TELEGRAM TO L. D. TROTSKY

[October 23, 1918]
Today Stalin arrived, bringing news of three major victories of our troops near Tsaritsyn; one victory 10 versts
from Tsaritsyn, another—the destruction of 4 regiments of the enemy
by the steppe army near Svetly Yar, which, as it turns out, was
called in by the Tsaritsynites, and a third—near Muzga, where also 4 enemy regiments were destroyed.
Stalin convinced Voroshilov and M i n i n
2, whom he considers very valuable and irreplaceable workers, not to leave and
to render complete obedience to the orders of the Center;
the only reason for their dissatisfaction, according to him, is the extreme delay
and non-dispatch of shells and cartridges, because of which
also the two-hundred-thousand-strong and excellently motivated
Caucasian
Army is perishing.
Stalin would very much like to work on the Southern Front; expresses
great concern that people who know little about this front
will make mistakes, examples of which he gives numerous.
Stalin hopes that at work he will be able to convince them of the correctness
of his point of view, and does not issue an ultimatum about the removal of Sytyin
and Mekhonoshin
3, agreeing to work together with them in the Revolutionary Military
Council of the Southern Front, also expressing a desire to be a member
of the Supreme Military Council of the Republic.
Reporting to you, Lev Davydovich, about all these statements
of Stalin, I ask you to consider them and answer, firstly, whether
you agree to explain yourself personally with Stalin, for which he agrees
to come, and secondly, whether you consider it possible, on
certain specific conditions, to eliminate the previous friction and
establish joint work, which Stalin so desires.
As for me, I believe that it is necessary to make every effort to establish joint work with
Stalin.