On May 30, 1928, the Soviet public celebrated the tenth anniversary of Georgy Chicherin’s tenure as People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs. He received many congratulatory letters and telegrams from various organizations and individuals.

A letter came from Leningrad, from an old university friend, Professor Vasily Narbut, who many years ago helped Chicherin to get closer to the revolutionary circles of St. Petersburg. He wrote: ‘Holding the banner of the Soviet Union high, you have proven the might of the first world proletarian state with honor to the entire cultural world. Your merits will be appreciated by history with even greater glory for the country.’

Responding to these congratulations, Georgy Chicherin modestly remarked:

In the summer of 1928, the People’s Commissar’s health deteriorated. Doctors urged him to shorten his working hours, which were still far beyond reasonable limits. He refused to follow their orders.

In August, Chicherin had to obey doctors and go to the Kremlin hospital for three weeks. On September 4, 1928, he was sent abroad for treatment. Georgy Chicherin spent several days in the Berlin clinic of Professor Klemperer, and then until the spring of 1929 he was in the Grunewald sanatorium near Berlin.

In April 1929, the People’s Commissar moved to Wiesbaden. He was there under the supervision of Dr. Geron, as well as visiting professor Foerster and Moscow doctor Lev Levin.

At first, Georgy Chicherin had high hopes for Wiesbaden. However, months passed, the fall of 1929 came, and the results of the treatment were disappointing. He wrote to his friend, diplomat Lev Karakhan: “Objectively, calmly, critically clear - the condition is very serious. The distance between my state in Wiesbaden in 1927 and now is enormous for the worse.”

Diabetic polyneuritis progressed, at one time there was even a threat of paralysis. Georgy Chicherin was depressed by all that, he was inclined to leave his job. In early January 1930, Chicherin returned to the Soviet Union, and in July he retired.

Meanwhile, his health continued to deteriorate. From January 1936, according to the testimony of the doctors who observed him, the disease took on an especially severe character and proceeded at a high temperature and severe physical suffering. On July 7, 1936, there was a sharp deterioration. Despite all the measures taken by doctors, at 21 hours 35 minutes Georgy Chicherin died. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.