# vol. 23 June 1919

Couldn't we insert: [earnestly request the Tver workers to take into consideration] Let the Tver workers know that the majority of workers are already receiving less than half a pound, and Tver is better off than very many. [647]
1 The draft telegram, written by A. D. Tsiurupa, was edited, addressed, signed and then supplemented by Lenin. Tsiurupa proposed to change Lenin's phrase: "earnestly request the Tver workers to take into consideration" to: "let the Tver workers know." Having accepted the correction, Lenin crossed out the corresponding text of his addition to the telegram. The word "less" was added by Tsiurupa.
24504
NOTES ON A TELEGRAM FROM THE COMMITTEE FOR
THE MANAGEMENT OF RIVER TRANSPORT.
[June 23, 1919]
Tonnage has been provided [on] the Belaia River [for] loading grain amounting to 1,700 thousand poods, by rotating which, about five million poods of grain can be exported from the Belaia within a month. We ask for instructions [on] taking measures [for] speedy loading, [and] also guarantee [against] any seizures and requisitions of these vessels. [5949]
Chief Admin: Rectran
★
To Svidérskii (or Tsiurupa): We must seize this with both hands, and send a food army [= food] workers there.
Unfold agitation among the hungry workers: to the Belaia for 5 million poods. Reply what you are doing.
Lenin.
NOTES ON A NOTE FROM A. I. SVIDÉRSKII .

[The] millions on the Belaia are a great exaggeration, if we are talking about procured grain. Measures have so far been taken to send food detachments in relation to the Kama; we will, of course, take them in relation to the Belaia as well. Negotiations were held today in this sense with the food army regarding ways to urgently replenish its ranks. As for strengthening procurement on the Belaia and, in general, in the Ufa province, Frumkin left for there from Samara yesterday for this purpose.
Pravdin was sent to help Baku.

FOOD II SUPPLY

«80
NOTES ON A TELEGRAM FROM A. G. SHLIKHTER 1.
[June 23, 1919]
Moscow, Kremlin. To Lenin, copy to Tsiurupa, ....
In addition to the five regular [trains] reported on the 14th of June for the defenders of Petrograd, the following have been sent:--*
In total, along with those previously reported, 10 routes have been sent, with a total of 251 cars and 45 cars separately. Products [to] Petrograd: ___  total 178, Cherepovets .... total 27,
Smolensk ...
total 59, Bologoe .... total 21, Viazma .... total 9, Vologda 1 egg, Bobruisk 1 pack of cigarettes.
Peter
— 178
Cherepovets — 27
Smolensk — 59
Bologoe
— 21
Viazma
—

v = 294 cars
??
★
To Svidérskii:
Is there any verification?
Is this a fairy tale or is it arriving?
How much is arriving?
Has this been communicated to the addressees?

Based on the information reported in the telegram, Lenin compiled a numerical summary, which, along with a note, was sent by him to A. I. Svidérskii.
Above the document, on the left, is Lenin's note: "to the archive.
24801
TELEGRAM TO G. E. ZINOVIEV .
Petrograd
Smolny
To Zinoviev
[July 1919]
The Comprod considers that Peter has a supply of more than six days, and declares that it can only give Peter a [two-week] one-week supply. 20 cars were sent this morning,
[and]
*
The following is a list of the amount of food sent. Ed.
Lenin Collection XX IV
O

[in the coming days will be sent] 30 have already been sent from Nizhny. Furthermore, an order has been given for the removal of 200 cars from the Melitopol district by Peter detachments, half of which are available. [624]
Lenin.
TELEGRAM TO V. A. RADUS-ZEN'KOVICH.
Out of turn
Saratov
To the Chairman of the Provincial Executive Committee Zen'kovich,
also show it to Yaroslavskii, Krylenko, Plaksin 1 and the provincial food commissar.
July 11, 1919
I ask you to immediately check through absolutely reliable and impartial people: is it true that Sergei Malyshev 2 is working excellently [in] Volsk and Kalakov with the barge flotilla, then, is it true that there is a colossal harvest on the left bank of the Volga, then: that there is a shortage of people for harvesting? How many thousands, when are they needed from the northern provinces? Peter and Moscow are without bread. Heroic measures are needed. Telegraph the exact answer immediately. [720]
Chairman of the Council of Defence Lenin.
1 K. Yaroslavskii and N. V. Krylenko - in 1919, plenipotentiaries of the Central Committee and the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in the Volga region. K. Plaksin - chairman of the provincial council of professional unions of the Volga region.
2 S. V. Malyshev, as plenipotentiary of the People's Commissariat for Food, worked with the barge flotilla on the Volga to exchange consumer goods for grain.
i3:<i
TELEGRAM TO ALL PROVINCIAL FOOD COMMITTEES, SOVIETS AND
ARMIES OF GRAIN PROVINCES.
[July 12, 1919]
-
The appeal, published in the newspapers, by the Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies about the need to intensify work on sending routes to hungry Petrograd, must be understood as an appeal to strain all forces on the procurement of food, mainly bread, for the starving population. Calling on all food institutions and authorities in the grain-producing provinces to do the same on its part, we hereby clarify that the sending of bread should be carried out by all food authorities according to the plans of the Comprod and in the established order. Deviations from this order are unacceptable and can only exacerbate hunger, introducing disruption into the supply of the starving population.
Lenin. Tsiurupa.
24610
TELEGRAM TO THE NIZHNY NOVGOROD REGIONAL
WATER TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION*.
[July 12, 1919]
[According to] available information [in] the Kama, Belaia region, 394,911 poods of grain have been loaded [on] barges, but the barges have not been sent. At the same time, a message has been received that one of the oil tankers sent by order of the Chairman of the Council of Defence [to] the Kama, Belaia, has been lost. I order you to immediately begin [to] dispatch the loaded barges and to find the lost tanker. Any delays [in] the delivery of bread threaten complications that are detrimental to the cause of the revolution. Exert all your strength and inform us more often and completely accurately. [731]
Chairman of the Council of Defence Lenin.
People's Commissar for Food A. Tsiurupa.
2030*
TELEGRAM TO V. V. OSINSKII
Tula, to the provincial commissioner Osinskii
[July 19, 1919]
No independent procurements by anyone, either at free or fixed prices, will be allowed under any circumstances. I invite all those striving to increase procurements to conduct them according to the general plan, in a united front, using
*
Printed from a copy on the typewriter. Addition and signature— in Lenin's handwriting. Ed.
** Printed from a copy on the typewriter: signatures in own hand. Ed.

commodity exchange, in full agreement with the instructions of the center, under the general guidance and responsibility of the provincial food committee. All separate actions in the field of procurement, especially those violating the principles of food policy, will be regarded as disorganization of the food supply with all the consequences arising therefrom. I ask Comrade Osinskii, who has sufficient authority for this, as well as the local authorities, to resolutely combat any disorganization in every possible way, not stopping at the removal and arrest of disorganizers. With full confidence, I assert that the correct organization of the matter and persistent and firmly conducted work will not only satisfy local needs, but will also allocate surpluses for hungry centers and armies: the resources of the province are far from exhausted.
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Lenin.
People's Commissar for Food Tsiurupa.
12680
NOTE FROM L. A. FOTIEVA .
[July 22, 1919]
To reprimand 1) the secretariat of the C[ouncil/ of D[efense/] and C.P.C.
2) Comprod
3) Comptel
4) Comvoen
for red tape and delay1.
1 The Central Committee for Supplying the Red Army with Food (Tsekpro-darm) developed instructions on the procedure for sending food parcels from the army. These instructions were not submitted by Tsekprodarm for approval by the Council of Defense within the specified period. After hearing L. B. Krasin's explanations on this issue on July 22, 1919, the Council of Defense decided to express censure to Tsekprodarm and the People's Commissar for Military Affairs for the untimely submission of instructions on parcels from the army for approval by the Council of Defense. The People's Commissariat for Food and the Commissariat for Posts and Telegraphs were noted (minutes of the Council of People's Commissars No. 305, item 6, dated July 22, 191*)).
The Tsekprodarm instructions were approved by the Council of Defence on July 23, 1./19.

FOOD AND SUPPLY

i t
NOTE ON THE TELEGRAM OF THE POLITICAL COMMISSAR OF THE TRAIN
"OCTOBER REVOLUTION".
[July 25, 1919]
... The grain harvest [in] Samara province is unprecedented for many
decades. The absence of necessary workers threatens the destruction of an already
ready-to-harvest, richest harvest in Samara province, which alone
can feed hungry Soviet Russia. It is necessary to immediately
send all free workers to the Volga region, it is necessary to move to the
peasants resin, tar, and existing tools.
Political Commissar of the October Revolution train Voevodin.
tV
1) Svidersky
2) Glebov1
3) Sereda
We must strain all our forces and tomorrow afternoon, 26/7, by phone
tell me what has been done.
1 N. N. Glebov - member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat of Labor.
2462b
TELEGRAM TO N. V. KRYLENKO.
Saratov provincial executive committee
Authorized by Vsednka
Krylenko
25. JUL. 1919
Orders must not be violated, for they give bread to the army, and all
above the orders send [to] the address of Komprod [to] Moscow. Report
exactly what quantities of bread are available and where exactly.
Chairman of the Council of Defence Lenin.
i t
NOTE ON THE
TELEGRAM OF N. P. BRYUKHANOV1.
[July 30, 191^1
Tsiurupa: what have you done?
Do I need to sign?
1 Deputy People's Commissar of Food Bryukhanov reported to Lenin from Kyiv: "In Bryansk
all food cargoes are being redirected by order of the military authorities

LENINIST COLLECTION
to Smolensk, Zanfront, including sugar, of which
180 wagons have already been reshipped, which is a half-year supply.... If not
your categorical order immediately cancels the specified
procedure, then all other armies and the entire population will be left without sugar.”
Upon receiving a response from Tsiurupa, Lenin marked the document: "to the archive".
NOTE ON THE TELEGRAM FROM YARENSKY UYEZD1.
July 30, 1919]
Vladimirsky: Energetic measures must be taken.

The telegram reported on the difficult food situation in part of the uyezd and the weak assistance to the farms of Red Army soldiers.
ымя
ON SENDING DETACHMENTS TO GRAIN-PRODUCING PROVINCES.
11B LATER SEPTEMBER 1919 a.
ORDER TO THE SECRETARY
Remind me when Tsiurupa will be here.
b.
NOTE TO A. D. TSIURUPA.
Comrade Tsiurupa! This is a request from the trade union of textiles1.
Your conclusion?
c.
ORDER TO THE SECRETARY.
Transfer to Rykupov at "Centro textile".
1 M. V. Rykunov, member of the collegium of Centrotextil, later member of the
collegium of the PCWT, in a note addressed to Lenin, asked to send well-organized
detachments from the largest unions, such as the textile workers' union,
to grain-producing provinces to exchange manufactured goods for bread. In a reply
to Lenin, written below the text of Rykunov's note, Tsiurupa did not object
to satisfying Rykunov's request, provided, however, that
the organization of detachments "goes through the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions."
The order to the secretary and
Tsiurupa's note are written by Lenin above the text of Rykunov's note.
2 Lenin instructs the secretary to convey Tsiurupa's response to
Rykunov's request to Rykunov.

FOOD AND SUPPLY

ь т
NOTE ON THE REPORT OF V. A. EMELYANOV.
[Later than October 7, 1919]
Author's proposal: Give the right to Sevrayryba to fight
speculation in fish (the right to take fish from speculators)!.
1 The note was made by Lenin on the report of the chairman of the
Northern regional administration of Glavryba V. A. Emelyanov, who asked
to take emergency measures to combat speculation in fish on local
markets. The report was sent to Lenin from Petrograd.
On the document, to the left, Lenin's note: "to the archive."
*4Ю7
REQUEST TO S. D. MARKOV
[October 16, 19191
Markov: what have you done?
■
 I. Zavyalov, member of the collegium under the special authorized representative of the Council of Defence,
reported to Lenin in a telegram a number of details about the movement of food
cargoes from the front-line zone to the 3rd, 5th and 7th armies. The possibility of
daily sending to the center "at least three train compositions with bread"
Zavyalov stipulated by the rational use of the sufficient, according to his information, amount of free rolling stock on
the Siberian Railway line. Lenin wrote the request to Deputy People's Commissar of Railways
Markov on Zavyalov's telegram. •
2477b
TELEGRAM TO THE NIZHNY NOVGOROD PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE A\
[But earlier than October 17, 1919]
;Po] decision
Council of People's Commissars
I order you to take the most urgent measures to increase the loading of bread in view
of the terrible famine [in] Moscow.
Immediately telegraph what exactly you have done and what results.
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Lenin.
" The telegram was written by L. A. Foti eva; additions and signature
by Lenin. Ed.