Letter to Leon Trotsky, September 8, 1920

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Author(s) Lenin
Written 8 September 1920


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First published in part in 1960 in the book: Istoria grazhdanskoi voiny v SSSR. 1917–1922, Vol. 5. Published in full in 1965 in Collected Works, Fifth Ed., Vol. 51. Printed from the typewritten copy.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1975, Moscow, Volume 44, page 428b
Keywords : Leon Trotsky, Letter

Comrade Trotsky,

This was received today in reply to my night inquiry about “pseudonym” (he has been summoned, to us here, and inquiries have been made of Gusev[1]... .[2] Gusev does not object.

But his report about a big defeat of the 13th Army is extremely alarming and extremely important.

In my opinion, it is necessary to treat this with the utmost seriousness in view of the whole situation and 1) inquire at once of the Commander-in-Chief, 2) raise this evening in the CC ...[3]

...[4] whether to appoint Frunze commander of the front against Wrangel and to put Frunze in at once.[5] I have asked Frunze to have a talk with you as soon as possible. Frunze says he has studied the Wrangel front, has prepared himself for that front and knows (from his experience of the Urals Region) the methods of struggle against the Cossacks.

Lenin

  1. ↑ This refers to a code message which Lenin received on September 8, 1920, from S. I. Gusev, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the South-Western Front, reporting proposals by “pseudonym”, a deserter, the former Lieutenant Yakovlev, who had made his way through the 13th Army to Headquarters of the South-Western Front. The gist of Yakovlev’s proposals was this: “A secret organisation of officers has been formed in Wrangel’s army aimed at blowing up Wrangel from within and handing over his whole army to the Soviet government. In the organisation there are some thirty General Staff officers. The organisation intends to overthrow Wrangel and proclaim his army the Red Crimean Army under the command of Brusilov. The Russian Government is asked to give real guarantees of a full amnesty for the whole array without exception, and issue a corresponding proclamation by the Commander-in-Chief. As proof of the seriousness of the proposal, Yakovlev is prepared to give away the leaders of Wrangel’s organisation operating in Soviet Russia with the aim... of preparing an armed uprising. Temporarily, until the arrival of Brusilov, the command of the Red Crimean Army will be entrusted to General Staff officer Sokolovsky, leader of the conspiracy against Wrangel” = (Collected Works, Fifth Ed., Vol. 51, p. 452).
  2. ↑ In the typewritten copy the text is missing and the words “(torn out—impossible to establish)” are written in an unknown hand.—Ed.
  3. ↑ [DUPLICATE "*"] —Lenin
  4. ↑ [DUPLICATE "*"] —Lenin
  5. ↑ M. V. Frunze was appointed commander of the forces of the Southern Front by decision of a plenary meeting of the CC, RCP(b) held on September 20–21, 1920.
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