Date: 1921-10-24
Source: ru:ND

Comrade Chicherin! I fully agree with you. You bear responsibility for the current weakness. It is not enough to merely “talk” or simply “write”—we must act, and act promptly, rather than delay—by submitting the following proposal to the Politburo:

1) Dispatch, in agreement with the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, a highly competent and resolute figure;

2) Arrest the rogue Chekists, bring the guilty parties to Moscow, and have them executed.

Put this on the agenda for the Politburo meeting scheduled for Thursday*, ensuring that Unshlikht receives timely feedback and that all relevant materials are attached.

We must learn to move such matters swiftly and precisely. Gorbunov should take the lead on this; he must be held accountable for it—and we will always stand by you, provided Gorbunov succeeds in bringing the Chekist scum to justice through the firing squad.

October 24

Lenin.

Published in: Izvestia of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1990, No. 4, p. 185.

Fund 2, Inventory 1, File 27066 – autograph.

* October 27, 1921 – Ed.

The letter was written in response to a letter from G.V. Chicherin dated October 23, 1921:

“Dear Vladimir Ilyich,

Maintaining good relations with Turkey is simply impossible as long as the Special Departments—and indeed the Chekists as a whole—continue their reckless actions along the Black Sea–Kuban coast. Because of these actions, we have already encountered a number of serious conflicts with the United States, Germany, and Persia. Should the trustees planning to travel via Novorossiysk remain in place, constant scandals are bound to erupt. I have repeatedly brought these matters to the attention of the VChK through Comrade Davtyan, and on October 8, under No. 11/5240, I wrote to Comrade Unshlikht about them—but to no avail.

On August 3, in Armavir, agents of the VChK arrested Feridun Bey, the diplomatic courier of the Turkish Embassy, and forcibly opened the seals on his diplomatic baggage [suitcases—Ed.], treating him in the most outrageous manner possible. Even worse treatment was meted out earlier, in the same location, to Izmet Izet, an employee of the Turkish Embassy. I formally reported this to the VChK and spoke with Comrade Davtyan many times about it, yet I still received no response whatsoever. The local Cheka organs, it seems, pay no heed to the Central Committee—and do not even deign to reply to its inquiries. The VChK has not even informed me of the subsequent developments in this case. With Germany, we had already experienced a major scandal when the Novorossiysk Special Department conducted a forceful search aboard a German vessel at sea, during which our Chekists, despite the Germans’ protests, removed several passengers from the ship. The government was forced to issue an official apology to Germany—a gesture to which the local Chekists remained utterly indifferent. An American destroyer carrying certain trustees [from G. Hoover—Chairman of the American Relief Administration (ARA)—Ed.] was stopped at sea by Novorossiysk Chekists, who conducted a search on board and treated the Americans with extreme rudeness. When the Plenipotentiary of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs sought to board the American destroyer in order to greet the Americans, Cheka agents stationed on the shore, in full view of the Americans, refused to allow our plenipotentiary onto the destroyer in the most brazen manner. Upon disembarking, the Americans lodged a formal protest against the Chekists’ conduct, which left a deeply negative impression on them. From the Turks, I have continually received complaints about the brazen interference of the Special Departments—and of the Chekists as a whole—in Tuapse, about searches of military vessels, about gunfire directed at Turkish ships, and about the most intolerable treatment meted out to Turkish officials, especially to Sabri Bey, the Turkish Consul in Tuapse and a personal friend of Mustafa Kemal. While the Special Departments may fear Turkish smuggling, the Turkish Ambassador does not object to measures of isolation—though he firmly protests against searches of military vessels and against the insults that often accompany such searches, perpetrated by Chekists lacking any political refinement. In Novorossiysk, in a similar incident, the Chekists desecrated the Turkish flag. Turkish feluccas—small merchants sailing on feluccas that, sometimes against their will due to storms, put into these harbors—are simply stripped of their goods without compensation, even in cases where the felucca owners engage in trade with local representatives of Vneshtorg. The Turkish Ambassador has repeatedly urged me, in the most urgent terms, to note that the Turkish petty merchants, robbed bare by our Chekists, return to Asia Minor spreading the worst possible rumors about Soviet Russia—thus further worsening the mood among the petty-bourgeois masses toward us. I have discussed the issue of the feluccas many times with Comrades Lezhava and Krasin, but Vneshtorg’s attempts to resolve this matter came to nothing, as the Cheka agents on the ground paid no regard to anything. Today, the number of feluccas has dwindled, for the simple reason that the Turks have come to regard us as bandits and pirates in light of all these incidents. Not long ago, late at night, Karcev, the secretary of the local military commandant, burst into Sabri Bey’s residence with armed men, hurling a series of insults at Sabri Bey and Captain Riza Bey, who was also present there from the Moscow Embassy—and when Karcev was arrested for this, the local Special Department immediately ordered his release, leaving the Turkish Consul without redress. The Black Sea Chekists are constantly driving wedges between us and every power whose representatives happen to fall within their sphere of operations. These politically unrefined Cheka agents, vested with unlimited authority, show no respect for any rule or regulation.

The Plenipotentiary of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs in Tuapse and Novorossiysk, Comrade Thomson, has vainly attempted to improve the situation. The Chekists completely disregard him and seek to intimidate him with threats. His efforts to combat this behavior have come to naught. He fears that he will be arrested there—or become the victim of a denunciation.

Comrade Mogilevsky, who heads the InVChK, has shown not the slightest desire to change the status quo. I suggested to Comrade Unshlikht that if the VChK does not trust Comrade Thomson, they should appoint another representative from here and grant him full authority from the VChK, so that he might be listened to there. Yet the VChK insists on keeping things as they are. A portion of the food supplies destined for the trustees will pass through Novorossiysk this winter—and if no measures are taken, we face the gravest difficulties with the Americans. It is precisely this circumstance that compels me to turn to you. The VChK responds to everything by claiming that it already has an apparatus in place there. But we have seen that apparatus. If the VChK does not trust Comrade Thomson, we, on the other hand, possess numerous statements from foreign representatives regarding these very facts. My request is that, with full authority from the VChK, we send someone from here—someone who can be fully relied upon—to work in agreement with the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, someone who will ensure that such abuses against foreigners are never allowed to occur again. Above all, this person must not belong to the narrow circle of specialists within the Special Departments who display contempt for anything that falls outside their own bureaucratic perspective. Leaving aside Turkey, our relations with America are far too important to afford indifference toward the current state of affairs in those ports.

With communist greetings, Georgy Chicherin.”

On October 24, 1921, G.V. Chicherin, replying to V.I. Lenin, wrote: “I did not previously raise the issue of the Black Sea Chekists because I hoped to settle everything there through our Plenipotentiary. This time, I wrote to you about these scandals briefly, rather than ‘precisely’ with supporting documents, because my sole purpose in writing to you was to send a strong, capable man there to rein in the situation. As for the sanctions, let the person who goes there investigate the matter and initiate proceedings. We are now searching for a candidate whom we can propose to the Politburo on Thursday, in agreement with Comrade Unshlikht” (Izvestia of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1990, No. 4, pp. 185–186).

On October 26, 1921, G.V. Chicherin sent a letter to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). In it, he summarized the contents of his letter to V.I. Lenin dated October 23, 1921, and proposed that K.A. Peterson be appointed as the Plenipotentiary of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs on the Black Sea coast. The Politburo discussed the letter on October 27, 1921, and adopted the following resolution, proposed by L.D. Trotsky: “a) Request the VChK to provide the text of all instructions issued by Cheka organs—especially in port cities and border towns—regarding foreign nationals. Instruct Comrades Trotsky and Stalin to thoroughly study these instructions.

b) Through an authoritative commission (or a single individual) dispatched to the field, hold local Cheka organs accountable for failing to implement these instructions and for continuing to rely on methods dating back to 1918. In both cases—whether dispatching a commission or appointing a single representative—entrust the Presidium of the All‑Russian Central Executive Committee with the task of overseeing implementation.

c) If comprehensive instructions concerning foreign nationals have not yet been formulated, then, in agreement with the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade and the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, instruct the VChK to develop clear, precise guidelines—tailored specifically to different countries (hostile nations, countries with which we maintain treaty relations, friendly nations, and so forth).

d) The People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade and the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs must closely monitor the Cheka apparatus to ensure that it reflects the corresponding changes in our international position. At meetings involving these three departments—and, in certain cases, with the participation of a representative from the People’s Commissariat for Military Affairs—all new developments in this area must be translated into fresh, supplementary instructions for Cheka organs.

Reaffirm to Comrade P.P. Gorbunov that he bears the responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this directive and that he must approach this task more formally, rigorously, and meticulously.

e) No violation of these instructions should go unpunished, for only in this way can we eradicate the pernicious practice of partisan action.

f) In agreement with the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade or through some other authoritative governmental channel, issue a public statement addressing the following point: The hostile international press, which seeks to discredit Soviet Russia, spreads rumors that business dealings with Soviet Russia are impossible due to the actions of the Cheka organs; the government is conducting thorough investigations into every report of improper conduct by Cheka organs toward foreign nationals; several such cases have been confirmed; the government has promptly taken vigorous measures—both to punish the guilty and to provide more precise, stricter guidance to oversight bodies regarding foreign nationals; the effects of these measures will soon become evident in the very near future.

Entrust the VChK and the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, in agreement with one another, to determine in whose name this governmental statement should be published. Before finalizing the text, submit it to Comrades Trotsky and Kamenev for review.

g) Dispatch Comrade Peterson to Novorossiysk as the representative of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, charging him with the duty to submit to the Center, immediately upon arrival and after investigating the circumstances of the case, a draft instruction—agreed upon with the VChK for the Black Sea coast—that would eliminate the possibility of improper treatment of foreign nationals.” In abridged form, this resolution was published in the book: V.I. Lenin and the VChK. 2nd ed., Moscow, 1987, p. 487.