Censuses were to be conducted throughout the entire territory of the country and represented a single statistical operation carried out simultaneously, according to a unified plan and under unified direction. However, in certain localities it proved impossible to conduct a census, as military operations were still taking place, struggle against interventionists and White Guards was ongoing. A vast mass of population remained uncensused—population located in the territory of Byelorussia, parts of Ukraine, the Caucasus, Dagestan, parts of Turkestan, Kirghizia, and the Far East. By this time Crimea too was still in a state of civil war. At the end of October 1920, in Crimea the troops of the Southern Front went on the offensive and smashed the main forces of Wrangel. In November 1920 the liberation of Crimea was completed. Only after liberation could the population census be conducted there as well.

To ensure the preparation, organization, and conduct of the census was extraordinarily difficult, inasmuch as it took place under conditions of civil war and economic devastation. Many factories and plants were not operating at all or operated sporadically, transport was in a very grave condition, there was a shortage of the most essential items, including paper, fuel, and so forth.

V. I. Lenin, attaching great importance to this census, provided constant assistance in the work of the Central Statistical Administration (see Complete Collected Works, vol. 51, pp. 339–340, 345–346, 351–352; vol. 52, pp. 304–305, 328–329; vol. 53, pp. 241, 276).

The Manager of the Central Statistical Administration and chairman of the census commission P. I. Popov assessed Lenin's role in the preparation and conduct of this census as follows: "... at the proposal of Vladimir Ilyich, the Council of People's Commissars established a commission under my chairmanship, which was given the right to demand from all institutions what was necessary for the work of factories, and the institutions were obliged to immediately fulfill the commission's demands. Only with the help of Vladimir Ilyich was I able to secure teachers from the People's Commissariat of Education for conducting the census. Yes, the 1920 census owes its realization entirely to him."

NOTE TO THE ORGBURO OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE RCP(b)¹

Krzhizhanovsky does not know him.

I request the Orgburo to examine this matter and investigate.

27/III [1921] Lenin

¹ Written on a letter from V. A. Lopato, former head of the Tambov gubernatorial department for rural work, dated February 9, 1921, who had appealed to G. M. Krzhizhanovsky with a request to assist him through the Central Committee in gaining the opportunity to obtain technical education. In his letter Lopato reported that he had addressed this request for reassignment to Moscow for study to the gubernatorial party committee but had not received permission. Now he was submitting the request a second time to the gubernatorial committee and simultaneously writing to Krzhizhanovsky.

This matter was considered at a session of the Orgburo on April 4, 1921. Lopato's request was granted.

G. M. Krzhizhanovsky—party member since 1893; in 1920 headed the Commission for the Electrification of Russia. In 1921–1930 directed Gosplan.

NOTE TO THE SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE RCP(b)
V. M. MOLOTOV¹
[1921, March 29]

To all members of the Central Committee

I propose to collect votes

Proposal
For Soko-
Against
For separate lnikov² discussion
Lenin*

¹ Written in connection with a letter from G. Y. Sokolnikov, in which he proposed certain changes in the composition of the Turkburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b).

² G. Y. Sokolnikov—party member since 1905. After the October socialist revolution was engaged in diplomatic, military, and financial work. From August 1920 to March 1921 was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Turkestan Front and chairman of the Turkestan Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR. Repeatedly spoke out against Lenin's party policy. Expelled from the party ranks for anti-party activity.

NOTE ON THE RECEPTION OF E. S. VARGA
[1921, March]

Comrade Varga

Tell Glisser to write down his telephone number and address and remind me.

I shall try to expedite his reception.¹

* The document bears the signatures of votes by other members of the Central Committee.