LETTER TO V. A. AVANESOV 1
1/XI [1920] To Comrade Avanesov!
In my view, the theses need to be thoroughly revised.²
The title should be changed.
Subheading: Preliminary Theses for a Report (December 20).
Divide into three sections:
I. Fundamental Principles.
II. The Decree of February 7, 1920³.
III. The Experience of Rabkrin.
With regard to Section I:
Select and quote the relevant passages from the Program of the RCP (§8 of the Political Section; §5 of the Economic Section; §8 of the Economic Section).
Add Bukharin’s remarks—published in Pravda—on the recent shift toward productive labor. Highlight the conditions under which this shift is to be understood as the culmination of “the simplification of administrative functions” (as outlined in the RCP Program; see the end of Political Section §8).
To conclude:
§8 of the Political Section
of the RCP Program
Carefully consider and systematically organize each directive; treat every single idea contained in the Program as a distinct point.
With regard to Section II: Analyze the principal ideas underlying the Decree of February 7, 1920, comparing them with the Program and other relevant documents.
Briefly summarize Sections I and II.
Section III: The Experience of Rabkrin:
Is it possible to briefly distill the main lessons or offer some guiding principles?
How many workers were involved? What was the situation in Moscow and the provinces?
Among the two categories of employees—how many attended courses?
How many audits were conducted? How many involved both workers and peasants?
How many workers and peasants were actively engaged?
I
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Non‑party conferences?
E2: Two or three outstanding cases that were uncovered thanks to the efforts of the workers themselves.
The Commission on the Simplification of Administrative Procedures: What were the outcomes?
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Accounting practices.
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Warehouse management procedures?
And so forth, item by item.