The famous phrase attributed to the leader of the peoples has long become a symbol of Stalinist repressions. We checked whether Stalin really told her.

This is a short saying that hides a rather cynical principle, very popular both in the media and in literature - artistic and journalistic. Aphorism quote carriers of various political views, and very often the author was called Joseph Stalin. So did the president of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman, leader of the LDPR Vladimir Zhirinovsky, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andrey Shkil, journalists "Radio Liberty", "Gazeta.ru" (repeatedly), Secretary of the Union of Journalists of Russia Igor Yakovenko, blogger "Russian BBC" Yuri Smirnov. Even Vladimir Putin, commenting in 2008 events in South Ossetia, He called it The incarnation of the "famous Stalinist principle" there is no person - there is no problem. " Of course, the statement was also in all kinds of Collection of quotes.

However, even a cursory search for this phrase in the sources of Soviet times will bring rather scarce results to an inquisitive reader. In the publications available on the network before 1988, it simply is not. In the indicated year, she synchronously appears in the historical and journalistic publication "Lessons are bitter, but necessary", Magazine"Fight"And the famous novel by Anatoly Rybakov"Children of Arbat". Moreover, in the first case, it is noted that this supposedly Stalin phrase "was transferred from mouth to mouth in the 50s." In 1989, a quote called "Stalin's philosophy", Sounded At the first congress of people's deputies of the USSR from the mouth of the actor Sos Sargsyan. In the same year, she got into book Fedor Burlatsky “New Thinking: Dialogues and Judges about the Technological Revolution and our Reforms”. There are no other appearance of variations of this phrase, even without the mention of Joseph Vissarionovich, in pre -war literature.

But there is a phrase in the 16th volume of the works of I.V. Stalin, published in 1997. There The transcript of the leader’s conversation with A. M. Lavrov and A. M. Dzhuga, held in August 1950, is given. “One bomber without identification marks from the territory of Albania-and there is no palace or the American-English agent Tito. There is a person - there is a problem, there is no person - there is no problem, ”says in this conversation ... not Stalin, but his interlocutor, a certain Juga. Next is a link to the book of V. Zhukhrai “Stalin. True and lie ”, published in 1996. Apparently, the name corresponds to the content of the book, since even the Jug's actor himself It turned out to be a fictional figure. There are no other evidence that such a conversation was generally.

But how the quote looks in the aforementioned "Children Arbat":

“Berezin remembered the words told to him in 1918 in Tsaritsyn. Stalin demanded the shooting of several military specialists from former tsarist army officers. Berezin, then the head of the special department, proved to him that the accusations were unconvincing and the execution would cause many complications and problems. To this, Stalin instantly answered:

- Death solves all the problems. There is no person, and there is no problem.

And Stalin was right. A telegram came to cancel the execution, but people were already shot. No problems arose. ”

Anatoly Rybakov began to work on “Arbat’s children” back in 1965 (according to other information, in the late 1950s). The novel was completely completed only in 1982, and published in the journal Friendship of Peoples five years later, when the era of publicity came. And immediately this was followed by the numerous appearance of our phrase in other sources. Thus, there is serious reason to believe that it was in Rybakov’s novel that the quote from Stalin appeared for the first time.

Indeed, years later, the author himself confirmed this. That's what he is Writes In the autobiographical work "Roman Monation", published in 1997:

“Perhaps I heard from someone, perhaps he came up with it. So what? Did Stalin come differently? Convinced his opponents, opponents? No, he exterminated them ... "There is no man - there is no problem ..." This was the Stalinist principle. I just briefly formulated it. This is the right of the artist. ”

And in 2000, when Anatoly Naumovich was no longer alive, Lebed came out in the almanac article Valery Lebedev "If Gorbachev were decisive." In it, the author quotes a fragment from his conversation with Rybakov, held on July 16, 1995:

“In one of my articles that he especially liked, I reproduced the famous aphorism of Stalin:“ There is a person - there is a problem. There is no person - there is no problem! ” Anatoly Naumovich dug: where did Stalin say this? In what work? Or in a note? Or in what speech?

I thought. He answered this way: knowing a little psychology of Stalin, I suggest and even sure that he never spoke such precisely words. And did not write. He was a great actor in politics and would not allow himself to reveal his essence. He could afford such frankness only in a very narrow circle of his "associates", or rather, Kholuyov. Where did I read it? Yes, somehow vague. Hangs in the air. A lot of where. In memoirs ... in journalism. This phrase has become a kind of stamp to designate that era.

“So don't remember exactly where?”
- Exactly - no.
“So exactly,” cried Anatoly Naumovich with youthful liveliness, “I came up with it myself!” For the first time in Arbat’s children, Stalin pronounces this phrase. I composed and put it in the mouth of Stalin! I wrote this novel 20 years before his publication in 1987. And from there she went for a walk, and no one remembers where she came from. I, I am the author of this aphorism. And no one remembers and does not know ...

In the last words, undisguised bitterness sounded. I got up and shook his hand.

- Anatoly Naumovich! - I said with genuine excitement and even pathos. - If so, then let me congratulate you and express admiration. For in a few words you managed to surprisely accurately convey the whole essence of the Stalinist approach to people. His psychology. You know, this is better than Freud with his reservations. And what no one remembers is even better. Therefore, the phrase has become a folkisty. You have created a truly folk work. You know how a folk song. Or epic.
- Do you really think so?
- Absolutely. The highest recognition for the Creator is when his name is forgotten, and the work is remembered, it becomes nameless, but folk.
“Well, you reassured me.” And I ... worried, you know. This phrase is everywhere - and there is never any reference. So you have it too. ”

As you can see, Anatoly Naumovich Rybakov not only admitted that he was the author of a winged phrase, but also annoyed when it was attributed to the Soviet leader - real, not book.