4.

* ECONOMIC COMMISSION OF THE C.C. R.S.-D.R.P.
[20/X 05].
[The Economic Commission consists of foreign agents of the C.C., managing special functions, and their comrades, specially appointed members].

At the request of comrades, I furnish information about the Economic Commission in as precise a form as possible.

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

At the present time (20/X 05) it includes comrades: Bonch-Bruevich (manager of the printing house), Kruchinin [L. P. Mandelshtam] (cashier and manager of the distribution section), Ilyin, Lepina (secretary of the C.C.), Avramov *), Knol [E. D. Stasova], Vetchinkin, Ladyzhinikov, and Nikolai Vasilievich.

The function of the Economic Commission, generally speaking, is the execution of the foreign economic work of the Central Committee and assistance to the Central Committee in all its foreign work. This includes both technical matters (printing house, distribution section, etc.), and finances, and transport, and the dispatch of people to Russia, and special enterprises for armament and so forth [(from among those specially entrusted to the Economic Commission)], and the coordination of work of all C.C. agents, and supervision of the work of each agent individually, and so forth including matters specially entrusted by the Central Committee to the Economic Commission.

The Economic Commission itself elects its chairperson or secretary, etc., and distributes work among its members, with the exception of appointments to permanent posts *)
*) Vladimir Ilyich wrote "Abramov". Ed.

ECONOMIC COMMISSION OF THE C.C. R.S.-D.R.P.
54a

(distribution section, cash box, secretariat, printing house, transport, etc.), which appointments depend on the C.C.

Decisions of the Economic Commission may be overturned by the Central Committee or its foreign representative, but in themselves, without an appeal on the part of any of the members of the Economic Commission, or without a protest from anyone whatsoever, its decisions are not subject to confirmation by the C.C.

To supervise the activity of individual C.C. agents (the cashier, secretary, manager of the printing house, etc.), the Economic Commission appoints from among its own members comrades for complete familiarization with all of the agent's activity and for [assistance in] reporting to the Economic Commission about measures for improving the conduct of his work, as well as for periodic auditing of the course of his work. From this may be excluded only special matters or special branches of matters which for one reason or another are set apart by the Central Committee into completely separate enterprises not subject to the control of the Economic Commission. All ordinary and current enterprises of the C.C. are subject to systematic supervision by the Economic Commission.

The Economic Commission assists the Central Committee in directing the activity of the Committee of Foreign Organizations—not in the form of prescriptions to the Committee of Foreign Organizations, because the Committee of Foreign Organizations is an autonomous organization, but in the form of studying its reports, discussing its work, becoming acquainted with the state of affairs and seeking measures to improve it.

If comrades, who have expressed a wish for a more precise definition of the functions of the Economic Commission, [intend to] deem it necessary to draw up a detailed charter, then let the Economic Commission discuss this charter in full session, and then the C.C. will confirm it. *)

*) Comrade E. D. Stasova, at the request of the editorial board of the Collection, communicated the following: "To recall in all details under what conditions the Economic Commission of the C.C. R.S.-D.R.P. came into being, after more than 20 years I, of course, cannot, and therefore I fear to categorically assert one thing or another about its origin. On the one hand, there was a felt need to create some organ which would not only unite individual technical functions, but would also be the highest authority in relation to them. As is known, the work of individual comrades was not always sufficiently coordinated. On the other hand, events were ripening, and one could think that the entire emigration would pack up and leave everything to the mercy of fate as soon as Vladimir Ilyich departed.—Events, however, proceeded at an even more accelerated pace, and it was even more difficult to keep comrades in place than was thought at the beginning. The 'Economic Commission' very soon transformed into a 'Liquidation Commission' consisting of comrades Ivan Pavlovich Ladyzhinikov, Avramov, and Stasova, who carried out the entire liquidation in the course of November-December. This trio was simultaneously the leadership of Ladyzhinikov's publishing house for securing the copyright to works of Russian writers. Several works of M. Gorky were published (it seems, 'The Children of the Sun' and something else). I served as the foreign correspondent of this trio. I remained, so to speak, by special decision of Vladimir Ilyich, who said: 'Well, the others will probably leave, but if we leave Elizaveta Pavlovna [my nickname in Geneva], then she will bring the matter to completion.'

In the course of two months we put in order and sold the Geneva printing house, packed and dispatched to Stockholm to the People's House in the name of Branting the entire library and all the archives of the party. These boxes and suitcases stood in storage in Stockholm for a long time, and then, as comrades recounted, either during the reconstruction of the People's House or during its move to other premises, part of what was stored was burned."