V. I.

Lenin

227

To:   G. N. KAMINSKY, D. P. OSKIN, V. I. MEZHLAUK

October 20, 1919

Comrades Kaminsky, Oskin and Mezhlauk
Tula

Comrades, Tula is just, now of exceptional importance—and
generally speaking, even independently of the enemy being close at hand, Tula is of vast importance to the
Republic.

Therefore you must exert all your energy to achieve co-ordinated work, concentrating everything on military
affairs and military supplies.

I regret very much the friction between yourselves and
Zelikman on one side and Peters (he is an important and
extremely dedicated person) on the other, and I think that
this is Zelikman’s fault because, if some unevenness was
noticeable, it should have been immediately put right (and this was not difficult to do), without letting matters
reach a conflict. The slightest unevenness must in future
be settled, reporting to the centre in time , not allowing
it to develop into a conflict.

Every effort must be made to improve the work in Tula; it must be placed entirely on a war footing . A decree
reducing the civil administration will be published in a few
days. Not only must it be observed; it must be applied with supreme conscientiousness and
zeal. [1] In Tula the masses are far from being on our side. Hence the necessity
for particularly intensive work among the troops, among
the reservists, among the working men and women.

If you are short of personnel, write: we shall send you
help from Moscow.

Check up on the defence work unremittingly. Are strong points being put up? Is the work weakening? Are there
enough materials, and workers? Are the Red Army men being trained? Are supplies for them in order? All these and
similar questions must be assigned for special supervision to practical people and comrades devoted to the
Party. You hear full responsibility for the success of this
work and for any negligence (if you do not complain in lime and do not appeal to the centre). The formation of
army units is of exceptional importance.

If we take
Orel, [2] the effort should not be reduced, but multiplied tenfold , since without this we shall not
conquer, and an interruption in the offensive means death
for us.

Read this letter to all responsible workers and Party members and regularly, very briefly , keep me informed of
what in fact is being done.

With communist greetings,
V. Ulyanov (Lenin )

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Notes:
[1]
Lenin refers to the transfer of certain Rod Army units to labour
service at the beginning of 1920, so that, they could ho used for
purposes of reconstruction. The war with bourgeois-landowner
Poland and Wrangel forced the Government to return the labour
armies to the fighting line.

[2]
Orel was liberated by Soviet troops on October 20, 1919, the day
Lenin wrote this letter.