V. I. Lenin

To Members Of

The Council Of Defence

February 1, 1920

The situation on the railways is catastrophic in the extreme. The delivery of grain has ceased. Truly urgent
measures are needed to save the country. In the course of two
months (February and March) the following measures must be
effected (and other relevant measures of a similar nature must be
sought):

I. The personal bread ration to be reduced for those
not working on the railways and increased for those working on them.

Let more thousands perish but the country will be saved.

II. Three-fourths of the leading executives of all departments,
except the Commissariats of Food and the Army, to be taken for the
railways and for repair work for these two months. The work of
other commissariats to be discontinued (or reduced to one-tenth)
correspondingly for these two months.

III. Introduce martial law over an area stretching to
30-50 versts on either side of the railway line to mobilise labour to clear the line, and transfer to the
volosts within that area three-fourths of all high-ranking functionaries of the volost and uyezd executive
committees of the gubernia concerned.