March 31, 1921

Comrade Chicherin!

I fully agree with you. Draft or have someone draft a project for such a circular (could we include in it the entire speech of Narimanov, or at least a recommendation of it—this is worse than everything)*.

Submit it to the Central Committee.

This is necessary.

Lenin

P.S. 2 5 6 9

# LETTER TO V. M. MOLOTOV

Between April 9 and 21, 1921

To Molotov.

If my memory does not deceive me, a letter or circular of the Central Committee regarding May 1 was printed in the newspapers, and it says to expose the lies of religion or something similar.

This is impermissible. This is tactless. Precisely on the occasion of Easter, one must recommend something else: not to expose lies, but absolutely to avoid any insult to religion.

It is necessary to issue an additional letter or circular**. If the Secretariat disagrees, then take it to the Politburo.

Lenin

* This concerns the drafting of an appeal by the Central Committee of the RCP(b) to party organizations of republics and regions with a Muslim population on the necessity, when conducting anti-religious propaganda, of being tactful and not offending the religious feelings of Muslims. In a letter to the Central Committee of the RCP(b), G. V. Chicherin mentioned one of N. N. Narimanov's speeches: "At one time Comrade Narimanov gave very valuable instructions to agitators in the East precisely on this question. His speech to the mullahs on the separation of church and state is a model of a tactful approach to a Muslim audience" (this phrase was underlined by V. I. Lenin).

** The circular letter of the Central Committee of the RCP(b), published in *Pravda* on April 21, 1921, proposed that during the celebration of May 1, "under no circumstances should any speeches be permitted that offend the religious feelings of the mass of the population."