II.
MILYUTIN’S REPLY.
This is a meeting of representatives of the electrotechnical department (Smidovich
and Finkel – heads of this department) and representatives of the department of economic policy.
Rozenkampff and Venediktov as knowledgeable persons.
H I *
23157
LENIN'S NOTE.
U
tanners
2/3
^ Glavkoge, a' [the rest] organization how? Private? Nationalized? trust?
IV.
MILYUTIN’S REPLY.
The organization of production is proceeding by way of trusting, but with known limitations.
^ •
LENIN'S NOTE.
i.e. we have not yet tied our hands and are entitled to confiscate?
VI.
MILYUTIN’S REPLY.
Yes, we do not tie our hands at all.
1 Lenin's correspondence with Milyutin apparently took place at one of the
meetings of the Supreme Council of National Economy [VSNKh], presided over by V. P. Milyutin,
a member of the presidium of the Supreme Council of National Economy [VSNKh].

EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH A. I. RYKOV
•
NOT LATER THAN JUNE 1918. 1.
I.
LENIN'S NOTE.
To Rykov
Weinberg2 called me, saying that at the congress of Councils of National Economy [Sovnarkhozes] the "Lefts"
said stupid things on the issue of enterprise management
and that the stupidity about diminishing the rights of chairmen
of the board threatens to pass1*.
What passed? and how to be?

II.
RYKOV’S REPLY.
Smirnov and Obolensky literally invent "smart stupidities". At
the plenum they were defeated'. In the commission on management a compromise
was adopted: the board is made up of 7/3 from the factory workers, 7/3 from the trade
union and 7/3 from the technical forces. In addition, higher management bodies
are given the right to introduce a representative with the right to suspend the decision.
The stupidity is that the right is given "if necessary" and that 7/4
of the technical personnel are elected at a general meeting of the factory.
This passed thanks to the Urals and textiles.
III.
LENIN'S QUESTION.
The Plenum is above the commission. How to be?
IV.
RYKOV’S REPLY.
The plenum has not yet discussed this issue. We will introduce amendments in the ple-
num: technical personnel are delegated or approved by the Council of People's Commissars [SNKh] or
a higher management body with the right of rejection for the factory committee.
To introduce representation of the Council of People's Commissars [SNKh] as a general rule with the right of veto. The main
opposition here is from the provinces, Smirnov put forward the thesis of "socialist"
management with a majority of workers from this factory. Even the Uralians
rejected the "immediate socialization" of management.
1 Justification for the date: Lenin's note was written to Rykov in the
period of the 1st Congress of Councils of National Economy [Sovnarkhozes]; the congress closed on June 4, 1918.
-
G. D. Weinberg was at that time a member of the presidium of the Supreme Council of National Economy [VSNKh] and
the board of the department of metals.
"Lenin has in mind the speech of a group of "Left" communists:
V. V. Obolensky (Osinsky), V. M. Smirnov and others at the 1st All-Russian
Congress of Councils of National Economy [Sovnarkhozes] (May 25 - June 4, 1918) on the issue of the management of
nationalized enterprises. On this issue, even before the convocation of
the congress, the Soviet government had to face syndicalist
sentiments on the part of some workers, who believed that the management of natio-
nalized enterprises should pass into the hands of the corresponding
trade union. In the first months after October, this syndicalist
current was quite significant: "Railroad workers, river workers,
workers of one enterprise or another believed that the enterprise should be-
long to them. Management of nationalized enterprises by

EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH A. I. RYKOV
|
* Underlined by Lenin in red pencil. Ed.