Written: Written on November 6, 1920
Published:
First published in 1924 in the book: G. M. Krzhizhanovsky, Tovaroobmen i planovaya rabota, Moscow.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
[1976],
Moscow,
Volume 35,
pages 464-465.
Translated: Andrew Rothstein
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
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• README
November 6
G. M.,
This is a very important thing. Our Commission[2] (to which surely you have been invited? by the previous decision?) will meet tomorrow (or November 8 in the morning).
The (attached) draft of the subcommission must be attentively discussed beforehand.
GOELRO[1] has not been included at all!
In my opinion this is not right: what is any “plan” worth (or any “planning commission” or “planning programme”) without a plan of electrification? It is worth nothing.
Strictly speaking, it is GOELRO which should be the single planning organ of the Council of People’s Commissars; but so simply and brutally this will not be accepted, and it would be wrong. We must think over (urgently, before tomorrow) how the question should be put.
Perhaps (1) the chairman of GOELRO should be given a consultative vote in the economic department of the Narrow Council of People’s Commissars[3]?
(2) GOELRO should be made a standing commission of the C.P.C., since it prepares and carries out, or should carry out, electrification for the Supreme Economic Council, for the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture, for the People’s Commissariat of Railways, etc.
(3) All planning commissions of all People’s Commissariats should be linked and co-ordinated with GOELRO. But how?
By selling up yet one more commission attached to GOELRO, composed of the chairmen of all the separate planning commissions? Or how otherwise?
Ring me up when you have read this.
And return me the minutes (of the subcommission of November 5) today, not later than 10 p.m.
Yours,
Lenin
[2] Reference is to the meeting of the preliminary conference on organisation of contact between all People’s Commissariats concerned with the economy. The preliminary conference was set up by the Council of People’s Commissars on October 26, 1920; its chairman was Lenin.
[3] Narrow Council of People’s Commissars was organised in December 1917. It had the rights of a commission of the Council of People’s Commissars and its task was to relieve the Council of minor affairs. Its decisions, which had to be unanimous, were signed by V. I. Lenin and acquired the force of decisions of the Council of People’s Commissars. If a difference of opinion arose the matter was placed before the Council of People’s Commissars.
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