V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v34;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

LETTER TO V. A. SMOLYANINOV
May 15, 1922

I must reprimand you and Comrade Zaks—with a warning that next time a more severe penalty will be applied—for having found, after checking the work of Comrade Ulrich, who has been following up the execution of decisions of the Council of People’s Commissars and the Council of Labour and Defence for several months, a tremendous amount of disorder.

The card enclosed herewith defines the form and procedure of Comrade Ulrich’s work. Yet the card is not being complied with; neither you nor Zaks have supervised this, although it is your primary duty.

I instructed Comrade Ulrich to fill in the card with the utmost accuracy, with pedantic strictness.

I instruct you, together with Comrade Zaks, to secure the most accurate fulfilment of this; if Comrade Ulrich does not learn to do it, replace her and find a person who will be absolutely accurate.

It is evident from the enclosed cards that Comrade Fotieva, too, has begun, like Comrade Ulrich, to alter the card “on her own”. I will absolutely not tolerate this. Only the deputies are entitled to prescribe and authorise changes in the card, and then only with their joint signatures.

Any other changes—dismissal from office.

It is better to check only a part of the decisions of the Council of People’s Commissars and the Council of Labour and Defence (as marked by the deputies or the Business Manager), but to check them with pedantic accuracy.

Every People’s Commissar must immediately appoint several comrades to be responsible for checking the execution of decisions (the Business Manager, his assistant, the Secretary, his assistant, etc.) and communicate their names to the Business Manager of the Council of People’s Commissars and the Council of Labour and Defence. These persons must be mercilessly punished for inaccuracy by arrest or dismissal, by order of the deputies. For inaccuracy, the People’s Commissar must be punished by a reprimand, either simple or entered in his Party membership card. The Business Manager of the Council of People’s Commissars is strictly obliged to see to this, and I shall certainly remove him from his post if this is not carried out with pedantic accuracy.

The task is to accustom the People’s Commissariats to accuracy, by imprisoning and dismissing inaccurate executives.

What has been said about the People’s Commissariats applies to all individual institutions (the State Planning Commission, the Central Statistical Board, the Concessions Committee, the Committee for Internal Trade, etc.) and to the Gubernia Executive Committees, the Regional Economic Councils, etc.

Twice a month you and Zaks are obliged to write to me (briefly, in telegraphic style) on how the work of organising accurate checking of the execution of decisions is progressing. Failure—dismissal.

I enclose cards filled in by Comrade Fotieva (inaccurately and inadmissibly), and blank cards corrected by me: do not dare to soil them, do not dare to write anything superfluous, do not dare to deviate one iota. Otherwise I will drive out both the secretaries and all the business managers.

Show this document to both deputies immediately. Have them sign (before my departure, i.e., in three or four days, not more) a most precise decision on how, in accordance with my instructions, the execution of decisions is to be checked, cards filled in, and inaccuracy punished.

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