Evening star., 1938-03-07
BUCHAR|NA ACCUSED
OF ASSASSIN PLOT
Planned to Kill Lenin and
Stain, Says Woman,
Ex.Cheka Head.
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, March 7.-Barbara Yak
ovleva, once a heroine of the Bolshe-
visit revolution, came from prison to-
day to testify against Nikolai Bucharin
like herself fallen from the highest
ranks Of Russias leadership.
On the witness stand in Moscow's
greatest treason trial, Nine Yakovleva,
Q large, faded old woman Of SO, testified
she heard in 1918 that Bucharin
wanted Nikolai Lenin and Joseph
Stain assassinated if they insisted on
peace with Germany.
Nine. Yakovleva, like Bucharin, was
q close associate of Lenin in the early
etages of the revolution. Once she
was head of the dreaded Cheka, or
secret police, and only last year she
occupied for time the post of COM
1nissar Of finance, from which she
went to prison.
Feature of Trial Session.
Her testimony, delivered nervously
In slow, weak, quavering monotone,
was high spot of the afternoon
session Of the trial of Bucharin and
20 others on charges of treason and
murder.
Standing stiffly erect before a micro
phone In front of the judges stand,
clad in plain blue serge suit, with
her bobbed hair still dark, Nine. va
kovleva said Bucharin had admitted
instigating talk Of destroying Lenin,
Stain and Jacob Sverdloff, an early
leader Of the revolution.
Bucharin, she said, was the idealog-
ical leader of group within the
Moscow inner circle Of the Communist
party in 1918. At meeting Of the
group in February, 1918, a certain
Stukoff proposed resolution against
signing the Brest-Litovsk treaty rus
sia's separate peace with Germany,
concluded in 1919.
Stukoff said at that meeting, accord
ing to Yakovleva:
ing Lenin. Stain and Sverdloff, If they
continue to insist On their line, and
destroying them"
Nine Yakovleva said she was unable
to attend that meeting, being in Lenin-
grad. but that Stukoff told her later
he acted on Bucharin's instructions.
This was confirmed to her, she said,
by Bucharin, who ordered the minutes
Of the meeting destroyed in May, 1918.
At this point Bucharin interjected
Under no circumstances did we
speak of killing them"
Taking charge of his own defense,
Bucharin obtained permission to ques-
ton Nine. Yakovleva after q recess
The woman. her heavy face deeply
lined, entered and left the courtroom
through spectators door at the rear,
with uniformed guards before and be-
hind her. She presumably is held for
later trial.
Bucharin stoutly defended himself
against accusations of seeking the
assassination OF Lenin and Stain and
Of spying. But the hopelessness o.
his defense-the Moscow press indi-
Gates he and his 20 co-defendants
are doomed to death-was indicated
by his readiness to accept RESPONSE
bility for espionage activities Of his
subordinates-for Germany, Britain.
Japan, Poland-even though he knew
nothing about them.
He declared that Leon Trotsky, now
exiled in Mexico, was "the real in
stigator and leader" OF plots against
the Soviet regime.
Bucharin and Prosecutor Andrei
Y. Vishinsky quibbled nearly two
hours at the opening Of today's ses-
sion over the prosecutors attempt to
pin espionage directly on the leader
Of the 81 confessed consipartors.
Bucharin denied that Lew M. Kara
khan, former head Of the Far Eastern
section Of the foreign ministry, was
a German spy" but finally said he
knew Karakhan was associated with
Germany.
Opposed Giving Territory.
Bucharin asserted, however, that
he objected to giving away any terri
tory when the writer Karl Radek, told
him in 1894 Of alleged conversations
by Leon Trotsky with Nazis about
such territorial grants.
Bucharin insisted Karakhan nego-
tiated for neutrality.
I'VE feared Germans might invade
the Soviet Union on news Of our COUP"
the ex-editor said.
He told Of toying with the idea of
seizing and arresting members of the
Communist Party Congress in 1884,
but this was abandoned because OF
fear it might arouse mass indignation.
I'VE contemplated a monstrous
crime Bucharin declaimed. I'VE did
not do it, but the conception and
discussion Of such an idea shows the
monstrous criminal color Of our Or
ganization."
Bucharin said ne and a co-defend-
ant. former Premier Alexis I. Rykoff.
sent men into the provinces to organ
lie peasant uprising at the end Of
1881.
But we didn't actually attempt the
palace revolution" Bucbarin declared.
starting to explain why.