26049
INSTRUCTION TO S. E. CHUTSKAEV
ON L. M. KARAKHAN'S REPORT
[April 30, 1920]
To Chutskaev for agreement with Karakhan and for sending
a copy of the agreement to the SNK 1.
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
April 30, 1920
The Arkhangelsk White government sent the icebreaker "Solovei Budimirovich" to Indiga for
meat, with a crew of 80 people. Unfavorable sailing conditions did not allow the task to be completed, and on January 24
of this year "Solovei Budimirovich" was crushed by ice and gradually carried
into the Kara Sea. The expedition's situation is very difficult, as fuel and
provisions are running out. The White Guard government, before its flight,
canceled the planned rescue expedition. The White Sea icebreakers, on which such an expedition is conceivable, were
taken by the English to England.
The People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs appealed to the Norwegian and English governments,
as well as to Fridtjof Nansen and Otto Sverdrup, with a request to provide
assistance to our dying compatriots. After long negotiations,
the English government agreed to equip our icebreaker "Svyatogor" for the expedition, supplying it fully with provisions and coal. "Svyato-
gor" has already arrived in Bergen. The crew will consist of Norwegians. Captain Otto Sverdrup
will head the expedition.
During negotiations with the English government, we stated
that the Russian government would bear all expenses for the rescue expedition.
It should be noted that the fact that we directly addressed
the governments of England and Norway regarding the "Solovei" case is
a very important circumstance, given that this case was
almost the first current issue on which we, through direct
communication, reached a favorable result. In addition,
it should be borne in mind that the position taken by the Soviet government in this
case will make a very favorable impression in broad circles
of Norwegian society, where the issue of resuming relations with us
is the issue of the day.
In view of the foregoing, I request the People's Commissariat for Finance to arrange for
the opening of a credit in Centralbanken for Norge to the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs in the amount of
three hundred thousand crowns to cover the initial expenses caused
by this matter.
Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs L. Karakhan
1 By order of the Council of People's Commissars on May 1, 1920, a telegram signed
by Deputy People's Commissar for Finance S. E. Chutskaev and Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs L. M. Kara-
khan was sent to the Plenipotentiary Representative of Soviet Russia in Estonia, I. E. Gukovsky, with a request to immediately
transfer three hundred thousand Norwegian crowns to Centralbanken for Norge in
Christiania to cover the costs of rescuing the Russian icebreaker in the Kara Sea; the telegram stated
that an agreement had been reached on this between the governments of England and
Norway.
Note: "NB" and underlining were done by V. I. Lenin.
13839
TELEGRAM TO Yu. V. LOMONOSOV 1
[1920, May, no earlier than 4]
To Lomonosov
In cipher. The Central Committee cannot accept your resignation, this is all a misunderstanding,
which will be dispelled upon meeting.
Lenin
1 The telegram was sent in response to Yu. V. Lomonosov's request for
resignation and permission to immediately return to Moscow from his mission,
the purpose of which was to manage the repair of rolling stock and the organization of local railway administrations in the South. Lomonosov
referred to the fact that during his illness half of what had been done
was liquidated.
V. I. Lenin turned to the People's Commissariat for Railways for an explanation. In a note
compiled by the People's Commissariat for Railways, it was reported that Lomonosov wrote to them about some inexpedient changes. As for the organization of local administrations,
Lomonosov "rearranged the roads based on local meetings and considerations,
without consulting the center," which he was told. Under the text of this
note, Lenin wrote: "Your draft reply."
13933
NOTE TO G. V. CHICHERIN
[May 11 or 12, 1920]
Here we must decide: either release him or arrest him on
charges of espionage . Contact the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission or Stalin,
in order to decide immediately. Stalin is probably in the
Org bureau 1.
Forward to Stalin: he is the one to confer on all Georgian matters 2.
G. V. Chicherin reported in a letter to V. I. Lenin about the departure abroad
of the American mechanical engineer R. Keely, who came to Moscow in 1919 and worked in the Supreme Council of National Economy. Suspected of espionage, Keely
was detained on the border on May 12, 1920 by the Special Department of the 7th Army
and sent to the Special Department of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission.
On June 25, V. I. Lenin requested the head of the Special Department of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission,
V. R. Menzhinsky, for data that served as the basis for Keely's arrest.
Menzhinsky confirmed Keely's espionage activities.
In July 1920, the Keely case was transferred to the Supreme Tribunal
under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, which found him guilty of illegally sending
information of a malicious and slanderous nature about Soviet
Russia and the Communist Party to the United States; on April 24, 1921, Keely
was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment. On August 4, 1921, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee satisfied Keely's petition for release, and he
was allowed to travel to the United States.
In the second part of the letter, G. V. Chicherin reported on a telegram
received from G. K. Ordzhonikidze on Georgian matters.
14102
NOTE TO V. A. AVANESOV
May 26, 1920
Comrade Avanesov! I am informed that cars are not being given
despite the order of Comrade Milyutin (Supreme Council of National Economy) and for foreigners,
due to some disorders in the auto section (Department of Economic Affairs of the Supreme Council of National Economy; head
Bondarenko). I ask you very much to check more strictly 1.
Yours, Lenin
1 Member of the Board of the People's Commissariat of Workers' and Peasants' Inspection V. A. Avanesov gave
an order on May 28, 1920: "Very urgently. Monitor the implementation of this matter -
I agree that it is impossible to give serviceable cars due to mobilization - but
it is possible to take them from repair and therefore expedite the transfer of cars that the auto
base will repair with its own resources."
1U3'*
INSCRIPTIONS, NOTES AND UNDERLININGS ON
TELEGRAMS REGARDING THE
AGRONOMIC
ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT OF RAILWAYS 1
[1920, May, earlier than 28]
Copy
Telegram
To all junction railway consumer societies and food organs of the railways. Council of People's Commissars, People's Commissariat of Food, People's Commissariat of Railways and the executive committee
of all railway agricultural administrations under the People's Commissariat of Railways.

Tsekprofsozh and Prodput propose that all agricultural production
enterprises [with inventory and staff, located in the alienation zone and outside it, should not be transferred to the agro-service. Permission
X
from the NKPS agricultural administrations for the transfer has been protested by the Council of People's Commissars and, until a final
resolution, is not subject to execution. Only cultural and educational measures and equipment, located in the alienation zone, as well as staff not needed [for] servicing production facilities, are subject to transfer. Agronomic personnel are allowed
to work in agro-services [on] a part-time basis.
Chairman of Tsekprofsozh Amosov
Responsible Secretary of Tsekprofsozh Platonov
Chairman of the Railwaymen's Supply Council Kravets
Date?
X what does this mean?
Check it out.
To the Organizational Bureau of the Central Committee, Comrade Krestinsky, copy to Comrade Lenin
...At the NKPS meeting on 3/4 under my chairmanship, with
the participation of representatives of Tsekprofsozh, it was decided that Tsekprofsozh
would issue telegraphic instructions the next day regarding the transfer of agricultural
enterprises to the agro-service. This was not done.
Lengthy sabotage negotiations and meetings began, and, in the end,
nitpicking over the technicalities of the transfer, the aforementioned comrades through the railway telegraph
issued an order to not implement the resolution of the
Council of People's Commissars...
Date?
To the Organizational Bureau of the Central Committee.
1 On February 26, 1920, the Council of People's Commissars adopted the Statute on
the Agronomic Administration under the People's Commissariat of Railways.
The purpose of the Agronomic Administration under the NKPS was: the organization and
coordination of agronomic measures on the railways; assistance
in the production of agricultural products for the needs of the railway workers; the overall improvement of agricultural culture in the alienation zone; the implementation of agronomic measures on the railways
in full agreement with the general state land and agricultural
policy; the implementation of the decree of February 15,
1919, regarding the organization of Soviet farms by institutions
and associations of the industrial proletariat. The tasks of the agronomic
administration included material and organizational assistance
to railway workers in their agricultural endeavors, the dissemination
of agricultural knowledge among railway workers, the rational
use of the alienation zone and free areas in the forest
and peat developments.
The resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of February 26, 1920, obligated Tsek-
profsozh to transfer all agronomic enterprises on the railways
to the jurisdiction of the agronomic administration. However, this was not done.

In May 1920, the issue of Tsekprofsozh was heard in the Politburo and
it was decided to transfer the issue to the Organizational Bureau for urgent resolution, tasking it with forming a relevant commission if
detailed consideration was necessary. In the event that willful non-compliance with the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars is established, the punishment should be no less than a reprimand and removal from responsible positions.
14159, 14177
NOTES TO M. N. POKROVSKY 1
[1920, May, no earlier than 29]
To Comrade M. N. Pokrovsky
1) Have you seen Balkashina, and if so, what is the outcome?
2) I would like to call you tomorrow during the day (11-4). Where will you
be?
Lenin
Comrade Pokrovsky!
If you are not in a hurry to leave, perhaps after the meeting
we can talk for 5 minutes about Balkashina?
Lenin
1 A. F. Balkashina headed the experimental school of the People's Commissariat of Education.
V. I. Lenin was interested in the results of the commission's work on the inspection
of the school and its conclusions.
Balkashina addressed a letter to Lenin in which she reported
that the overall impression of the experimental school's work was satisfactory to the commission, however, its conclusions were incomprehensible to her, and she asked Lenin to answer whether she should
continue to work at this school.
Lenin made a note on Balkashina's letter:
"To the archive
Received 29/V 1920 (from Balkashina)".