Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

296

To: M. I. FRUMKIN

Written: Written on August 4, 1921
Published: First published in 1933 in Lenin Miscellany XXIII. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1976, Moscow, Volume 45, pages 238^c-239.
Translated: Yuri Sdobnikov
Transcription\Markup: R. Cymbala
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4/VIII.

Comrade Frumkin:

The whole thing now seems to hinge on the speedy collection of the tax in kind.

Perhaps we should, in addition to what has been done, undertake something on these lines:

1) reinforce military units (assign half the traineesin Moscow Gubernia to this),^[1] i.e., assign them to food supply work?

2) the same thing, especially in Moscow and neighbouring gubernias?

3) feed these units(and food detachments, which I think now have some different name: “militia promoting the collection of the tax in kind” or something like that?) at the expense of the local peasants at two pounds a day? or three pounds a day?

You don’t want this, comrades peasants, do you? Let’s have the grain taxfast. As soon as you deliver 50–75 per cent, we shall startpulling them out!

4) pass a resolution (or perhaps, instead of a “resolution”, stagean experiment and set up a modelin Moscow Gubernia);

mete out instant, exemplary and highly severe punishment to 10 of the richestpeasants per volost for any delay, however slight, over the tax in kind or for slackdelivery of the tax in kind;

———ditto—mete out exemplarypunishment to one volost per uyezd, or two-three per gubernia, for slackdeliveries of the tax in kind?

5) issue a bonus for 100 per cent collection of tax (grain) within two or three weeks. Bonus in what form? In gold or silver things.We can get them at the State Depository of Valuables.

6) make an effort to mobilise for the collection of the tax in kind in MoscowGubernia another 2 or 3 hundred of the most responsible Party members, if only for raids (check-ups, pressure) twice a week?

With communist greetings,
Lenin

P.S. I am writing you and not Bryukhanov in the hope that he has already gone on holiday. If he has not, of course, read this out to him as well.

Notes

[1] The words in brackets were added by Lenin in the margin.—Ed.