V. I.

Lenin

69

To:   N. N. KRESTINSKY [1]

1

I have not seen the article, but relying on Kamenev (that he would not have, recommended anything harmful )
I cast my vote in favour of publishing it tomorrow .

Lenin

2

In that case, we should require

1) the reservation that the author or authors have
written it as private writers and not as persons in office;

2) the reservation: the article is offered for discussion.

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Notes:
[1]
Lenin wrote these two notes at a sitting of the Politbureau of
the R.C.P.(B.) Central Committee. The first was written in reply
to Krestinsky’s note saying that the Pravda Editorial Board had
received an article on the advantages of the tax in kind over the
surplus-food requisitioning. L. B. Kamenev had passed on the
article to Krestinsky requesting that it should be printed without
fail on February 17. N. L. Meshcheryakov, a member of the
Pravda collegium, had doubts about the need for its urgent
publication. Krestinsky wrote to say that he was essentially in
agreement with Meshcheryakov.

The second note was in reply to Krestinsky’s communication
that he was doubtful about the official character of the article,
which was being presented almost on behalf of the Moscow
Soviet, because the authors had signed: “Moscow Gubernia Food
Commissar Sorokin and Head of Moscow Gubernia Agricultural
Department Rogov.” On February 16, the Politbureau of the
R.C.P.(B.) Central Committee passed a decision permitting the
publication of the article.

The article entitled “Surplus Appropriation or Tax” signed
by P. Sorokin and M. Rogov, was carried by way of discussion
in Pravda . Nos. 35 and 43 on February 17 and 26, 1921. It was
mentioned by Lenin in his speech at the Plenary Meeting of the
Moscow Soviet of Workers’ and Peasants’ Deputies on
February 28, 1921 (see present edition, Vol. 32, p. 156).