoshkin Gr-ki Mechik-a certain swindler, and found out the following:

The husband of Mechik is the rector of Hindra (correctly: Himdr - the State Institute of Musical Drama, later GITIS . - "History" ). He had an audit, and, according to information, many crimes were found. Mr. Mechik, who now does not live with his wife, knew about her acquaintance with Vetoshkin and asked her to cope with him about the fate of the audit. Vetoshkin was detained when he appeared to Mechik for negotiations on the revision of the institution, cat. Her husband managed. "

The detention of Vetoshkin Feldman called Bolotnikov and Commissioner Karpov, despite the fact that the latter, making excuses, wrote:

"Comrade Vetoshkin presented my documents to me, but since he was detained in the apartment definitely scammers and so I know that the MCHK recently detained persons with the fake documents of members of the All -Russian Central Executive Committee, I doubted the documents of Comrade Vetoshkina and therefore did not dare to free" .

Bolotnikov escaped with reprimand. Karpov received a strict reprimand and five days of arrest. They decided to give Ivan Afanasyev to give fifteen days of arrest, but by that time he was no longer in Moscow. This decision then received approval at the highest level. Which essentially meant that the scandalous story was decided to hush up.

I have not received the remaining 4,000,000 rubles yet, partly spent, because I was sick and also really needed

In order to forget about her as soon as possible, Vetoshkin, judging by the documents, decided to remove both from the government and from Moscow. Less than a month after the incident, January 3, 1922, the board of the People’s Commissariat of the Workers 'and Peasants' Inspectorate approved him by the NKRKI authorized NKRKI. But then the mandate prepared for him was canceled, and he was sent to the then capital of the Ukrainian SSR Kharkov, where he first headed the People's Commissariat of Justice, and then the People's Commissariat of the Workers 'and Peasants' Inspectorate and other organizations. In 1925, Vetoshkina was returned to Moscow and appointed to a loudly called but insignificant position of executive secretary of the USSR Budget Commission. Perhaps the lack of real power and the condescending attitude of Stalin allowed him to avoid repression, and he lived until 1958.

Since 1922, the famous pianist Mark Naumovich Meychik has been working as deputy head of the Gosizdat musical sector, and in addition, he headed the music unit in the Moscow school of the American dancer Isadora Duncan, which was often accompanied by touring in the USSR. He was the editor -in -chief of the publishing house, the musical consultant of the radio committee and the deputy director of the grames factory. His ex -wife lived no less long and not always easy life, but, according to her loved ones, she never mentioned the story that occurred in 1921.

"A number of employees of the People's Commissariat for Prosecutions are involved in the case"