ABSTRACT
Gorbachev made a major mistake in agreeing to leave the election of the conference delegates in the hands of the party apparatus. Numerous instances of rigged elections, manipulations, and backstage deals resulted. The reaction was immediate and strong. Resorting to the newly forged weapon of glasnost', party members flooded the Soviet daily press with reports on cases of election manipulation and expressed their concern that most of the conference delegates would also be members of the party apparatus. The following is a selection of typical letters and protests.
