[1921, late March]

Gorky is here. He is complaining about something regarding the decision on Grzhebin*.

Do you know what the matter is?

*The reference is to the head of a book publishing house organized in 1919 in Petrograd (with branches in Moscow and later in Berlin) for the publication of artistic, scientific, and popular scientific literature.

Lenin's writing of this memorandum apparently relates to the time when the CC of the RCP(b) was considering the desirability of printing books of the "World Literature" publishing house in Germany through Z. I. Grzhebin. Against this, B. S. Stomonyakov, the Trade Representative of Soviet Russia in Berlin, and Yu. Kh. Lutovinov, Deputy Trade Representative of the RSFSR in Germany, came out in opposition. On May 25, 1921, they addressed the CC of the RCP(b) with a statement in which they pointed out that the publishing apparatus created by the Trade Representation of the RSFSR in Germany would publish literature more cheaply than Grzhebin.

Maxim Gorky (A. M. Peshkov) — the great proletarian writer, founder of socialist realism, originator of Soviet literature.
[1921, April 1]

Chairman: Krzhizhanovsky.

Deputy: P. S. Osadchy.

Members: Aleksandrov, Dolgov, Kritsman¹.

¹ The list of Gosplan members contains 35 people. Against each name is indicated the place of their work. For example: "G. O. Graptio — from the Electrification Administration of the NKPS, I. M. Gubkin — Chairman of Glavslanets under the VSNKh, Prof. Williams — Petrovskaya Academy, P. I. Popov — Head of Tsum, G. M. Krzhizhanovsky — State Electric Station 'Elektroperedacha'" etc.

² P. S. Osadchy — major specialist in the field of electrical engineering, professor, subsequently rector of the Petrograd Electrotechnical Institute.

I. G. Aleksandrov — professor, chairman of the technical-economic council of the Committee of State Constructions.

A. N. Dolgov — professor, deputy chairman of the Central Production Commission under the VSNKh.