TELEGRAM TO THE UKRAINIAN SOVNARKOM.
Kyiv
Sovnarkom
To Rakovsky
May 28, 1918
In your telegram
No. 1815, you once again lodge a complaint about the shortage of funds. Krestinsky assures us that
a great deal has already been dispatched.
They have, to some extent, come to an agreement with Litvinenko. It is imperative that we put an end to these misunderstandings once and for all. Immediately ascertain how much has been received, and how much remains en route. Respond swiftly and precisely—under a joint signature from you and Litvinenko, using a code—to specify exactly how much you require. We are not stingy; rather, it is your responsibility to ensure orderly distribution.
Lenin.
1 I. Litvinenko—People’s Commissar for Finance in Ukraine—served as a representative of the Central Committee of the Borotbists within the Ukrainian Sovnarkom in 1919. From March 1920, following the merger of the Borotbists with the RCP(b), he became a member of the RCP(b). In 1922, he headed the provincial land department in Podolsk Governorate. In the autumn of 1922, he was executed by remnants of Petliura’s bands while on a tour of the grain procurement district near the city of Vinnytsia.
421G
NOTE TO N. I. KRESTINSKY!
Krestinsky
[July 11, 1919]
How much? When was it sent? What is the reason that we are unable
to provide what was promised?
Leppin.

In a telegram from Smolensk, Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee M. I. Kalinin informed Lenin of the urgent need to “transfer, as a matter of utmost urgency, monetary signs from the Minsk and Smolensk gubernias for distribution among the counties,” in order to avert disruption of critical forest‑harvesting operations.
Lenin penned his note to Krestinsky directly onto Kalinin’s telegram. At the top left of the document, Lenin inscribed: “To be filed in the archives for reference.”

FINANCING ECONOMIC CONSTRUCTION

NOTES TO Y. S. GANETSKY.
NO EARLIER THAN JULY 16, 1919.
I.
*312
To Ganetsky: Draft the text of a reply.
231*8
To Ganetsky: That draft will not do. You must compose it as follows:
We have pledged to you so many millions within such-and-such a timeframe. We dispatched to you so many at that time—and we shall send you yet more at this time.
Draft such a text without delay. 1 Y. S. Ganetsky, a member of the Collegium of the People’s Commissariat for Finance, was tasked with drafting a response to the telegraphic request X. G. Rakovsky had submitted to Lenin on July 16, 1919, asking for the promised funds in light of the acute financial crisis gripping Ukraine. Ganetsky composed the following reply:
“Today, 300 million are being dispatched, of which 50 million are earmarked for Kaluga. Henceforth, disbursements will be made according to a planned schedule.”
2 Lenin noted on the document: “(In reply to Rakovsky).” For further details, see Y. S. Ganetsky, “Lenin and the Nationalization of Private Banks,” Pravda, No. 6, 1926, p. 12.
And…
NOTE TO N. N. KRESTINSKY.
[End of August 1919]
It is unclear when it will be possible to issue 600 million [roubles] per day.
After all, two shifts of 12 hours each are simply not feasible.
Let us consider whether we might add a third shift—three shifts of 8 hours each.*
1 This refers to the issuance of currency by the expedition charged with procuring state securities, which had been evacuated from Petrograd to Penza in the spring of 1918.
Lenin’s note to Krestinsky was apparently written during a session of the Sovnarkom. In response to Lenin’s question: “When will it be possible to issue 600 million per day?”—Krestinsky replied: “Starting September 1st.” The date specified by Krestinsky thus served as the basis for dating the document printed above.

2313*
NOTE TO N. N. KRESTINSKY 1.
[No earlier than September 1, 1919]
We cannot immediately requisition funds—and besides, this is not a draft decree.
I propose: either entrust %–5 People’s Commissars with the task, or agree upon appropriate measures, or submit a draft decree to the Sovnarkom.
1 Lenin responds to a note from N. N. Krestinsky, who had suggested that he sign a draft resolution limiting the duration of acceptance of pledges as collateral. Lenin’s cautious stance toward Krestinsky’s proposal stemmed from the fact that the draft Krestinsky had proposed could potentially infringe upon the interests of small-scale holders (see Y. Ganetsky, “Lenin and the Nationalization of Private Banks,” Pravda, No. 6, 1925, pp. 5–15).
_____________
NOTE TO T. I. POPOV.