Draft telegram

Cipher

Police officers, bandits, and probably some People's Commissars should be purged, I advise not to weaken the purge, but those of the purged, who are not dishonorable, should be enrolled as candidates and endure a year of temptation.

Lenin.

Note to Stalin т. Stalin!

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Lenin.

Telegram

Cipher

Baku. Ordzhonikidze, Kirov

Tiflis. Mdivani

Copy: Figatner

We received a telegram from Baku signed by Kirov and Ordzhonikidze: "The purge of the party threatens to leave some People's Commissars out of the party. In the districts a large number of expelled fall on former policemen and bandits. All of them are Muslims and many of them held responsible positions. In order to avoid misunderstandings and distortions, which are inevitable, it is desirable to send one of the members of the Central Verification Commission "1*. After discussing the telegram they decided: to propose to Mdivani, a member of the Caucasian Bureau, to immediately leave [for] Azerbaijan and to solve on the spot the misunderstandings connected with the purge, being guided by the fact that in view of the youth of the communist movement in Azerbaijan one should show maximum gentleness and tolerance towards the Muslim communists during the purge, throwing out of the party only the obviously dishonest former policemen and bandits.

P.Zalutsky.

Stalin.

Lenin.2*

Fund 2, op. 1, d. 21660, fol. 3 - draft and note Lenin - autograph, telegram - original, Stalin's autograph.

1* Quoted telegram of S.M.Kirov and G.K.Ordzhonikidze to the Central Committee of the RCP(b) of October 26, 1921

2* Signature in the sent telegram: "On behalf of the Central Committee Lenin, Stalin and Zalutsky" (see ibid., l.1).

1From August 15, 1921 the party was purged in the organizations of the RCP(6) on the basis of the resolutions of the X Congress and X Conference of the RCP(6) (see: The CPSU in Resolutions and Decisions of Congresses, Conferences and Plenums of the Central Committee. 9th ed., vol. 2. M., 1983, p. 438).