V. I.

Lenin

Top Secret

Comrade Kursky, People’s Commissariat for Justice
Copy to Comrade Krylenko

On my instructions, the former Moscow Extraordinary
Commission began an investigation into the criminal negligence, red tape and inactivity displayed by the Scientific
and Technical Department and the Inventions Committee.

The results of the investigation were put before the
Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal which, instead of examining
the case in substance, discovering and punishing the guilty
(and that in these institutions there are a sufficient number
of learned wastrels, loafers and other scoundrels, has been
noted more than once in the press, in the articles by
Comrade Sosnovsky and others), adopted an extremely patronising attitude to the accused, tried them without a
prosecutor, and in the end found the charge not proven and
acquitted all the accused.

At the present time I have been informed that the Moscow
Gubernia Branch of the State Political Department has appealed against the decision of the Moscow Revolutionary
Tribunal to the Judiciary Supervision Section of the People’s
Commissariat for Justice. I ask you to study this case personally, pay particular attention to it, try together with
the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection to collect supplementary material on the activity of these institutions, if
necessary appoint an investigating committee by agreement
with Comrade Avanesov—not composed of officials and drivellers, but of people who really know how to
investigate properly, to procure the material required and find the culprits. A political trial should be mounted in the
Revolutionary Tribunal (making use of Comrade Sosnovsky
for the press) to really shake up this “scientific” swamp.

I suggest that the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal be severely reprimanded for its indulgence and formal
bureaucratic handling of the case.

V. Ulyanov (Lenin )
Chairman, Council of People’s Commissars