The Crimean Material in the Context of Dmitry Polyansky’s Biography

Abstract

Dmitry S. Polyansky made a distinguished career from the state farm to the CPSU Politburo and the Government of the USSR. Featuring in momentous events, this personality, however, remains outside the scope of special researches. This article is a prologue to the creation of a complete and objective biography of Polyansky. Previously unknown materials devoted to his activity until 1955 comprise the basis of this study: a personnel record card filled by Polyansky, a manuscript of his autobiography, and a certificate for the transfer to Simferopol. The information from the secret archives is supplemented by the memories of his daughters and G. M. Malenkov’s son. These sources are considered in the light of the well known facts and conjectures about Polyansky in order to reconstruct the circumstances of his arrival in Crimea. The paper examines the connection of one of the leaders of Communist party and USSR to the events WW II and why the question of his nationality can not be definitely resolved. It also sheds light on the idea of the Cental Commitee to relocate its inspector to the region, on the details of the defeat of “Leningrad group”. The context of the renewal of local authorities after A. A. Zhdanov’s death is recreated, the links between their representatives and J. V. Stalin’s pool are established. The myth about N. S. Khrushchev’s role in the fate of Polyansky is also debunked.