V. I.

Lenin

297

LETTER TO V. S. DOVGALEVSKY AND INSTRUCTION TO A SECRETARY

To the People’s Commissar for Posts and Telegraphs

Typed copies to

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(1) addressee (2) me (3) N. P. Gorbunov

Comrade Dovgalevsky, Please let me have information about the state of wireless
telephony in our country.

1) Is the Central Moscow Station working? If so, how
many hours a day, and over what distance in versts?

If not, what is lacking?

2) Are we manufacturing (and how many?) receivers,
installations capable of voice reception from Moscow?

3) How do matters stand with loudspeakers,
installations which enable a whole hall (or square) to hear Moscow?

Etc.

I am very much afraid that this business has once again
“gone to sleep” (in the damnable manner of the
Russian
Oblomovs, [1] putting everyone and everything to sleep ).

It has been “promised” many times, and all time limits have long ago expired!

The importance of this affair for us (for propaganda in
the East especially) is exceptional . Delay and negligence
here are criminal.

All this already exists abroad; what is lacking can and must be bought. In all probability, there is criminal
negligence somewhere.

V. Ulyanov (Lenin )
Chairman, Council of People’s Commissars

September 2, 1921