## 1917 (DECEMBER) — 1918

...on October [the] Central Committee of the RCP(b) discussed the question of subordinating all party workers to the decisions of central organs. In connection with this, Y. M. Sverdlov telegraphed Stalin, Voroshilov, and Minin to Tsaritsyn on the same day: "All decisions of the Revolutionary Military Council are binding for the Military Councils of the fronts. Without subordination there is no unified army. Without halting the execution of a decision, one may appeal it to a higher organ — the Council of People's Commissars or the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, in the extreme case — the Central Committee. We earnestly propose that the decisions of the Revolutionary Military Council be put into effect... There should be no conflicts" (Y. M. Sverdlov. Selected Works, vol. 3, M., 1960, p. 28).

The conflict that had arisen in the Revolutionary Military Council had an extremely negative effect on the combat capability of the Southern Front, whose position in autumn 1918 was exceptionally grave. Trotsky, as chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, instead of rapidly settling the conflict on the basis of norms of mutual relations accepted in the party, repeatedly permitted himself to be rude and extremely disloyal toward 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 in logical content — incomprehensible. The conversation was cut short by Trotsky..." (TsPA NML at the CC CPSU).

Lenin's recommendations were not carried out by Trotsky.

In order to correct the situation, a new Revolutionary Military Council of the Southern Front was formed, consisting of the commander of the front P. P. Sytin and members of the Council K. A. Mekhonoshín and B. V. Legran.

On October 19, I. V. Stalin departed for Moscow. After a conversation with him, V. I. Lenin wrote the published telegram below.

On January 1, 1919, the Central Committee of the party and the Council of Defense adopted a decision to appoint I. V. Stalin and F. Z. Dzerzhinsky to a party investigative commission to clarify the causes of the surrender of Perm.

In connection with this, I. V. Stalin departed for the Eastern Front.

² S. K. Minin — from 1917 engaged in leading work in Tsaritsyn. During the Civil War he was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the 10th Army, a member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs.

³ P. P. Sytin — a general of the old army who went over to the side of Soviet power after the October Revolution. In 1918 he was commander of the Southern Front, chief of the military-administrative department of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic.

K. A. Mekhonoshín — in 1918 a member of the All-Russian collegium for the formation of the Red Army, subsequently — a member of the Revolutionary Military Councils of the Eastern, Southern, and Caucasian Fronts, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic.

# NOTE TO A. S. ENUKIDZE

November 4, 1918

Comrade Enukidze, I request that you issue a guest ticket to the bearer of this note, Comrade Vorontsov, for the right to attend the sessions of the VI Congress of Soviets.

V. Lenin

¹ A. S. Enukidze in 1918—1922 was a member of the Presidium and secretary of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

² No information about Vorontsov could be found.

³ The VI All-Russian Congress of Soviets opened on November 6, 1918.

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

November 9, 1918

Kozlov Arzamas

Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic

Commander-in-Chief Vatsetis, Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council Trotsky

We propose appointing as commissar of supplies under the chief of supplies Martynov Comrade Mosey Lvovich Rukhimovich.

Sverdlov spoke about this to Vatsetis long ago.

If this has not been carried out, then why?

Lenin

¹ The entire text, including the word "Rukhimovich," was written by I. V. Stalin. M. L. Rukhimovich at the time of the October Revolution was chairman of the Kharkov Revolutionary Committee, an active participant in the Civil War.

# NOTE TO V. D. BONCH-BRUEVICH

[November 1918, later than the 10th]

Dear V. D., I am sending you proofs and Appendix II (I will send you its conclusion tomorrow).

Do not forget to order tomorrow that all proofs be sent to me from the beginning of the brochure.

Greetings! Get well soon!

Your Lenin

¹ This concerns the brochure by V. I. Lenin "The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky" (see V. I. Lenin. Complete Collected Works, vol. 37, pp. 235—338).