[1921]

Comrade Dzerzhinsky!
Ivan Ivanovich Skvortsov-Stepanov has arrived (from a tour of the localities).
He reports: a great threat to transport, both railway and water.
Firstly, the bag-men are gaining dominance.
Secondly, Soviet bureau chiefs on the railways are sending dozens of cars "on commission" everywhere. Pretext: official business.
In reality: they are profiteering. They feed the Soviet bureau chiefs.
Railway employees are, almost without exception, profiteers. Speculators. Urgent measures must be taken. Drop me a line.
Yours, Lenin