Letter-writing and the State [Reader correspondence with newspapers as a source for early Soviet history

Abstract

Matthew E. Lenoe. Letter-writing and the state: Reader correspondence with newspapers as a source for early Soviet history. This article locates major central archives of reader letters to early Soviet newspapers ( 1924-1933), describes the practice of letter-writing to state authorities, and analyses the potential uses of letters to the press as historical sources. The author argues that the practice of writing letters to newspapers and other public institutions in the U.S.S.R. was shaped by state authorities for their own purposes, including gathering intelligence on popular moods, monitoring lower levels of the bureaucracy, and facilitating the distribution of goods and privileges. Because the practice of letter-writing to authority occurred within a framework of state control, letters to the newspaper are excellent sources on the interaction between the Soviet state and its subjects. They do not, however, provide a clear window on the private opinions and beliefs of Soviet subjects.