1917 (DECEMBER) — 1918

In October, the Central Committee of the RCP(b) discussed the issue of subordinating all party workers to the decisions of central bodies. In connection with this, Ya. M. Sverdlov telegraphed Stalin, Voroshilov, and Minin in Tsaritsyn on the same day: "All decisions of the Revolutionary Military Council are binding on the Military Councils of the fronts. Without subordination, there is no unified army. Without suspending the execution of the decision, it can be appealed to a higher body - the Council of People's Commissars or the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, in extreme cases - the Central Committee. We strongly suggest implementing the decisions of the Revolutionary Military Council... There should be no conflicts" (Ya. M. Sverdlov. Selected Works, vol. 3, M., 1960, p. 28). The conflict that arose in the Revolutionary Military Council had an extremely negative impact on the combat effectiveness of the Southern Front, the situation of which in the autumn of 1918 was exceptionally difficult. Trotsky, as chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, instead of quickly resolving the conflict on the basis of the norms of relations adopted in the party, repeatedly allowed rudeness and extreme disloyalty towards the Tsaritsyn workers. In connection with this, Stalin, Minin, and Voroshilov telegraphed the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Central Committee of the party: "The conversation with Trotsky was very brief, deliberately insulting, and incomprehensible in its logical content. The conversation was interrupted by Trotsky..." (CPLA IML under the Central Committee of the CPSU).
Lenin's recommendations were not followed by Trotsky.
In order to correct the situation, a new Revolutionary Military Council of the Southern Front was formed, consisting of the front commander P.P. Syytin and members of the Council K.A. Mekhonoshin and B.V. Legran.
On October 19, I.V. Stalin left for Moscow. After a conversation with him, V.I. Lenin wrote the published telegram.
On January 1, 1919, the Central Committee of the party and the Council of Defense decided to appoint I.V. Stalin and F.E. Dzerzhinsky to a party-investigative commission to investigate the causes of the surrender of Perm. In connection with this, I.V. Stalin left for the Eastern Front.
2S.K. Minin - from 1917 in a leading position in Tsaritsyn. During the civil war, he was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the 10th Army, a member of the board of the NKVD.
3P.P. Syytin - a general of the old army who sided with the Soviet government after the October Revolution. In 1918, he was the commander of the Southern Front, the head of the military-administrative department of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic.
K.A. Mekhonoshin - in 1918, a member of the All-Russian Collegium for the formation of the Red Army, then a member of the Revolutionary Military Councils of the Eastern, Southern, and Caspian-Caucasian fronts, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic.

NOTE FROM A.S. YENUKIDZE

4 / XI 1918
Comrade Yenukidze
Please issue a guest ticket to the bearer of this, Comrade Vorontsov, for the right to attend the sessions of the VI Congress of Soviets.

Lenin

1A.S. Yenukidze in 1918-1922 was a member of the Presidium and secretary of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
2No information about Vorontsov could be found.
3The VI All-Russian Congress of Soviets opened on November 6, 1918.

TELEGRAM TO I.I. VATSETIS AND L.D. TROTSKY

9. XI. 1918
Kozlov Arzamas
Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic
Commander-in-Chief, Vatsetis, Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council, Trotsky
We propose appointing Comrade Moses Lvovich Rukhimovich as supply commissioner under the head of supply, Martynov.
Sverdlov told Vatsetis about this a long time ago.
If this has not been done, then why.
Lenin
1The entire text, including the word "Rukhimovich," was written by I.V. Stalin. M.L. Rukhimovich during the October Revolution was the chairman of the Kharkov Revolutionary Committee, an active participant in the civil war.
11UG4
NOTE TO V.D. BONCH-BRUEVICH
[1918, November, after the 10th]
Dear V.D.!
I am sending you the proof and appendix II (I will send its end tomorrow).
Do not forget to order me tomorrow to send all the proofs from the beginning of the brochure
Greetings! Get well soon!
Yours, Lenin
1This refers to V.I. Lenin's brochure "The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky" (see V.I. Lenin. Complete Collected Works, vol. 37, pp. 235-338).

1917 (DECEMBER) — 1918

23645, 23644
EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH E.M. SKLYANSKY

[1918, November, no later than 26]
Couldn't we do something about Dauge's son2 (this son is in a military aviation school3) - Dauge says that his son was falsely accused of being a White Guard and therefore (??!!) expelled from the school -
Appoint by order of the People's Commissar of War a commission necessarily of party and experienced people?
I have no data, only doubts due to the bad company he was in. Removing him from this environment, I believe, will completely cure him.
And what bad company? with whom? when? where was he? for how long?
I do not know the details, except for what his father said, and this is, obviously, more just fears about his fellow aviators. I believe that he is simply apolitical and will be a magnificent technician if only given the opportunity. Previously, the father spoiled the son's relationship with his desire to keep him away from the dangers of aviation.
1E.M. Sklyansky - Deputy People's Commissar for Military Affairs.
2P.G. Dauge - one of the founders of the Latvian Social-Democratic Workers' Party, historian, publicist, Doctor of Medicine. In 1918 - People's Commissar of Education of Latvia, then - a member of the board of the People's Commissariat of Health of the RSFSR.
3From August 14, 1918, there is an order from V.I. Lenin to the school department of the Air Fleet Administration to enroll M.P. Dauge in the Moscow Aviation School. Before that, he completed courses at the Moscow Higher Technical School, where he showed a great love for aviation and flying. Since mainly communists were accepted into the flight school, M.P. Dauge's father personally appealed to V.I. Lenin with a request to help enroll his son in the aviation school, which M.P. Dauge successfully graduated from and courageously fought on the fronts of the civil war (see Zharov F.I. Exploits of Red Pilots, M., 1963, pp. 24-25).

TELEGRAM TO TULA SUKHOPAROV

28. XI. 1918
Tula Sukhoparov Partnership
Copy
To the Provincial Cheka
Pay the fine immediately. Send a copy of your complaint to the Provincial Cheka, according to the law, so that the Provincial Cheka immediately submits a conclusion to the Council of People's Commissars.
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
Lenin