V. I.

Lenin

To:   THE ECONOMIC COMMISSION OF THE C.C., R.S.D.L.P.

At the comrades’ request I givo here information concerning the Economic Commission in as precise a form as
possible. [2]

The Economic Commission consists of comrades specially appointed by the
C.C. representative abroad.

At the present time (October 20, 1905) it includes Comrades
Bonch-Bruyevich (manager of the printing shop), Kruchinina (treasurer and
manager of the forwarding office), Ilyin, Lenina (secretary of the C.C.),
Abramov, [1]

Knol, Vetchinkin, Ladyzhnikov and Nik. Vasilich.

Generally speaking, the function of the Economic Commission is to
handle the business jobs of the Central Committee abroad, and to help the
Central Committee in all its work abroad. This applies to the technical end
(printing, forwarding, and so forth), finances, transport, sending people
to Russia, measures relating to arms, and so on, co-ordinating the work of
all C.C. agents, controlling the work of each individual agent, and so on,
right up to special assignments from the Central Committee.

The Economic Commission elects its chairman or secretary, etc., and
distributes work among its members, with the exception of the appointment of permanent functionaries (in charge of
forwarding, the treasury, the secretariat, printing shop, transport, and so
on), which depends on the Central Committee.

Decisions of the Economic Commission may be revoked by the Central
Committee or its representative abroad, but are not subject to endorsement
by the C.C. unless this is asked for by some member of the Economic
Commission or unless objections are raised by anyone.

For the purpose of control over the activities of individual agents of
the C.C. (the treasurer, secretary, manager of printing shop, etc.), the
Economic Commission appoints comrades from among its members to make a
thorough examination of the whole work of the given agent and to report to
the Commission on measures to improve his work, and also to check up on the
progress of his work from time to time. The only exceptions are special
activities or spheres of activity exempted for one or another reason by the
Central Committee from control by the Economic Commission. The carrying out
of all ordinary and current work undertaken by the C.C. is to be
systematically controlled by the Economic Commission.

The Economic Commission helps the Central Committee to direct the
activity of the Committee of the Organisations
Abroad, [3] not in the form of directives to the latter, since it is an
autonomous organisation, but by studying its reports, discussing its work,
examining the organisation of its activities and searching for ways of
improving it.

If the comrades who asked for a more explicit definition of the
functions of the Economic Commission consider it necessary to draw up a
detailed statute, the Economic Commission as a whole should discuss this
statute, after which it would be endorsed by the C.C.