V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v54;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

1. To Comrade Chicherin (or, if he cannot, to Litvinov)
and to Comrade Radek

Will it be sufficient, when characterising the international position of the R.S.F.S.R., to say that the threat from Poland and Rumania comes only from their military party, and not from all the ruling classes in those countries?
—that the alliance of the four Powers (Britain, the United States, France and Japan) concluded at the Washington Conference is, firstly, extremely unstable, like all imperialist alliances; and, secondly, hostile to all other nations?

Should anything be added to this?

Can anything be said about the plan to invite Russia and Germany to the second conference in April 1922?[141] What source can be cited? To what extent is this to be regarded as reliable or probable?
2. To Comrade Chicherin (Litvinov)

Can our progress in 1921 be characterised by an increase in the number of trade agreements with European Powers? If so, list them (in 1920 only with Britain; in 1921 with such-and-such).

If not, can progress in this respect be characterised by other data besides the volume of trade turnover (about which I shall ask the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade)?
3. To Comrade Lezhava

Could our progress in 1921 in developing trade with foreign countries be characterised by two or three figures, even the most general and approximate? For example, purchases and orders in 1920—about such-and-such a sum; in 1921, over so many months, about such-and-such, and the total will probably be up to such-and-such?

Could Germany be singled out in this respect? Could two or three summary figures be given on the volume of our exports abroad in 1921 compared with 1920?

4. To Comrade Fomin

Could you let me have exact or approximate figures on how many new locomotives (and carriages? and tank cars?) were brought in from abroad in 1921? compared with 1920? other products for transport?
also: ordered in 1921 to the amount of such-and-such?

Could I cite in my report to the Congress of Soviets facts on the state of transport in 1921 compared with 1920 in the briefest form, the most essential (one page)?
5. To Comrade Trotsky

Could you add to your theses and your report something on the economic work of the army? on the continuity of the link with the Army Labour Corps?[142] and in general in accordance with the assignment formulated in the decision of either one of the 1921 plenums of the C.C. or one of the meetings of the Political Bureau in the autumn of 1921?[143]
6. To Comrade Khinchuk

Could you supplement the figures on the development of the turnover of the Central Union of Consumers’ Societies which you gave me (1 million; three and 6 million gold rubles for August, September and October 1921)*, firstly, with approximate figures for November? secondly, with the figure for grain purchases? thirdly, with the figure for the number of gubernia unions that submitted reports out of their total number? fourthly, with any other very brief summary data which I could cite in my report to the Congress of Soviets?
7. To Comrade Osinsky

Could you give me for my report to the Congress of Soviets two or three summary figures, firstly, on our fulfilment of the task of supplying the peasants with seed for the autumn of 1921; secondly, on any other tangible results and successes that have already made themselves felt in 1921?

* See also this volume, Document 97. — Ed.