Council of People's Commissars

To All Workers of the Kinemshma District. Comrade workers, the rural wealthy of the grain-producing provinces are concealing and refusing to surrender enormous grain reserves for the starving workers. The wealthy prefer to sell grain at frenzied speculative prices, which only the urban bourgeoisie can afford, but not the poorest starving population. Speculating on grain, the wealthy strive to speculate as well on the goods they obtain in exchange for grain. The urban bourgeoisie is conducting agitation for the abolition of the grain monopoly, fixed prices, and for the introduction of free grain trade. From agitation the bourgeoisie is proceeding to provocation, cunningly and imperceptibly pushing hungry workers toward demonstrations, unrest, and disorder, seeking to seize power into their own hands. The Council of People's Commissars is fighting with all its strength and defending the grain monopoly, without which only the bourgeoisie will prosper, while the poorest population will be left completely without bread. Comrade workers, do not succumb to provocation by dark forces, do not play into the hands of the bourgeoisie and counter-revolutionaries, who want to use your hands to rake in profits for themselves and destroy all the conquests of the revolution. With your thoughtless demonstrations and independent commodity exchange, do not introduce disorganization into the difficult work of securing bread for you. Council of People's Commissars

* The document was also signed by I. V. Stalin, chairman of the Russian peace delegation. Ed.