LETTER TO THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT OF FOOD AND THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT OF AGRICULTURE
November 16, 1920
From Mosalsk Uyezd, Kaluga Governorate.
1)
At first, they took it in live livestock – this caused extreme
dissatisfaction among the peasants. They even said that we were "robbing" them.

Then (in October 1920) they switched to taking it not in live livestock, but in meat (13 pounds per cow, 26 pounds
per pig, 7 pounds per sheep, etc.). The peasants were very
satisfied with this change.
Now they have started taking it in live livestock again: again, dis
satisfaction and resentment among the peasants.
2)
Silkovskaya Volost, the estate of the former Baryatinsky
(and German, later, it seems...*), probably more than 1000 desiatinas.
They took everything under a Soviet farm, the land is empty, they take millions from the treasury, they plowed no more than 5 desiatinas in 1920.
10 horses remained (there were about 100), 30-40 cows (there were 200).
No one is trying. The furniture was dragged away, etc.
The surrounding peasants are in great need of land and complain very
much that they are not given either meadows or land.
(Nik. Semenovich Bodyakov, Silkovskaya Volost, Filippovo Village,
Mosalsk Uyezd, Kaluga Governorate.)
I ask Bryukhanov and Sereda to order an inquiry and give it to me
no later than two days.
Can it be satisfied? Or what is the obstacle?
Lenin
16029
RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF LABOR AND DEFENSE
NOVEMBER 17, 1920
In view of the need to restore the destroyed railway structures in the war zone as soon as possible, the Council of Labor and Defense resolved:
1.
Grant the Revolutionary Military Councils of fronts and individual armies, within the territory under their jurisdiction, the authority to declare the work of restoring destroyed railway structures to be of military urgency, taking the following measures for this purpose:
a)
militarize, in the established order, for a period of up to
3 months, workers and employees working on such construction projects, applying the general provision on militarization.

*The surname of the second former owner of the estate is not deciphered.