V. I. Lenin

The principal mistake we have all been making up to now is too
much optimism; as a result, we succumbed to bureaucratic
utopias. Only a very small part of our plans has been realised. Life, everyone, in fact, has laughed at our plans.

This must be radically altered.

Anticipate the worst. We already have some experience; it is
slight, but practical.

Food supplies? Frumkin says: The. ideal is 150 million poods from the tax + 50 million poods by means
of exchange +40 million poods from the Ukraine = 240 million poods .

We must base our calculations on a total of 200 million
poods for the year.

What are we to do with this paltry, starvation figure? 200:
12=16 2/3.

(α) Take a minimum for the army, i.e., calculate the rations for a minimum army.

(β) Include in the plan the economic work of the army on a
modest, extremely modest scale.

1 subbotnik, [Voluntary work on weekends without pay. —Translator .] 60 per
cent of the army (participating).

1 out of 3 subbotnitcs 50 per cent participants (50 per cent of
the army), etc.

(γ) For office employees-drastic reduction.

(δ) The workers.

Immediately draw up a list of the best enterprises (stress
enterprises) by industries.

Close down ½ to ¼ of those now running.

The rest to run in two shifts. Only those which have enough
fuel and bread, even if the minimum quantity of grain is collected (200 million poods ) and fuel (?)
for the whole year.

Do this in rough outline, as a first approximation, immediately, in a month, no later.

Fuel, we have.

A People’s Commissariat for Communications, we have.

There is no need to be exact about food; take 200 million poods .

Industry according to branches and gubernias (don’t put it off until we get the figures for the
“whole”), get this done with the utmost speed, and, the main thing, put 70 per cent of the members of the State
Planning Commission to work 14 hours a day (let science sweat a
bit; we have given them good rations, now we must make them
work).

Each one to be given the task of keeping “general supervision” (I think that is what it is called in the
regulations of the State Planning Commission) over definite
enterprises.

Take 700 as the number of large establishments, enterprises,
depots (railway), state farms, etc., etc., that we must (and
can, even at the worst: 200 million poods of grain in the course of the year) start and keep running from October 1,
1921 to October 1, 1922.

700 35 members of the State Planning Commission == 20.

Say 30 (not all the members of the State Planning Conmission
will be continuously engaged on current work).

Take the trouble to supervise these 30 unremittingly.
You are responsible for this.

Over and above these, keep an eye on another 30-70, less
important; don’t keep them under constant observation, but
make inquiries in passing, from time to time.

To supervise unremittingly means answering with your head for
the rational consumption of fuel and grain, for the maximum
stocking of the one and the other, for the maximum deliveries,
for economising fuel (in industry, on the railways, etc.), for
economising food (feed only good workers), for increasing
productivity of labour, etc.

All the rest-lease or give to anybody you please, or close, or
“abandon”, forget about, until a sound improvement is achieved, which will enable us to operate confidently, not
with 200 million poods of grain +X million poods of fuel, but with 300 million poods of
grain +150 per cent of X fuel.

These are my ideas about the State Planning Commission.

Think it over. Let’s discuss it.

Lenin

July 4