Petrovsk, Saratov. To Narcomzsm Kharlov.
August 29, 1918
If all available forces have been mobilized within your county, then it is clear that we must requisition threshing detachments of workers from here—since this will enable us to accelerate the grain harvest manyfold. Telegraph daily reports on the number of railcars, their respective markings, and their points of origin. Furthermore, award a substantial bonus to the volost that first succeeds in completely clearing out all surplus grain. Compile volost-level lists of the most prosperous peasants, holding them personally accountable for ensuring the smooth and efficient execution of grain-supply operations aimed at feeding the starving capitals. [753]
Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars, Lenin.
The letter to S. P. Sereda was written just a few days after Lenin’s injury, during the time when Socialist-Revolutionary F. Kaplan attempted to assassinate him on August 30, 1918. The envelope accompanying the letter still bears Lenin’s inscription: “To G. Sereda. (To the People’s Commissar of Agriculture) (from Lenin).”
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