V. I.

Lenin

Very urgent

Avanesov, Kursky and Tsyurupa

I suspect a small military stratagem on the part of
Osinsky and Bogdanov, who today, in my absence, are raising the question of reversing the decision of the Council
of Labour and Defence about the prosecution of persons guilty of bureaucratic delays in the manufacture of the
Fowler ploughs. [1] Please give attention to this matter,
and use your influence against reversing the decision. There
is no doubt that in this affair there are people guilty
of red tape, and from the standpoint of principle it is
essential not to leave such matters within the confines
of bureaucratic institutions, but to bring them out into the
public court—not so much for the sake of inflicting strict
punishment (perhaps a reprimand will suffice), but for the sake of publicity and for dispelling the universal
conviction that guilty persons are not punished.

December 13, 1921

Lenin