Letter to Moisei Frumkin, August 4, 1921

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4/VIII.

Comrade Frumkin:

The whole thing now seems to hinge on the speedy collection of the tax in kind.

Perhaps we should, in addition to what has been done, undertake something on these lines:

1) reinforce military units (assign half the trainees in Moscow Gubernia to this), i.e., assign them to food supply work?

2) the same thing, especially in Moscow and neighbouring gubernias?

3) feed these units (and food detachments, which I think now have some different name: “militia promoting the collection of the tax in kind” or something like that?) at the expense of the local peasants at two pounds a day? or three pounds a day?

You don’t want this, comrades peasants, do you? Let’s have the grain tax fast. As soon as you deliver 50–75 per cent, we shall start pulling them out!

4) pass a resolution (or perhaps, instead of a “resolution”, stage an experiment and set up a model in Moscow Gubernia);

mete out instant, exemplary and highly severe punishment to 10 of the richest peasants per volost for any delay, however slight, over the tax in kind or for slack delivery of the tax in kind;

———ditto—mete out exemplary punishment to one volost per uyezd, or two-three per gubernia, for slack deliveries of the tax in kind?

5) issue a bonus for 100 per cent collection of tax (grain) within two or three weeks. Bonus in what form? In gold or silver things. We can get them at the State Depository of Valuables.

6) make an effort to mobilise for the collection of the tax in kind in Moscow Gubernia another 2 or 3 hundred of the most responsible Party members, if only for raids (check-ups, pressure) twice a week?

With communist greetings,

Lenin

P.S. I am writing you and not Bryukhanov in the hope that he has already gone on holiday. If he has not, of course, read this out to him as well.