V. I.

Lenin

Comrades Kamenev, Rykov and Tsyurupa

Owing to a recurrence of my illness I must wind up all political work and take a holiday again. [1] Therefore our disagreements with you lose their practical
significance. I must say, however, that I utterly disagree with Rykov’s
practical addendum, and I move the exact opposite against it—namely, that
reception should be quite free, unlimited and even extended. [2] I am leaving the details until a personal meeting.

To a considerable extent I disagree also with the distribution of the
commissariats. I think this distribution should be more closely adjusted to
the ability for purely administrative work on the part of the various
deputies; in my opinion, the chief fault of your yesterday’s distribution
consists in the lack of such adjustment. [3] The functions of chairmanship and supervision of the
proper legal wording of both legislative acts and decisions of the Financial Committee and so
forth should be far more strictly separated from the functions of checking
and improving the administrative apparatus. Comrade Kamenev is more
suitable for the former functions (i.e., chairmanship, supervision of
proper wording, etc.) whereas the purely administrative functions are more
in Tsyurupa’s and Rykov’s line.

For the general reason mentioned above I must defer this question until
my return from leave. But please bear in mind that I give my consent to
your proposed distribution, not for three months (as you suggest), but
pending my return to work, should this take place earlier than within three
months.

I see that, your distribution has overlooked such an important organ as
Ekonomicheskaya Zhizn , which needs someone to keep a special eye
on it. I think this could best be done by Rykov.

Lenin

13.XII.1922

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Notes:
[1]
On the morning of December 13 Lenin had two attacks of illness. The
doctors ordered him a complete rest. “The doctors,” his sister Maria
(M. I. Ulyanova) wrote later, “had great difficulty in persuading Vladimir
Ilyich to drop work altogether and go out into the country. Meanwhile he
was to lie down for as long as possible and not go for walks. In the end Vladimir Ilyich agreed to leave
town and said ‘I’ll start winding up my affairs this very day’.”

From then on Lenin spent several days at home, dictating letters and
giving various instructions, anxious to wind up his affairs, to which he
attached great importance.

[2]
This refers to Rykov’s suggestion that the reception of visitors by
Lenin should, as a general rule, take place alter preliminary selection by
the Deputy Chairmen of the C.P.C. and the C.L.D. or by the Secretary of the
Central Committee, R.C.P.

[3]
This letter deals with the distribution of functions between Deputy
Chairmen of the C.P.C. and the C.L.D. Tsyurupa, Kameney and Rykov as
planned on December 12. See pp. 428–29 and 430–32 of this volume for
Lenin’s proposals on this subject.