TELEGRAM TO THE COMMANDER OF THE CASPIAN
MILITARY FLOTILLA
Astrakhan
June 19, 1919

The Council of Defence agrees to the transfer of the steamboats "Philosopher
Plato" and "Petronius" to the Caspian
Flotilla, proposes to use them to defend Tsaritsyn, according to the request of the Revolutionary
Military Council of the Southern Front, and only in the event that under Tsaritsyn
there are sufficient means of defense from the river side, to use them on the Caspian.
Lenin