L. S. Gordo witness testimony

Russian

Sheet 305

Protocol
witness testimony

On 17 April 1959, in compliance with Article 162-168 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR, the prosecutor criminologist of Sverdlovsk region Romanov interrogated in the District Prosecutor's Office as a witness

1. Surname, name and middle name: Gordo Lev Semyonovich
2. Year of birth 1912
3. Place of birth: Grodno region city of Kartuz-Bereza
4. Nationality: Jew
5. Political affiliation: member of the CPSU since 1942
6. Education (which school graduated and when): unfinished secondary
7. Occupation: a) currently (place of work and position): Chairman of the board of the UPI sports club
   b) at the time to which the testimony refers: the same
8. Criminal record: no
9. Permanent residence (exact address and telephone number): Sverdlovsk, Chelyuskintsev St. 92, Apt. 60
10. Passport: no
11. Relation to the accused: -

Warned ot the responsibility for the first part of Art. 92 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR for refusing to testify and under Art. 95 Criminal Code of the RSFSR for giving knowingly false testimony. (signature)

back

Witness testified: I am the chairman of the board of the sports club UPI since 1955. At our club there is a hiking section, which since early 1959 is headed by comrade Martyshev, before him this section was headed by Blinov. Doroshenko, who died in the group of comrade Dyatlov was also in the leadership of this section.

The routes and tasks of each trek are developed by the hiking section, which submits to the city route commission for approval hikes of II and III categories of difficulty. This commission is headed by Korolyov. The routing commission considers such questions as: the route itself, the readiness of the participants in the trek and the leader of the group, checks the equipment and the provisions of the group. According to the instruction, lists of equipment and food supplies are checked. After this, a protocol is written in 3 copies, of which: 1st copy remains at the route commission, 2nd copy is sent to the controlling body, i.e. in the city committee of physical culture. 3rd copy must be submitted to the institution that organizes the trek.

Our equipment was issued at the permission of the institute's routing commission, which in December 1958, in January 1959, was headed by the instructor Milman; the chairman of the board of the sports club. Blinov dealt with the inventory, i.е. issue a permission. He is currently in route to Ivdel and the scene. The trade union committee of the institute, according to our submission, finances

Sheet 306

treks.

The route book is also approved by the routing commission and is carried by the person in charge of the group. Copies of the route book are made only for reports, and not for monitoring, because the document on the basis of which the movement of the group is monitored is the routing commission's protocol.

The route of the Dyatlov group was developed by the participants of the group itself and was approved by the city route committee, but Dyatlov did not leave a copy of the protocol of the route commission in the sports club. Milman told me later that he had asked Dyatlov to leave the record and Dyatlov had promised to bring it, but he took it away with him. In the sports club, and personally I knew that according to the protocol the group was supposed to send a telegram from Vizhay, but I did not know the exact date. I knew that Dyatlov group was supposed to return to Sverdlovsk on February 15, 1959.

I personally didn't receive the route documents from the group leaders and I still don't receive them because this is usually dealt with by the hiking section. The protocol of the route commission for Dyatlov was to be taken when issuing the equipment. Who gave out the equipment, I don't remember.

I didn't know the conditions in the area where Dyatlov group went, because the route commission is in charge of this matter, but I know that Dyatlov has been in Vizhay region before.

According to the conclusion of the route commission, as well as the commission of the Central Council of Sport Society "Burevestnik" and the Russian Council of Physical Education

back

the members of Dyatlov group and Dyatlov himself were sufficiently prepared to make a trek through the Northern Urals.

A member of the Bureau of the Hiking Section, Blinov, told me that Dyatlov group would return in Vizhay around 14-15 February 1959, it was allegedly said by Yudin who was a participant in Dyatlov group, but had to turn back due to illness. This the reason why the sport club was aware of the missed date for the return of Dyatlov group only after February 15, 1959.

A search party for Dyatlov group was sent only on February 20, 1959, I also went to Ivdel on February 20, 1959. People were not sent immediately on February 16 because we called and got response from Vizhay only on the eve of February 17, and after that I called the Central Council of the "Burevestnik" Society and asked for permission to use an aircraft, which was denied. On February 18 I called Vizhay again. I was informed that a group of local people was preparing to go after a hikers group they saw. Subsequently it turned out that this is Karelin group. February 19, 1959 negotiated with the airport to allocate aircraft and helicopter for the search of the missing hikers, only after that on the morning of February 20, I and Blinov flew to Ivdel.

I do not have anything to add to this. The record of my words is written correctly, I read it. The interrogation ended at 3 PM.

Gordo (signature)

Interrogated: (signature)

Russian