September 25, 1922
In my view, it is absolutely essential to conduct a one-day census of all officials and employees in the city of Moscow*. We once carried out such a census, but that was far too long ago.
To accomplish this at minimal cost—requiring only the purchase of blank forms, and even then a portion could be drawn from the Central Statistical Office’s general reserves—every individual receiving a salary from the Soviet authorities or from state-owned enterprises should be required to submit their own data (according to a concise questionnaire that the Central Statistical Office must draft within a week, in consultation with local RABKRIN offices, Gosplan, and other relevant bodies). Until they provide complete and accurate information, no one should receive a salary.
In this way, we can achieve rapid results—imposing fines for tardiness and for inadequate performance.
Our administrative apparatus is so utterly abysmal that it must be fundamentally reformed. Without a comprehensive census, such reform is simply impossible. And the Central Statistical Office deserves criticism for its academic tendencies: they sit around writing “volumes,” yet fail to give serious thought to the pressing needs of the day…
Lenin
If necessary, mobilization should be implemented through a special law.
All employees of the Central Statistical Office should be mobilized, along with a designated percentage of other workers.
NOTE TO THE PEOPLE’S COMMISSARIAT OF JUSTICE
September 25, 1922
To Deputy Kursky (if Kursky is unavailable)
What progress has been made toward publishing the Code of Laws of the Soviet State? Is the Codification Department merely asleep, or are they preparing something in time for the five-year anniversary?
We must rouse them and ask them to jot down just two words for me.
Lenin
*
In his speech at the Fourth Session of the All‑Russian Central Executive Committee, V. I. Lenin, speaking about our state apparatus, cited the results of a census of civil servants—conducted at his initiative (Works, Volume XXVII, pp. 320–321).
V. I. Lenin also refers to this census in his “Outline of an Unfinished Speech Delivered at the Tenth All‑Russian Congress of Soviets” (Works, Volume XXVII, pp. 383–384).

1922