V. I.

Lenin

386

To:   THE MANAGEMENT OF THE C.P.C. OFFICE [1]

Copy to N. P. Gorbunov

13.IX.1921

I discovered yesterday that an urgent document which
I gave to Fotieva for L. B. Kamenev was dispatched the “usual”, i.e. idiotic, way and was delayed for many hours,
and would have been held up for days but for my interference.

It is intolerable for the office to work in this way, and
if I find another case of such typical red tape and spoiling
of business, I shall resort to strict punishment and removal of personnel. These are my instructions:

1) on every document or package which I hand in for
dispatch, a personal check-up must be made by the secretary on duty (who must leave a deputy, if she goes away,
and who must make arrangements with the telephone operators on 24-hour duty, about a substitute);

2) check up to see whether all the inscriptions are there
(personal delivery; urgent; signature on envelope, etc.);

3) check up to see whether the parcel has gone to the
messenger at once;

4) be sure to check up by phone with the addressee;

5) show me the return envelope with the signature;

6) these rules shall also be carried out by the telephone
operators in the booth, in the event of assignments during
hours when the secretary is absent.

V. Ulyanov (Lenin )

Chairman, C.P.C.

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Notes:
[1]
Having received this letter from Lenin, N. P. Gorbunov, C.P.C.

Business Manager, on September 13, 1921, made the following entry in the assignment register: “Draw up instructions to the

Secretariat of the Full C.P.C. on Vladimir Ilyich’s assignments and packets. Fulfilled. See Order of September 20” ( Istorichesky Arkhiv No. 5, 1961, p. 41). See also this volume, Document 387.