Comrade Chicherin!

Please return this to me with your assessment. In my opinion, this is simply petty squabbling—resentment toward Ganetsky, who got carried away and said more than he should have, but is right on the substance. The author of the letter has stirred up this quarrel.

What is your view?

24/III [1921]

Lenin

¹ Written on a letter from E. Ya. Veys, head of the Department of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Trade in Latvia, dated 19 March 1921, with an assessment of the diplomatic and commercial activities of Ya. S. Ganetsky.

Ya. S. Ganetsky—Party member since 1896, prominent figure in the Polish and Russian revolutionary movements. In 1921–1923, member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs. During this period—Plenipotentiary Representative and Trade Representative of the RSFSR in Latvia.

# REMARKS ON THE DRAFT OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CONCESSION AGREEMENTS¹

[27 March 1921] "The Inspector keeps a ledger" (§ 18)
The Reports should be of such-and-such a kind (ten §§)
The load must be under the supervision of an experienced overseer (§ 33).
Prohibit making fires, smoking, and so forth.

¹ The question of the necessity of elaborating the basic principles of concession agreements arose in connection with the Council of People's Commissars' adoption of a resolution dated 1 February 1921 on oil concessions in Baku and Grozny. The development of the draft was entrusted to A. I. Rykov, chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Economy. The remarks were made by V. I. Lenin upon reading this draft.

In a letter to Rykov on 27 March, Lenin wrote:

"I have reviewed your materials on the concession agreement and am deeply outraged...

A mountain of worthless and ridiculous trifles (the prohibition against making fires, etc.) and the serious matters are not distinguished."

To the letter to Rykov with the proposal: "...We must develop these principles tomorrow (i.e., 28/III)" Lenin appended his own draft, which, with subsequent corrections and proposals, formed the basis of the Council of People's Commissars resolution adopted on 29 March. Speaking on 11 April 1921 at a meeting of the Communist faction of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee with a report on concessions, Lenin read aloud and commented point by point on the entire text of the Council of People's Commissars resolution "Basic Principles of Concession Agreements" (see Complete Collected Works, vol. 43, pp. 167–181; vol. 52, pp. 114–115).

# NOTE TO COMRADE G. V. CHICHERIN

27/III [1921]

Comrade Chicherin!

I am informed that Zinoviev will arrive on Saturday. I advise you, **together with Gorbunov, to work out the most precise** (1) directives
(2) pass them through the Central Committee (3) entrust Gorbunov with **supervision of their implementation**¹

Lenin

¹ In March–April 1921, the bourgeois press of Western countries, including England, launched a new anti-Soviet campaign. The Soviet government was accused of violating the agreement with Great Britain concluded on 16 March 1921.

In the published note, V. I. Lenin, guided by the consistent principle of upholding treaties and agreements, proposed elaborating directives on strict observance by all commissariats of the agreement with Great Britain.

# INSTRUCTION TO THE SECRETARY¹

[29 March 1921]

**(Consult Chicherin)**

Decline the interview.

¹ The Secretary of the Council of People's Commissars wrote that a correspondent of the English newspaper "The Daily Herald" is requesting an audience with V. I. Lenin and wishes to discuss "the American response to the RSFSR's proposal on trade." The words "Consult Chicherin" are written beneath this phrase.

G. V. Chicherin in response to the secretary's inquiry gave the answer: "An interview on this matter is premature."

# NOTE TO L. B. KAMENEV

[1921, late March]

Gorky is here. He is complaining about something concerning the decision on Grzhebin¹.

Do you know what the matter is?

¹ Reference is made to the director of a publishing house organized in 1919 in Petrograd (with branches in Moscow and later in Berlin) for the publication of artistic, scientific, and popular scientific literature.

V. I. Lenin's writing of this note probably relates to the time when the Central Committee of the RCP(b) was considering the question of the desirability of S. I. Grzhebin publishing books of the "World Literature" publishing house in Germany. Against this, B. S. Stomonyakov, the commercial plenipotentiary of Soviet Russia in Berlin, and Yu. Kh. Lutovinov, deputy trade representative of the RSFSR in Germany, spoke out. On 25 May 1921, they appealed to the Central Committee of the RCP(b) with a statement indicating that the publishing apparatus created by the RSFSR's trade representation in Germany would publish literature more cheaply than Grzhebin.

Maxim Gorky (A. M. Peshkov)—great proletarian writer, founder of socialist realism, originator of Soviet literature.

# NOTATION ON THE LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE STATE PLANNING COMMISSION¹

[1921, April 1]

Chairman: Krzhizhanovsky.

Deputy Chairman: P. S. Osadchy.

Members: Aleksandrov, Dolgov, Kritsman².

¹ The list of members of the State Planning Commission named 35 persons. Against each name their place of work was indicated. For example: "G. O. Graffio—from the Administration of Electrification of the People's Commissariat of Railways, I. M. Gubkin—chairman of the Main Shale Administration under the Supreme Council of the National Economy, Prof. Williams—Petrovsky Academy, P. I. Popov—head of the Central Board of Industry Sectors, G. M. Krzhizhanovsky—State Electric Power Station 'Elektroperedacha'" etc.

² P. S. Osadchy—major specialist in electrical engineering, professor, later rector of the Petrograd Electrotechnical Institute.

I. G. Aleksandrov—professor, chairman of the Technical-Economic Council of the Committee of State Construction.

A. N. Dolgov—professor, deputy chairman of the Central Production Commission under the Supreme Council of the National Economy.

L. N. Kritsman—Party member since 1918. At this time—member of the presidium of the State Planning Commission, chairman of the commission on the utilization of material resources of the RSFSR under the Council of Labor and Defense.

# LETTER TO EMERSON JENNINGS¹

5 April [19]21

TO MR. EMERSON JENNINGS
Moscow

I was very pleased to receive your letter and to note that you have taken part in the struggle against the persecution of the RSFSR since 1918, proving this not only in words but in deed, especially by the fact that you supplied comrades Martens and Nuorteva² with means at the moment when, owing to the difficulties of communication with Russia, they were very much in need of your friendly assistance for the RSFSR. I tender to you my hearty thanks for this.

Taking into account your three-month stay in Russia for the purpose of renewing trade relations and burning with the desire for the speediest realization of results, I would ask you to apply directly to Comrade Lezhava (Deputy Commissar of Foreign Trade), who has full powers to conduct this matter and with whom I believe you will come to an agreement.

Comrade Lezhava at the same time will be very pleased gratefully to return to you the seven million dollars* which you so kindly placed at the disposal of Comrade Martens.

Accept my best wishes, Your [Lenin]

Printed from a typewritten copy

¹ Emerson P. Jennings—head of a machine-building firm from Pennsylvania. In early 1920 Jennings headed a commercial association for promoting trade with Soviet Russia. The association sought the consent of the U.S. State Department for establishing Soviet-American trade relations.

* In Jennings' letter the figure 7,000 dollars is indicated.