Transcript No. 53 of the Meeting of the Central Committee Bureau of the Moldavian Communist Party

Transcript No. 53

of the Meeting of the Central Committee Bureau of the Communist Party of Moldavia

Cde. Bodiul presided.

Participants:

2. On The Measures Concerning the Implementation of the CPSU CC Decision “With Regard to the Measures of Assistance to the Moldavian SSR for the Improvement of Ideological Work”

(Cdes. Voronin, Melkov, Diorditsa, Cornovan, Pascari, Iliashenko, Bodiul)

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldavia notes that the CPSU CC Decision of 6 May 1968, “With Regard to the Measures of Assistance to the Moldavian SSR in the Improvement of Ideological Work,” approved measures oriented towards improving ideological work in the republic, amongst which:

1. It proposed to the central press organs (the newspapers Pravda, Izvestia, Komsomolskaia Pravda, Selskaia Zhizni, Ekonomicheshkaia gazeta, the journals Kommunist, Partiinaia Zhizni, Voprosi Istorii KPSS, Voprosi Istorii, etc.), TASS, APN, and the Committee for Press at the USSR Council of Ministers to improve propaganda about the achievements of Moldavia in the fraternal family of Soviet peoples, of the prospering of the Moldavian nation, of the revolutionary traditions of the Moldavian Communist Party, of the role of its leaders in the construction of communism. To draw into the publication of materials in the press leading figures of public life, publicists, and scientific and cultural workers in the republic.

2. To permit the re-launching, from 1 June 1968, of the monthly literary-artistic publication Forests in the Russian language and from 1 January 1969 of the newspaper of the CC of the Moldavian CP Village Life in the Moldavian language; to begin the publication, from 1 January 1969, of a Moldavian newspaper (of the Smena-type) in the Moldavian language.

3. To propose to the Union Association International Books to regulate the exchange of books and periodicals with the SRR [Socialist Republic of Romania]. To effect the regulation of the exchange of books, journals, and newspapers strictly on the basis of parity. To order Romania literature and to repatriate it in conformity with the requirements of the provinces, especially regarding the Moldavian SSR, where a great quantity of books, journals and newspapers ordered from the SRR come.

4. Taking into consideration the fact that many inhabitants of the Moldavian SSR subscribe to Romanian periodical publications, in the neighboring regions of the Ukrainian SSR, it was recommended that the CC of the Ukrainian Communist Party undertake the necessary measures in order to regulate the subscriptions to Romanian publications in the republic.

5. To oblige the State Planning Committee and the Committee for the Press at the USSR Council of Ministers to authorize the consolidation of a production and printing base for the newspapers, journals and publishing houses of the Moldavian SSR.

6. To propose to the Committee for Radio Broadcasting and Television at the USSR Council of Ministers, in the aim of increasing the effectiveness of radio broadcasts for Romania, to broaden the themes and to improve the quality of the respective broadcasts of the union radio, as well as the Chişinău radio. To intensify the informing of Romanian radio listeners on issues about which there generally exists no information or unilateral or insufficient information in the Romanian press and radio, especially on questions related to:

1. The great friendship between the Moldavian people and the Russians, Ukrainians and other peoples of the USSR, the most important historical-revolutionary events which occurred in the republic (the dates of the installation of Soviet power and the reunion of Bessarabia with the USSR, of the liberation of Soviet Moldavia from fascist occupiers, etc.) To pay special attention to the treatment of the history of the struggle of the working people for the installation of Soviet power and the reunion with the Soviet Union;
2. The achievements in the economic and cultural development of the Moldavian SSR, the growth in the standard of living of the people in the years of Soviet power;^[1]
3. The consolidation of the unity of the world Communist movement, the results of the [February 1968] consultative meeting in Budapest and the activity of the fraternal parties concerning the preparation of the international conference [of Communist parties], the joining together of the international and national objectives in socialist construction, the collaboration and mutual assistance of the countries of socialism;
4. The situation in Chişinău and the schismatic policy of the Chinese in the country and abroad, the criticism of their activities by the other Communist parties;
5. The policy in the Middle East regarding Israeli aggression, with its growing isolation in the world arena, the consolidation of the popular Arab forces for the struggle against the imperialist aggressors;
6. The progress of the negotiations with the goal of concluding a treaty on Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation, the ever-increasing support for this treaty in the entire world and the advantages that it would bring to the peoples of the world;
7. The danger of the West German revanchist spirit and militarism and the expansion of West German economic monopolies, the intensification of neo-fascist tendencies in West Germany.

2. To oblige the Committee for Radio Broadcasting and Television at the USSR Council of Ministers to increase the volume of local radio broadcasts in the Moldavian SSR, taking into account, especially, the necessity to extend the broadcasts on political themes in the Moldavian language, and to give assistance to the preparation and supplementary training of the cadres for republican radio and television.

3. To propose to the State Planning Committee, to the Ministry of Telecommunications of the USSR, and to the Committee for Radio Broadcasting and Television at the USSR Council of Ministers to realize measures to ensure the reception of radio and TV broadcasts in the territory of Moldavia, taking into consideration the fact that these broadcasts are received in the territory of the SRR.

4. To task the USSR Academy of Sciences to give necessary assistance to the scientific institutions of the republic in the preparation of works which scientifically treat from correct positions the questions related to the history of Moldavia, to the development of the Moldavian nation, language and culture, to Soviet-Romanian relations, subjected in Romania to a tendentious reevaluation (the liberating role of Russia in the Balkans, the influence of the Russian Revolution on Romania, the role of the Soviet Army in the liberation of Romania, etc.)

5. To oblige the Science Publishing House to ensure the timely publication of literature about Soviet-Romanian relations, the history of Moldavia, the historical importance of the joining of Moldavia to Russia, the revolutionary movement and the installation of Soviet power in Moldavia, the formation and prosperity of the Socialist Moldavian nation.

6. In the aim of familiarizing larger world public opinion with the achievements of the Moldavian SSR in Communist construction, to charge the USSR Foreign Ministry, the State Committee for Science and Technology of the USSR Council of Ministers, the USSR Ministry of Culture, the Union of Sport Societies and Organizations of the USSR [DSO], the Union of Friendship Societies and Cultural Liaison with Foreign Countries and with other Community Organizations:

6. To foresee in the plans of future social-political, cultural and scientific ties with foreign countries, the development in the Moldavian SSR of some symposiums, meetings and other international actions;
7. To draw more leading public figures, workers in the domains of science and culture from the Moldavian SSR into participation in international actions of Soviet organizations;
8. To send foreign delegations visiting the USSR, especially from Western European countries, more frequently to the Moldavian SSR, in order to familiarize themselves with the achievements of the republic in the domain of economic and cultural construction.

7. To oblige the Novosti Press Agency to publish more literature about the Moldavian SSR in order to disseminate it in foreign countries and among the ranks of the tourists that come to the USSR, the Novosti Press Agency and Soiuzpecati should assure the supply of the points of control and passage into the Moldavian SSR with literature and with other propagandistic materials in the Russian language.

8. To propose to the Directorate for Foreign Tourism at the USSR Council of Ministers to use to a greater degree the touristic ties between the SRR and the USSR, as well as the travels of Romanian citizens with individual visas in the Moldavian SSR and in other republics of the country, in order to inform Romanian public opinion about the domestic and foreign policy of the CPSU and the Soviet government, as well as for familiarizing them with the achievements of the Moldavian people in Communist construction.

9. To oblige the Committee of Popular Control of the USSR to verify the evolution of the implementation of the decisions of the CPSU CC and USSR Council of Ministers regarding social-cultural construction in the Moldavian SSR.

10. To task the CC propaganda section and the CC administrative directorate of the CPSU to examine the proposals of the Moldavian CP CC regarding the increase of personnel in the propaganda and agitation sections of the Moldavian CP CC, the creation at the municipal section of the Chişinău party of a scientific and cultural section, the construction in Chişinău of a building for the installation of a republic House of Political Education, the creation at the large party organizations of the republic of some bureaus of political education, the introduction of some directing budgetary units in the evening universities of Marxism-Leninism in Bălţi, Bender and Tiraspol;

11. To send into the party organization of Moldavia a propagandistic group in order to hold lectures before the party activ and the working people of enterprises, institutions, kolkhozes and sovkhozes regarding the current problems of CPSU domestic and foreign policy, the giving of assistance to the party organizations in the elaboration of oral and written propaganda themes, the organization of seminars and lectures for propagandists and lecturers, in the improvement of mass political activities.

II.

In the aim of implementing the CPSU CC decisions of 6 May 1968 no. 51 §49 gs:

1. To oblige the municipal and county party committees, the ministries and republican departments, the party organizations, trade unions and komsomol organizations to significantly increase the level of ideological work in the republic. In the activity of Communist education of the working people to use more broadly the forms of organizational, political and cultural-educational activity with the aim of forming among all workers, peasants, intellectuals and youth greater commitment to principles, devotion to communism, the formation of class conceptions, the profound Marxist-Leninist understanding of the essence of the events that occur in the world.

2. To task the CC propaganda and agitation, and science and cultural sections of the Moldavian Communist Party, in two-weeks’ time, to propose concrete measures for the intensification of ideological work in the republic, the struggle against the manifestation of hostile ideology, regarding the education of the working people in the spirit of Moldavian patriotism, proletarian internationalism and friendship among peoples, the activation of the work of savants in Marxism-based research of the problems connected with history and language, regarding the improvement of cultural construction, the conclusion as soon as possible of the expansion of radio coverage and equipment throughout the republic and the development of television, the setting in order of frontier localities.

To foresee the framework of these measures the publication of articles of some well-known savants, men of letters and art, workers in the leadership of party organizations, soviets, trade unions and komsomol organizations in union and foreign publications regarding the most current problems connected with the history of the republic, and the socio-economic and cultural achievements of the Moldavian SSR in the years of Soviet power.

3. The editors of the republican newspapers Socialist Moldavia, Soviet Moldavia, Moldavian Youth, the journals Communist Moldavia, The Agitator’s Tribune, the State Committee for the Press of the Moldavian SSR Council of Ministers, ATEM together with the Moldavian SSR Academy of Sciences must elaborate measures foreseen for a prolonged period for a vast propaganda on the most current problems connected with the history, ethnography, language, and culture of the Moldavian people.

4. The propaganda and agitation section must make proposals referring to the beginning of the publication in July of this year of the monthly journal Forests in the Russian language, while from 1 January 1969, of the Moldavian CP CC newspaper Village Life.

The Moldavian UTCL [Union of Communist Youth] CC (Cde. P. C. Luchinski) should make proposals to the Moldavian CP CC referring to the publication of a monthly journal (of the Smena-type) in the Moldavian language.

5. To task Cdes. P. V. Chivertko, V. P. Russu, E. F. Zhmerenetskaia, D. Stela, V. G. Shtiuka, within a month’s time, to verify the implementation of the Moldavian CP CC decisions regarding the issues connected with the reduction within the republic of foreign literature and periodical publications and to present to the Moldavian CP CC proposals referring to the supplementary measures regarding the regulation of this problem.

6. The State Committee for Press of the Moldavian SSR Council  of Ministers must elaborate and forward:

5. To the Moldavian SSR Council of Ministers proposals referring to the consolidation of a production and printing base of the republic, assuring the use of the allocated means;
6. To the Committee for Press at the USSR Council of Ministers proposals referring to the supplementary publication in union republic publishing houses of social-economic and political literature by Moldavian authors.

5. The State Committee for Radio Broadcasting and Television of the Moldavian SSR Council of Ministers must:

5. Visibly increase the volume of radio broadcasts on political themes in the Moldavian language, paying special attention to the treatment of the problems as established in the CPSU CC measures;
6. In the aim of extending objective information about the situation in the International Communist and Workers’ Movement in the countries of socialism, which is missing or is presented unilaterally in foreign press and radio broadcasts, to create a special editorial office for the preparation of the materials for the improvement of transmissions destined for foreign radio listeners [and] television audiences;
7. To elaborate and to realize measures regarding the preparation and on-going training of a necessary number of journalists, creative workers, other specialists in the aim of assuring the radical improvement of the content of materials on political themes disseminated in the Moldavian language.

5. The State Planning Committee of the Moldavian SSR (Cde. I. G. Dobândă), the Minister for Radio Broadcasting and Television at the Moldavian SSR Council of Ministers (Cde. S. I. Lozan) must elaborate and forward to the republic Government proposals to ensure the implementation of the measures of the USSR Government directed towards the certain reception of radio and television broadcasts in the territory of Moldavia.

6. The Presidium of the Moldavian SSR Academy of Sciences (Cde. I. S. Grosu), within a month’s time, must elaborate and forward to the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences proposals:

5. Referring to the preparation of some highly qualified scientific cadre — doctors and candidates in science;
6. Referring to the joint elaboration with Moldavian savants of the current problems connected with the history of the Moldavian SSR, of Moldavian linguistics and scientific literature;
7. Referring to the publication of scientific and popular science works regarding the questions connected with the history, language and culture of the Moldavian people at the Nauka Publishing House in Moscow.

5. The Presidium of the Moldavian SSR Academy of Sciences (Cde. I. S. Grossu) should make proposals by 15 July 1968, coordinated with the respective ministries and departments, referring to the organization in Moldavia of some congresses, scientific sessions, symposiums, colloquiums, union and international scientific schools regarding social and natural sciences.

6. To task the Committee for State Control of the Moldavian SSR (Cde. P. V. Voronin) to verify the implementation of the decisions of the Moldavian Communist Party CC and the Moldavian USSR Council of Ministers regarding the construction of some social-cultural institutions in the republic.

7. The Directorate for Foreign Tourism at the Moldavian SSR Council of Ministers (Cde. N. K. Stepanov), together with the Moldavian Society of Friendship and Cultural Ties with Foreign Countries (Cde. A. C. Saltanovskaia), the State Committee for Press of the Moldavian SSR Council of Ministers (Cde. E. F. Zhmerenetskaia) must elaborate, within a month’s time, coordinated measures which foresee:

5. The intensification of propaganda among the citizens who arrive from abroad, as well as of the tourists who leave for abroad;
6. The considerable growth of the publication of foreign language brochures, pamphlets about the economic, scientific and cultural development of the Moldavian SSR for dissemination in foreign countries.

5. The Ministry for Safeguarding Public Order (Cde. N. M. Bradulov) must regulate the evidence of citizens who arrive along private lines in the Moldavian SSR, to improve the organization of the perfecting of the documents of the citizens who leave for the republic with individual visas.

6. To oblige the municipal and county party committees to raise the level of activity of the commission for work with foreigners, of the propagandistic groups at enterprises, in kolkhozes and sovkhozes, to set in order the objectives that later will be shown to foreigners. To elaborate measures for the improvement of the content of work with foreigners at the tourist destination objectives, to inform [them] more profoundly and more broadly about the national economic and cultural development of the city and the county in the years of Soviet power.

7. The CC propaganda and agitation section of the Moldavian CP must provide help to the public branches of the Novosti Press Agency and to the workers acting as correspondents for APN in the intensification of propaganda of the achievements of the Moldavian SSR in foreign countries.

8. The CC propaganda and agitation section of the Moldavian CP must give systematic assistance to the municipal and county party committees, to the party organizations in the elaboration of oral and written propaganda themes, in the organization of seminars of the propagandists, agitators and political informers on the themes indicated in the CC decision.

To send propagandistic groups to the frontier counties more often in order to hold lectures about the questions which pertain to the foreign policy of the CPSU and the Soviet state before the working people and youth of the enterprises, kolkhozes, sovkhozes, and the educational institutions and organizations, to familiarize them more broadly with the successes of the Moldavian people in the economic and cultural construction obtained due to the fraternal assistance of the peoples of the USSR.

17. To task the CC sections of propaganda and agitation, of science and culture of the Moldavian Communist Party with the control of the implementation of the present decisions.

Secretary of the MCP CC, I. Bodiul (signature)

^[1] The alleged increase of the standard of living for Moldavians since their incorporation into the USSR was a point of particular sensitivity for Soviet authorities in both Moscow and Chişinău. Soviet insecurity regarding their hold on the region had resulted in central decisions not to invest seriously in the republic’s infrastructure or economic development. Consequently, the republic remained one of the least economically-developed—if not the least developed—of all the Soviet republics. A relentless propaganda campaign alleged major improvements in the standard of living since incorporation into the USSR.