Letter to Nikolay Krestinsky, February 16, 1921

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Lenin wrote these two notes at a sitting of the Politbureau of the RCP(b) Central Committee. The first was written in reply to Krestinsky’s note saying that the Pravda Editorial Board had received an article on the advantages of the tax in kind over the surplus-food requisitioning. L. B. Kamenev had passed on the article to Krestinsky requesting that it should be printed without fail on February 17. N. L. Meshcheryakov, a member of the Pravda collegium, had doubts about the need for its urgent publication. Krestinsky wrote to say that he was essentially in agreement with Meshcheryakov.

The second note was in reply to Krestinsky’s communication that he was doubtful about the official character of the article, which was being presented almost on behalf of the Moscow Soviet, because the authors had signed: “Moscow Gubernia Food Commissar Sorokin and Head of Moscow Gubernia Agricultural Department Rogov.” On February 16, the Politbureau of the RCP(b) Central Committee passed a decision permitting the publication of the article.

The article entitled “Surplus Appropriation or Tax” signed by P. Sorokin and M. Rogov, was carried by way of discussion in Pravda. Nos. 35 and 43 on February 17 and 26, 1921. It was mentioned by Lenin in his speech at the Plenary Meeting of the Moscow Soviet of Workers’ and Peasants’ Deputies on February 28, 1921 (see present edition, Vol. 32, p. 156).

1

I have not seen the article, but relying on Kamenev (that he would not have, recommended anything harmful) I cast my vote in favour of publishing it tomorrow.

Lenin

2

In that case, we should require

1) the reservation that the author or authors have written it as private writers and not as persons in office;

2) the reservation: the article is offered for discussion.