V. I.   Lenin

Draft C.P.C. Decision on
Grain Consignments to Moscow by Through Trains^[2]

Written: December 23, 1919
Published: First published in 1933 in Lenin Miscellany XXIV. Printed from the manuscript.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, 2nd English Edition, Progress Publishers, 1971, Moscow, Volume 42, pages 154^b-155^a.
Translated: Bernard Isaacs
Transcription\Markup: D. Walters
Public Domain: Lenin Internet Archive (2003). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet Archive” as your source.
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1) The Food Commissariat shall be found guilty of gross negligence in the performance of an extremely important assignment.

2) A complaint against the Commissariat for Post and Telegraph shall be formally lodged with the Chairman of the C.P.C. within an hour of complete failure to obtain a direct line and an answer by it,^[3]

3) Inquiries shall be instituted into the conduct of the gubernia food commissars for non-fulfilment of or failure through bad organisation to fulfil the order of the People’s Commissariat for Food.^[4]

4) An official to be attached to the Food Commissariat to take proper charge of lines.

5) The C.P.C. to meet on Saturday^[1] to check fulfilment and discuss a decision on delivery orders.

6) An explanation in writing to be demanded of the Post and Telegraph Commissariat in regard to the delay in delivering Food Commissariat telegrams, and an indication of measures or law amendments necessary to ensure the urgent transmission of the Food Commissariat’s orders.

Notes

[1] December 27, 1919.—Ed.

[2] Lenin wrote this draft in connection with the discussion, at a meeting of the C.P.C. on December 23, 1919, of the question of the Kazan, Simbirsk and Samara gubernia food commissars’ failure to carry out the order of the Food Commissariat concerning grain consignments to Moscow by through trains. The draft was adopted by the Council with certain amendments.

[3] From the reports of speakers it transpired that one of the prin-cipal reasons for non-fulfilment of the order was the delay on the part of the Commissariat for Post and Telegraph in giving the Food Commissariat a direct line for communicating with the local areas. This point was adopted by the Council in the following wording: “In all cases of non-receipt of a direct line the guilty party shall be that commissariat, which, not having received the line in the course of an hour for carrying out an important assignment, shall have failed to complain about it to the Chair-man of the C.P.C.” (Lenin Miscellany XXIV, p. 147).

[4] This point was adopted by the C.P.C. in the following wording:

“The Commissariat for Justice is instructed to institute investigations to determine the culpability of the gubernia food commissars and other officials guilty of non-fulfilment of the Food Commissariat’s order for through trains with grain to be consigned to Moscow or of failure to fulfil same through bad organisation“ (Lenin Miscellany XXIV, p. 147).