Note to N. P. Bryukhanov and Telegram to Kh. G. Pestun
ЗАПИСКА Н. П. БРЮХАНОВУ И ТЕЛЕГРАММА Х. Г. ПЕСТУНУ
Date: 1921-09-03
Source: PSS vol 53
Translated by: AI (Claude)

My impression is that the People's Commissariat of Justice treats this question in a purely formal way, that is, fundamentally incorrectly.

It is necessary:

1) to put this matter to trial;

2) to achieve discrediting of the guilty both in the press and by strict punishment;

3) to tighten up judges through the Central Committee, so that they punish red tape more severely;

4) to arrange a conference of Moscow people's judges, members of tribunals, etc. for developing successful measures of struggle against red tape;

5) obligatorily this fall and winter of 1921-22 to put on trial in Moscow 4-6 cases of Moscow red tape, selecting cases "more colorful" and making a political case out of each trial;

6) to find at least 2-3 intelligent "experts" on red tape cases from Communists who are more vicious and combative (attract Sosnovsky), in order to learn how to hound for red tape;

7) to issue a good, sensible, non-bureaucratic letter (circular of the People's Commissariat of Justice) on the struggle against red tape.

I place this most important task on the personal responsibility of the People's Commissar and his deputy, I ask to inform me regularly about execution.

Chairman of Sovnarkom Lenin

Written September 3, 1921
First published February 6, 1927 in the newspaper Pravda No. 30
Printed from the manuscript