24169
INSTRUCTION
TO RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS
December 6 (19), 1917
All railway commissioners are instructed to immediately pass the echelon
of the 1st Caucasian Regiment, 5th Caucasian
Cossack Division, which is going to fight
Kaledin and Filimonov, in view of which the present echelon is allowed
free movement by rail through Moscow, Kharkov, Rostov and to the Caucasian station, Kuban, which with
signatures and the seal of the Council of People's Commissars
certifies and requests to provide this echelon with every
assistance in the speedy movement by rail.
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
V. Ulyanov (Lenin)
Printed according to the original, signed by V. I. Lenin.
and any attempts at it will be stopped by fire), in other sectors
the Germans in large masses approach our trenches, exchanging small things with our
soldiers. At the same time, a significant part of the fraternizing
Germans (there are many spies among them) reach the location of our
reserves. The widest fraternization is carried out by the enemy in those
sectors where an increase in his forces has been noticed, the appearance of his
shock units has been detected. Thus, the location of our trenches— their weakest
places— is not a secret for the enemy's shock units.
Taking advantage of the trust and simplicity of the Russian soldier, the enemy
collects accurate information about the most important sectors for him about the strength
of fortifications of our positions and the locations of reserves and thereby
prepares a favorable environment for himself to strike. Inte
restingly, the view of the fraternizing Germans, which is clearly visible from the
conversation, when during fraternization German soldiers in response to the reproaches of Russian
soldiers, that the Germans are now fraternizing, and then will go on the offensive, answered: "They will order— we will strike. _Natomy soldiers_."
The order ended with an appeal: "Russian warriors, I appeal to
your mind and heart! Do not trust the insidious enemy, who has already proven
his perfidy more than once. The enemy is strong and cunning, he wants to take advantage of the turmoil
of our army in order to defeat us and seize our land.
Remember, warriors, that the fate of the homeland and freedom is in your hands. Protect
those blessings that have been obtained for you by the blood of the people... The enemy is making
every effort to deceive you and, taking advantage of your trust,
inflict such a blow on our homeland, after which she will not be
scary to him."

THE FIGHT AGAINST KALEDIN ON THE DON
23240
INSTRUCTION TO THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
December 8 (21), 1917
The Commander-in-Chief, leaving for Moscow and from there to the south for military
actions against Kaledin, undertakes to inform the Council
of People's Commissars daily by direct line (personally or through an adjutant) about who exactly he, or
other military authorities, appoint as responsible persons for ordering
individual operations, especially for the movement and gathering of troops and for command.
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
V. Ulyanov (Lenin)
Printed according to the original, signed by V. I. Lenin.
11085
TELEGRAM ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
WITH THE UKRAINIAN CEC
December 30, 1917 (January 12, 1918)
The Council of People's Commissars expresses confidence that the Commander-in-Chief will
act henceforth, as before, in full contact with that central
Ukrainian Soviet power, which the Council of People's Commissars welcomed*, and with the extraordinary
commissar appointed by the Council of People's Commissars.
* On December 12 (25), 1917, the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee was formed in Kharkov. In a telegram to Lenin, the All-Ukrainian CEC of December 13 (26) declared the unity of interests of the peoples of Soviet Russia and Ukraine. The Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR on December 16 (29) replied with a greeting telegram to the "truly popular Soviet power in Ukraine" (see "Documents on the History of the Civil War in the USSR," vol. I, 1940, pp. 54-57).