Comrade Molotov for members of the
Politbureau

This is not the first time that the Moscow Committee (and
Comrade Zelensky too) is showing indulgence towards communist
criminals, who deserve to be hanged.

This is done “by mistake”. The danger of this “mistake”, however,
is enormous. I move:

1. That Comrade Divilkovsky’s proposal be adopted.

2. That the Moscow Committee be severely reprimanded for being
indulgent to Communists (the form of indulgence—a special
commission).

3. That it be confirmed to all Gubernia Party Committees that for the
slightest attempt to “influence” the courts in the sense of
“mitigating” the responsibility of Communists, the C.C. will
expel such persons from the Party.

4. That a circular be issued notifying the People’s Commissariat for
Justice (copies to the Gubernia Party Committees) to the effect that the
courts are obliged to punish Communists more severely than
non-Communists.

People’s judges and members of the Board of the Commissariat for
Justice who fail to observe this are to be dismissed from office.



5. That the Presidium of the All-Russia Central Executive Committee be
asked to inflict a reprimand on the Presidium of the Moscow Soviet
in the press.

18.111. Lenin

P. S. It is a crying shame, disgraceful—the ruling Party defends
“its own” scoundrels!!




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Notes





[1]

Lenin’s letter was written in connection with the following
incident. Following numerous complaints of abuse practised in the Central
Housing Department of the Moscow Soviet, an inspection of this department
was undertaken. Similar complaints having been received addressed to Lenin,
the inspection was carried out with the close co-operation of the C.P.C.’s
Business Manager (A. A. Divilkovsky). The inspection revealed abuses
practised by a number of top members of the staff of the Central Housing
Department with the connivance of the Department Chief of the Moscow
Communal Services Sovetnikov, a member of the Party. The Bureau of the
Moscow Committee of the R.C.P.(B.), at a joint meeting with the Presidium
of the Moscow Soviet on March 14, declared the findings of the inspection
commission to be unfounded and decided to refer the matter to a new,



Party commission for revision. In his letter to N. P. Gorbunov dated March
15, copies of which were forwarded to all members of the Politbureau for
their information, Divilkovsky stressed that this decision ran counter to
Lenin’s instructions that “bureaucratic banditism, especially when
practised by suspicious elements who have wormed their way into the Party”
should he relentlessly prosecuted, and he asked that this decision be
reversed and the guilty parties put on trial (Central Party Archives,
Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the C.C., C.P.S.U.).

When sending his letter to Molotov for members of the Politbureau,
Lenin wrote on it: “Gorbunov, forward immediately, show to Tsyurupa
and Rykov.”




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