# Telegram to N. P. Bryukhanov. November 11, 1919

the population is not supplied, [salt] is bought speculatively [at] high
prices. The congress requests instructions [on] the precise implementation of the decree [on] commodity
exchange *.
★
To Svidersky: Request the data (on salt) and send it to me.
Lenin.
1 The telegram was printed on a typewriter. The underlining in
the text and the note "To Svidersky..." were made by Lenin's hand. Having received
Svidersky's response, Lenin marked the document: "to the archive*.
*
The Decree of the Council of People's Commissars "On Commodity Exchange and Mandatory Delivery by the Population
of Agricultural and Craft Products" was published in "Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee" No. 175 of August 9, 1919.
24719
TELEGRAM TO N. P. BRYUKHANOV 1.
To the Chief Provisioning Commissar of the East
To Bryukhanov
11. XI. 1919
The supply of hungry Ural workers is urgently necessary. Report what you have done, to what extent you have secured it, is it possible to
direct these workers to collect grain beyond Kurgan. Your complaints about the lack of people are somewhat
strange.
Chairman of the Council of Defense Lenin.
1 Telegram to N. I. Bryukhanov, chairman of the special food
commission of the Eastern Front, was addressed: "Chelyabinsk, at the location."
24731
NOTES ON THE TELEGRAM OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TULA
PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
[November 17, 1919]
In accordance with the decision of the provincial congress of soviets, the provincial executive committee
requests the Council of People's Commissars to transfer Tula and the province to free children's
nutrition. This measure will undoubtedly increase the productivity of military
factories.
[In] Tula, the provincial social security department feeds 8,000 children. [During] the days of the October celebrations
*29,000 children of workers and Red Army soldiers were fed. [In] Tula, 45,000
children.
=

+

FOOD AND SUPPLY

Find the decree on free children's nutrition 1.
Who is feeding?
Is it the Social Security Department, or the Soviet?
So, the Commissariat of Provisions needs to be instructed (and I instruct) to respond
to Tula (copy to me A
1 The decree of the Council of People's Commissars on free children's nutrition was published in "Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee" No. 107, dated May 20, 1919. Lenin's request was sent
by the secretariat of the Council of People's Commissars to Svidersky, who replied as follows: "The
People's Commissariat of Provisions is feeding, i.e., the People's Commissariat of Provisions releases products for free, but not all
necessary, but those that are issued to them on cards in a given
locality. Children's nutrition is included in our estimate. As far as I
remember, free children's nutrition has been introduced in Tula. There is no need to introduce it in the province."
Upon receiving Svidersky's response, Lenin crossed out the text of his note, marking the document: "to the archive."
* This instruction was made by Lenin after Svidersky's response.

ON THE PROCUREMENT OF POTATOES.
DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS 1.
[November 18, 1919]
Take the draft of the Commissariat of Provisions and § 4 of the draft of the Supreme Council of National Economy as a basis 2.
Create a Commission for the detailed development of the entire project
so that with complete accuracy to establish both individual regions
in SS NKNprod aj ■ and specific measures to strengthen the food army in certain points, attracting workers, [on]
the size of the necessary and possible supply of alcohol and starch
and so on.
The Commission accurately formulates the responsibility of the Commissariat of Provisions
for the implementation of all emergency measures and their conduct in a revolutionary
way, for taking this responsibility into account in the further
policy of the Council of People's Commissars-a l.
The Commission consists of 1 Lenin anal
[-2 komj. provisions., Rykov
• Tomsky
Schmidt
Kamenev
Avanesov (or from the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission;
Markov [

Give the commission 2 days and convene the Council of People's Commissars on [Thursday] Friday] 3.

The issue of measures to improve potato procurement was heard at
the meeting of the Council of People's Commissars on November 15, 1919. The Council of People's Commissars decided to elect a commission consisting of
A. L. Sheinman, V. P. Milyutin, L. B. Kamenev, S. D. Markov,
A. I. Rykov and S. S. Bakinsky. In view of the critical situation with
potatoes, the commission was instructed within a 3-day period to discuss emergency
measures to improve the procurement and delivery of potatoes to Moscow, both for food
and industrial purposes. The draft resolution of the Council of People's Commissars printed above was proposed by Lenin and adopted by the Council of People's Commissars during the discussion
on November 18, 1919, of the report of the representative of the People's Commissariat of Provisions on potato procurement (prot. Council of People's Commissars No. 327 of November 18, 1919).
- Simultaneously with the draft of the People's Commissariat of Provisions, the Council of People's Commissars discussed
the draft of the Supreme Council of National Economy on the same issue. The proposal of the Supreme Council of National Economy in paragraph 4 of the project
is formulated as follows: "To allow starch and molasses
factories to conclude agreements with peasants on the supply of potatoes, with the stipulation
that from each processed pood it is possible to issue 1 lb. of starch
products." Under the text of paragraph 4 of the draft of the Supreme Council of National Economy, in the right corner of the document, underlined in pencil, is Lenin's note: "Milyutin, Kamenev,
Rykov, Badayev." This note, apparently, represents the initial
draft of Lenin on the composition of the Commission.

The draft decree on potato procurement, developed by the commission,
was heard and approved by the Council of People's Commissars with amendments made at the meeting
on November 22, 1919, on Friday, as Lenin had planned (prot. Council of People's Commissars No. 329
dated November 22, 1919)
24739
NOTES ON G. E. ZINOVIEV'S TELEGRAM \
[November 25, 1919]
The army has no food whatsoever. The People's Commissariat of Provisions achieved the suspension of Badayev, and now has left us [in a] terrible situation.
I insistently request that exceptional measures be taken without delay, otherwise
serious consequences are inevitable.
*
To Svidersky for review urgently
? what is the matter?
Along the document — Lenin's note "to the archive". Red.

FOOD AND SUPPLY

NOTES ON THE TELEGRAM OF THE KOSTROMA PROVINCIAL
PROVISIONS COMMISSARIAT \
[November 26, 1919]
The Unzhensky Executive Committee of the Soviet, of the Makaryevsky Uyezd, has fully fulfilled the quota [for] bread and 50°/o meat. The board of the provincial food product has decided to express
NOTES ON THE TELEGRAM OF THE AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ORENBURG PROVINCIAL FOOD COMMITTEE.
[November 28, 1919]
I request Your urgent order regarding the movement of the scheduled
train D§ 59, going to the People's Commissariat of Provisions with wheat from the Ak-Boulak station
of the Orenburg Provincial Food Committee, which is detained in Ryazan. Following
Days. There is an acute crisis in food, no one is providing assistance].
★
!! To Markov: really?
To Tsyurupa for information ((Return.)'
____________
ON THE FOOD SUPPLY OF MOSCOW 1.
To Svidersky: where are you publishing it?
(NB summaries)
24747
IN THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS DECEMBER 1919.
Melnychansky "Ilya" **
Yakovleva
Sorokin
3 SUPERVISORS.
Tsifes "Ilya"
Badayev
Melyshchansky
Markov
Svidersky
Lenin
Bakinsky**
Lenin's note on the document: "to the archive". Red.
* Iivadze. Red.
** The last three surnames were not written by Lenin. Red.

LENIN'S COLLECTION
<f.
DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS.
("Statement")
[ 1) Formally sign the agreement4
] 2} Reintroduce daily reports

Mobilize workers for transport
[assign to the Moscow] professional council + People's Commissariat of Communications
(( 4) Urgently discuss measures for the delivery of potatoes and vegetables - and
watch the delivery
5)
Approve the extra ordinary] issuance (of meat?)... Inform Melni1chGansk]i
accurately regarding the places of exile and the state of
transport.
labor] ration?

The issue of food supply to Moscow was discussed at the meeting
of the Council of People's Commissars on December 6, 1919, based on the report of L. B. Kamenev, chairman
of the Moscow Soviet. The decisions of the Council of People's Commissars on this issue were formulated on
the basis of proposals made by Lenin (prot. Council of People's Commissars No. 332 of December 6,
1919).

This refers to the signing of an agreement between the People's Commissariat of Railways and the People's Commissariat of Provisions on
the issue of transporting grain from producing regions to consuming regions.
*
Daily informing of the Council of People's Commissars on the supply of Moscow with grain
and on the movement of potato shipments for Moscow was entrusted to the Moscow Soviet of Trade Unions,
the People's Commissariat of Provisions and the People's Commissariat of Railways (prot. Council of People's Commissars No. 332 of December 6, 1919).
23032
ON THE WORK OF THE APPARATUS OF FOOD ORGANIZATIONS.
DRAFT RESOLUTION 1
,6 December 1919]
Elect a commission to discuss the issue.
To set as the main and urgent task, firstly, the renewal
and reorganization of the apparatus of the food organizations, and secondly, the introduction of soul
and initiative into the very work of these bodies.
To outline as practical means of implementing these tasks:
attracting working-class cooperation to the widest participation;

FOOD AND SUPPLY

also, although on a smaller scale, — bourgeois coopera-
tion; accelerating the development of the workers' food] inspection into
an organization for involving workers in all areas of food
work; introduce a bonus system for individual groups of employees,
workers and specially recommended persons from all groups of the population,
permitting and encouraging their participation in the work;
Not to limit the commission to such tasks, but to understand them
as an approximate definition of the general direction of its work.
Select non-food supply officials for the commission.
I propose the following for the commission:
Kamenev
V. D. Bonch-Bruevich
Pshyndt -
Be sure to involve, without including in the commission, Orlov
author of the book "Foodwork of the Soviet]
Government" 3.
Yakovleva
Sosnovsky
1 Lenin apparently submitted the draft resolution at a meeting of the Central Committee of the party.
2 V. V. Schmidt — in 11)19, people's commissar of labor.
*
N. Orlov — author of the book "Food work of the Soviet government.
To the anniversary of the October Revolution." M. People's Commissariat of Food. 1918".
460 i
NOTE TO M. A. LARIN
[December 11, 1919]
A decision has already been adopted in the Council of Defense] based on Kamenev's report.

In a letter of December 11, 1919, Larin requested a meeting with Lenin to
discuss the issue of increasing the delivery of bread to Moscow "without prolonged
significant damage to military transport"... Based on Kamenev's report "On the
provisioning of Moscow workers" at a meeting of the Council of Defense on December 11

LENIN'S COLLECTION the following decision was adopted: "Instruct the People's Commissariat of Food and the People's Commissariat of Railways to jointly
develop measures that could best resolve the food crisis in Moscow."
24736
TELEGRAM TO THE CHIEF OF MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS
8 AND THE ARMY G>
Chief of Military Communications 5
Chief of Military Communications 3
Copy to Tsunvoso
[December 16, 1919]
The order established by the Council of Defense for the use of railway
transport does not exclude the transportation of food to workers of Ural enterprises
on a par [with] operational.
Every day, at least forty wagons must be provided [for] this purpose. Telegraph weekly how many
wagons of bread you deliver to the workers. [980]
Chairman of the Council of Defense Lenin.
Chusosnabarm Rykov.
24769
ORDER TO THE SECRETARY
[December 17, 1919]
I have Bryu\[anova]'s response on my desk
1) Read it to Zinoviev over the phone
2 Tell him that I sent the article to s yu2
1 Lenin wrote this in connection with a request he received by telegram from
G. E. Zinoviev to "take the most urgent measures to supply the army with
at least some amount of meat, fish and fats."
2 Lenin is referring to his article "Elections to the Constituent Assembly
and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat," completed on December 16, 1919, and intended
by him to be published in the journal "Communist International"
(see "Communist International" JNS 7—8, November—December 1919;
Works, vol. XXIV, pp. 631 — 649).
*
Printed from a machine copy. The addition and both signatures were
written by Lenin. Ed.

FOOD AND SUPPLY

LETTER TO THE TULA PROVINCIAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY and
PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
To the Tula Provincial Committee of the Communist Party, Provincial Executive Committee
December 21, 1919
Dear Comrades!
Through the heroic efforts of the Red Army, Kolchak and
Yudenich have been defeated. The next task is to finally crush
Denikin. In order to resolve this task with the least expenditure of time and
effort, ensuring a rapid end to the war and the possibility of starting peaceful socialist construction, all the transport facilities of the republic had to be
used for military purposes. As a result, Moscow is deprived of
the ability to be supplied with food from remote areas, and its
working population found itself in a particularly desperate situation, bearing and bearing the brunt of the fight against counter-revolution. Under such conditions, it is
absolutely necessary to deliver food products, and above all potatoes, from nearby areas. All
party, all Soviet forces of the province must be imbued with
the idea that saving the Moscow workers from starvation
is saving the revolution and that the matter of this salvation is in their hands.
Circumstances require rapid assistance, therefore revolutionary, decisive action to immediately increase
procurements and immediately deliver what has been procured to
Moscow. I know that the Tula workers, represented by the workers' committee,
have shown excellent procurement activity. It is necessary
to expand and deepen this work. The Tula workers must come to the aid of the Moscow workers. In this critical
time of hunger for Moscow, the alliance of the Tula and Moscow
workers should be strengthened. Organize rapid assistance from red Tula to red
Moscow. Within ten days, the province must give Moscow at least four hundred wagons of potatoes. Until this task is fully completed, the execution of other orders is suspended.
The provision of wagons, the shipment of goods is guaranteed by the People's Commissariat of Railways.
Vigorously strive for the implementation of this guarantee on the ground.
*
The letter was drafted by the People's Commissariat of Food. Printed from a copy written
on a typewriter and signed by Lenin. Ed.
Lenin's Collection X X IV