The ban of production work on the film Bezhin Meadow was met by certain elements that do not share the Party's line in matters of art literally with bestial fury. Without risking coming out openly against the TsK decision, they are mobilizing all their forces to discredit this decision by slandering us—those carrying out this decision.

The matter is reaching the point where at the Writers Union, in concealment from its secretary Com. Stavsky, a meeting has already been held of some writers and playwrights in order to work out a line of defense for Eisenstein and to discredit me as the stifler of the “brilliant world artist S. Eisenstein.” We have been told that through the German writer Lilo Damert, who left to go abroad a few days ago, a request has been sent to Feuchtwanger regarding defending Eisenstein, for which his supporters (Com. Sokolovskaia), during Feuchtwanger's visit with us (February 1937), without letting me know, showed him clips from this defective film and, as I have written to you, foreseeing the banning of this production, insisted that Feuchtwanger come out in our press with a promotional article about the defective Bezhin Meadow as a masterpiece.

Worst of all, though, is the fact that this entire company is actively supported by certain organs of our press, with the exception of Pravda. They, for example the newspaper Izvestia, are doing this by means of total silence about the decision of the Party's TsK banning Bezhin Meadow.

No less infuriating is the position of the TsK's Department of Cultural-Educational Work head, Com. Angarov, and the head of the film sector of the department, Com. Tamarkin. Instead of helping us convey the TsK decision on Bezhin Meadow, Comrades Angarov and Tamarkin are using their position as Party workers to give Eisenstein's entire clique a weapon to defame us politically, to defame Party members working in film who are implementing the Party line in the matter of Eisenstein's anti-Soviet production. And this at a time when so recently Com. Tamarkin demanded of me in writing that we “don't kill” Eisenstein but let him continue producing Bezhin Meadow.

This entire revolt by representatives of the petty bourgeois bohemia led a few days ago to the point where, at our Moscow studio [Mosfilm], the administration in the persons of Comrades Babitsky and Sokolovskaia collected for a viewing of Eisenstein's banned Bezhin Meadow not only cinematographers but also writers, especially apologists for the “genius” Eisenstein. At this viewing not only was material from a film banned by the TsK shown but Eisenstein was also given an opportunity to deliver an extended report about what he had not yet shot. Eisenstein gave his speech the character of an appeal against the production ban.

After this viewing, the studio's administration gathered in their office a group of Eisenstein supporters—Vs. Vishnevsky, B. Lapin, Z. Khatsrevin, and several others—for a closed meeting.

I request your instructions.