V. I. Lenin

Direct-Line Conversation

Between The Government and Field H. Q. November 9 (22),
1917 [1]

Is that the Commander-in-Chief?

Dieterichs here.

We should like to speak to the Acting
Commander-in-Chief. If General Dukhonin is no longer charged
with these duties, please let us have the person now acting in
his stead. As far as we are aware, General Dukhonin has not yet
resigned.

Field H. Q. replying: Acting C.-in-C. General Dukhonin waited for your call until 1 a.m., and is now asleep. The
telegraph was out of order, and later was used by Field H. Q. to
communicate with G. H. Q.

Could you tell us whether you have received a wireless message from the Council of People’s Commissars
sent at 4:00 o’clock, and what has been done to carry out
the instructions of the Council of People’s Commissars?

Field H. Q. replying: An undated and unnumbered message
of State importance was received, and that is why General
Dukhonin requested General Mnnikovsky for the necessary
guarantees confirming its authenticity.

What was Manikovsky’s reply, at what time was the query sent, and was it radioed, telephoned or
telegraphed?

Field H. Q. replying: No answer has been received yet, and a request was sent an hour ago to speed up the reply.

Please specify the time and means used in sending the first query. Will you hurry up, please?

Field H. Q. replying: The message was telegraphed and radioed to General Manikovsky—the time, just a minute....

The message was sent at 19.50.

Why wasn’t a copy of the query sent to me, the People’s Commissar for War [2] ? From a personal conversation with
me the C.-in-C. was aware that General Manikovsky’s sole
responsibility is continuity of technical operations in
logistics and food supplies, and that I have been entrusted with
the political direction of and responsibility for the War
Ministry’s activity.

Field H. Q. replying: I can say nothing at all about this.

We declare most emphatically that we place all the responsibility for the delay in this crucial state matter
upon General Dukhonin and unconditionally demand: first, the
immediate dispatch of truce envoys, and second, General
Dukhonins personal presence on the line at 11 a.m. sharp
tomorrow. Should the delay result in famine, disorganisation or
defeat, or anarchic revolts, the full blame will fall upon you,
and the soldiers will be duly informed of it.

Field H. Q. replying: I shall inform General Dukhonin of this.

When? Right away? We are waiting for Dukhonin.

Field H. Q. replying: I shall wake him up at once.

This is Acting C.-in-C. General Dukhonin.

The People’s Commissars here; what’s your answer?

I see from the tape
I just got of your conversation with G. H. Q. that your message to
me was sent before any decision was taken on the substance of
the message signed by the People’s Commissars
Ulyanov-Lenin, Trotsky and Krylenko; in view of this I must have
the following factual information: (1) Has the Council of
People’s Commissars received any reply to its message to
the belligerent powers containing the Decree on Peace; (2) What
was to be done with the Rumanian Army, which is a part of our
front; (3) Was there any intention, of engaging in talks about a
separate armistice arid with whom, only with the Germans or with
the Turks, or are we to negotiate a general armistice?

The text of the message sent to you is absolutely clear and to the point; it speaks of an immediate
opening of armistice talks with all the belligerents, and we
resolutely deny the right to delay this matter of state
importance by any preliminary queries whatsoever; we insist that
truce envoys should be dispatched immediately and that we
receive progress reports every hour.

Field H. Q. replying: My questions are of a purely technical character and unless they are answered it will be
impossible to negotiate.

You must be aware that many technical, rather detailed questions will arise during the talks, and we shall
answer them as they arise or are raised by the enemy; that is
why we demand once again, in the form of an ultimatum, that
formal armistice negotiations be started unconditionally and
without delay with all the belligerent countries, both Allied
and those hostile to us. Please state your reply in precise
terms.

I can understand only one thing, and it is that you cannot negotiate directly with the powers. It is
even less possible for me to do so on your behalf. Only a
central government supported by the army and the nation can have
enough prestige and importance for the enemy to lend these
negotiations the authority necessary to achieve results. I also
believe that an early conclusion of a general peace is in
Russia’s interests.

Do you flatly refuse to give us a precise reply and carry out our orders?

I have given you a precise reply as to the reasons why I find it impossible to put your message into
effect, and I repeat that the peace Russia needs can be obtained
only by a central government. Dukhonin .

In the name of the Government of the Russian
Republic, on behalf of the Council of People’s Commissars,
we dismiss you from your post for refusing to obey government
orders and for conduct that entails untold hardships for the
working people of all countries and especially the armies. We
order you, on pain of responsibility under war-time laws, to
continue your duties pending the arrival at Field Headquarters
of a new Commander-in-Chief or a person empowered by him to take
over from you. Ensign Krylenko is appointed
Commander-in-Chief.

Lenin, Stalin, Krylenko

---
Notes:
[1] The
circumstances which led to the conversation between members of the
Soviet Government and Field H. Q. in Mogilev are set forth on
pp. 312-13 and 316-17. Field HQ., which in that period was a
centre where plans were being hatched for the overthrow of Soviet
power, was occupied by revolutionary troops on November 20
(December 3).

[2]
The conversation was conducted by the People's Commissar for War
N.y. Krylenko.