TO THE MANAGERS OF PROJECTS
OF CENTRAL SOVIET INSTITUTIONS
December 1921
Dear Comrade!
It is imperative, once and for all, to put an end to the rampant red tape and bureaucratic inertia within your institution. Important and urgent matters—those forwarded to you by the SNK’s Reception Office in response to the numerous complaints and petitions addressed to the SNK and its Chairman—are all too often left unanswered and unfulfilled.
I urge you to step up your efforts without delay. The machinery of Soviet administration must operate with precision, integrity, and speed.
The consequences of laxity in this sphere not only harm the interests of private individuals but also cast the entire administrative process into a semblance of emptiness, a ghostly façade.
In assessing the productivity of each individual institution, I propose that we first and foremost take as our benchmark the degree to which all matters passing through its offices are actually and promptly resolved. Henceforth, I demand the swiftest and most comprehensive responses to all cases and inquiries directed to you. To confine ourselves to mere formal replies or to simply forward matters to other institutions is, in effect, to perpetuate red tape and waste paper unnecessarily.
I warn you that should such practices persist, the SNK’s Reception Office reserves the right to hold those responsible accountable, regardless of their “ranks.”
Chairman of the SNK
V. Ulyanov (Lenin)