Comrades, the Presidium decided to submit to the decision of the Congress the casuistic question on which the Presidium was not unanimous. The results of the election are as follows: the list of members of the Central Committee: Lenin - 262, Trotsky - 219, Zinoviev - 255, Stalin - 258, Kamenev - 252, Krestinsky - 235, Dzerzhinsky - 241, Rakovsky - 171, Bukharin - 258, Stasova - 155, Muranov - 164, Serebryakov - 125, Stuchka - 128, Tomsky - 226, Whitebeard - 218, Smilga - 135, Kalinin - 152, Evdokimov - 127, Radek - 115. Such are the 19 members. Next is Pyatakov - 108. Candidates: Mitskevich - 198, Danishevsky - 149, Bubnov - 148, Schmidt - 143, Yaroslavsky - 141, Artem - 131, Smirnov Iv.Nik. - 101, Vladimirsky - 95. Revision Commission: Kursky - 191, Tsivtsivadze - 139, Lunacharsky - 129.

So, comrades, this casuistic question is as follows. Radek received 115 votes and was elected to the Central Committee. Since the list of Tsekists was separated from the special list of candidates, from this point of view the absent Radek is replaced by the first candidate on the list, etc. Another opinion is that, since Radek was chosen in a clearly demonstrative manner, and Pyatakov is the next highest vote-getter, as long as Radek is absent, he is replaced by Pyatakov, and only then does the replacement of the Central Committee members by candidates begin. The Bureau exchanged brief opinions on this question and decided unanimously to ask the Congress without debate to decide this controversial question by vote. I ask whether the congress is willing to accept the way of solving this question proposed to it by the presidium. Is it clear to everyone? (Voice: not clear). Then I will repeat what the matter is (repeats the clarification). Is it clear? (Voices: clear). I will proceed to vote2. By a majority of votes the congress was in favor of the first decision. Consequently, the elected one is considered to be t. Radek, who, while he is absent, is replaced by a comrade from the list of candidates in the order of the majority of votes.

Fund 41, op. 1, d. 9, fol. 79-80 - transcript (typewritten text).

1The first paragraph of Lenin's speech in another version is published in the book: The Eighth Congress of the RCP(b). Protocols. Moscow, 1959, p. 363.

2Pause for voting.