Comrade Sergo!
It is absolutely imperative that the Congress of Soviets of Georgia adopt a resolution mandating the vigorous strengthening of the Georgian Red Army—and that this resolution be put into practice without fail.
In the worst-case scenario, if the peasantry objects, we must at least pass a resolution in the most general terms: acknowledge the necessity of “urgently strengthening the Georgian Red Army, calling upon all organs of state authority and all working masses to devote their efforts to this task,” and so forth.
But in practice, we must, come what may, immediately begin to develop and reinforce the Georgian Red Army—be it only with a single brigade, or even fewer. Two to three thousand Red Army cadets, half of whom are Communists—so that these cadets, once trained as cadre officers, can be rapidly deployed into the army whenever the need arises—this is an absolute necessity.
Stalin will no doubt elaborate further on the military‑technical means of implementing this measure.171
For now, I will confine myself to the political dimension of the matter: those who fail to carry out this directive will be expelled from the Party without exception. There is no room for frivolity here; politically speaking, this is utterly

LETTER FROM G. K. ORJONIKIDZE
absolutely essential—and you, personally, along with the entire Georgian Central Committee, will be held accountable to the entire Party for this failure. I await your response.
Yours, Lenin, 13 February.
This applies both to Comrade Sergo and to every member of the Central Committee of the Georgian Communist Party.
Written on 13 February 1922.
First published in 1925 in the book: M. D. Orakelashvili,
“Lenin and the ZSFSR (Materials).”
Tiflis, published by “Soviet Caucasus.”

Printed from a typewritten copy, supplemented and signed by V. I. Lenin.