Bardin's letter to Maslennikov

Hi Zhenya!

If the search continues, and you are there as a chief consultant, then give an order to look not in the ravine, but at the top. If Kolevatov was such an erudite, as Yuri Yudin said about him, then from some moment of retreat he had to go sharply upward, gaining height. Perhaps even from the fire. And then not along the ravine, but sideways, on the slope. It is possible that he and those who were with him circled the ridge for quite a long time (it turns out that even in such weather one can still walk for several hours), and then fell into some hollow and tried to either make a fire or survive somehow. In a word, now it is necessary to search for bodies not by thoroughly combing the places already passed, but on the contrary - to greatly expand the range of search, considering that they might have lived for several hours and tried to go upwards. It would be best to use dogs again.

Regarding Moscow. I have been lying motionless since March 31 with acute sciatica. Apparently, I caught a cold in the Urals, and here a minor injury while lifting 80 kg (176 lbs) caused a sharp aggravation. Therefore, very little in the know. May 23 an All-Union congress is supposed to create the Federation. The question about the Society has not been removed, but for now there is going to be a Federation. I will convey your requests to Zhenya [Shuleshko], greetings to Sergey [Sogrin], Vasya [Korolyov], R.B. [Rubel] and all the rest of the guys.

I hope everything will work out with Budrin. It is not without reason that the official press ("Trud") presented him as a hero. I hope that on May 23 you will come to Moscow, then we will talk in more detail. Best, Kirill.

P.S. Did you receive my previous letter? Ask someone to take care of Zhenya's films.

(*) letter was written between March 31 - May 5, 1959