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Letter on the use of “Personal Contacts“, December 3, 1921
In the calendar “Entry of the secretarial information on V. I. Lenin’s assignments” an entry on December 5, 1921, says: “To Yenukidze, Karpinsky, Dzerzhinsky, Zalutsky, Mikhailov and Molotov (through Divilkovsky).
“Please designate the men who could be used for ‘personal contacts’ in the event of need in more serious and thorough investigation.”
An entry on January 4, 1922, says: “N. P. Gorbunov is dealing with it. Everything is going well. The men are being designated” (Central Party Archives of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the CPSU Central Committee).
Comrades Yenukidze, Karpinsky, Dzerzhinsky, Zalutsky, Mikhailov and Molotov
Dear Comrade:
It has become clear from the CPC office practice in dealing with complaints and applications that in specially serious and urgent cases it helps to use “personal contacts”, i.e., personal communication with various Party comrades holding sufficiently influential positions in the localities. This serves to reduce the delays which are inevitable in the usual departmental routing of business, and generally enhances the required effect.
An example is provided by the case of terrorism by the kulak “lair” in the (new) Yelan Uyezd of Saratov Gubernia, which had made up to the Soviet power and the Party. Within 10 days we obtained a reply telegram from the plenipotentiary All-Russia Cheka representative in the Volga area saying that “all measures to detect the guilty have been taken”, when the inquiry was sent in this “comradely” manner. There are similar results in other cases.
But this method can be applied more extensively only where there is sufficient knowledge of the responsible functionaries actually on the spot. Our request is, therefore, urgently to draw up and send to the CPC office at 4 Vozdvizhenka, appropriate lists of reliable comrades with a good record, from among members of Executive Committees, Gubernia Cheka, etc., one or two per gubernia, who, you believe, are especially suitable for applying such “pressure”.
V. Ulyanov (Lenin)
Chairman, CPC
P. S. There is need for the fullest guarantee that such comrades are honest, namely: give in the greatest possible detail their Party and Soviet government record, and a personal warranty of their absolute honesty by several Party veterans.
3/XII.–21
V. Ulyanov (Lenin)