V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v40; en:MT;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

Comrade Stalin. Copies to Avanesov, Tomsky, and member of the All-Russia Central Executive Committee Presidium, Kiselyov

On the basis of the directive given by the Central Committee,[5] it is, in my opinion, necessary to re-draft all three projects into one. Add, in my opinion:

1) The “Department” of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection under the State Control should be a temporary one, with the task of introducing the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection into all departments of the State Control and then, as a special department, disappear.

2) Aim: to draw the entire working population, both men and women, especially, through participation in the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection.

3) For this purpose, draw up lists locally (in accordance with the Constitution), exclude office employees, etc.,

—and pass all the rest in turn through participation in the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection.

4) Make this participation varied, depending on the degree of development of the participants: beginning with the role of “hearer” or witness or attesting witness or learner for illiterate and utterly undeveloped workers and peasants—and ending with all rights (or almost all) for the literate, developed, and in one way or another tested.

5) Pay special attention (and surround with particularly precise rules) to the control by the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection over the accounting of products, goods, warehouses, implements, materials, fuel, etc., etc. (canteens, etc., in particular).

Women must be drawn into this without fail, and indeed universally.

6) To avoid confusion arising from the drawing in of a mass of participants, it is necessary to establish a gradual drawing in, turns, etc. It is also necessary carefully to think out the forms of participation (2–3 participants, rarely and in special cases more, so that they do not unnecessarily distract office employees from their work).

7) A detailed instruction must be drawn up.

8) The officials of the State Control must be obliged (by a special instruction) firstly, to draw representatives (or groups) of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection into all their operations, and secondly, to deliver lectures to non-party conferences of workers and peasants (lectures according to a specially approved programme, popular in character, on the fundamentals of the State Control and its methods: perhaps it would be better to replace the lectures by reading a pamphlet which we shall publish (i.e., the State Control, Stalin and Avanesov, will publish with the special participation of the Party), and a commentary on this pamphlet).

9) Gradually summon peasants from the localities (non-party peasants without fail) to participate in the State Control in the centre: begin at least (if it is impossible to do more) with 1–2 from each gubernia, and then, depending on transport and other conditions, extend the practice. The same for non-party workers.

10) Gradually introduce verification of participation in the State Control on the part of the working people through the Party and through the trade unions, i.e., through them verify whether all are participating and what are the results of participation from the standpoint of teaching the participants the work of state administration.

January 24, 1920.