CORRESPONDENCE WITH AN UNIDENTIFIED PERSON

June 5, 1918

Note from an unidentified person

The matter is urgent — Ter-Gabrielyan is waiting, and a train is waiting for him.

Note from V.I. Lenin

What? He hasn't left yet?¹

I have already signed one authorization for him.²

Can you also tell Ter to prepare everything for the complete burning of Baku in case of an invasion, and to announce this publicly in Baku.³

Fund 2, op. 1, f. 27142 - autographs.

¹ S.M. Ter-Gabrielyan did not depart on the appointed day because he was unable to obtain money from the State Bank. On June 5, 1918, A.I. Rykov, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of National Economy, made a statement about this at the Sovnarkom and proposed a resolution: "To send no later than 10:00 AM to the Moscow office of the State Bank" (RCHIDNI, f. 19, op. 1, d. 132, l. 5). Thus, Ter-Gabrielyan could only receive the money in the morning of June 6 and then leave Moscow. V.I. Lenin signed the following resolution: "The Council of People's Commissars has resolved: To instruct the Moscow office of the State Bank to issue to Ter-Gabrielyan fifty million (50,000,000) rubles in cash, of which no less than twenty-five million (25,000,000) rubles should be in small denominations, not more than 250 rubles each, charging this amount to the account of the Fuel Department of the Supreme Council of National Economy.

June 5, 1918.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin)" (RCHIDNI, f. 2, op. 1, d. 6212).

² The following authorization was issued to S.M. Ter-Gabrielyan: "The bearers of this document, Saak Mirzoyevich Ter-Gabrielyan, a member of the Main Oil Committee of the Supreme Council of National Economy, and Alexander Alexandrovich Kvyatkovsky, a commissioner of the Central Military-Technical Administration, are authorized by the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic to take necessary measures for the organization and management of water and rail transport of oil and its products from the cities of Baku, Grozny, Ekaterinodar, Novorossiysk, and the Emba region to destinations designated by the Main Oil Committee of the Supreme Council of National Economy and its local agents.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon all Soviet organs and institutions to provide full and comprehensive assistance to Comrade Ter-Gabrielyan and Kvyatkovsky with all available means and resources in the execution of their assigned task and to follow their instructions on matters related to the organization of the fastest possible transportation of liquid fuel to the designated locations.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin)

People's Commissar of Communications P. Kobozhev.

Chairman of the Main Oil Committee N. Solovyev.

Manager of the Affairs of the Council of People's Commissars Vlad. Bonch-Bruevich.

Secretary of the Council N. Gorbonov" (RCHIDNI, f. 2, op. 1, d. 6192).

³ V.I. Lenin apparently hoped that the announcement of the intention to burn the oil fields would deter the British and the Turks from occupying Baku. However, the following occurred: On July 25, under pressure from Mensheviks, SRs, Musavatists, and Dashnaks, the Baku Soviet decided to invite a detachment of British troops to Baku. On July 31, the Soviet power in Baku fell, and on August 4, a British detachment occupied the city.