Letter to Vyacheslav Molotov for the Politbureau of the RCP(b) CC, September 4, 1921

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Comrade Molotov:

One other thing should be done:

1) restrain Melnichansky and the Moscow Gubernia T.U.C. by means of an extra strict reprimand (the trial of Skvortsov-Stepanov and Litkens). This is the height of impudence and shamelessness!! I insist on a reprimand with publication on behalf of the Politbureau[1];

2) revoke the All-Russia CEC Presidium decision on the issue of 1,000 million (milliard) for the theatres. It is quite illegal to do this in circumvention of the People’s Commissariat for Education]] This is outrageous. I demand its revocation through the Politbureau.

Lenin

4/IX.

  1. ↑ A reference to the legal proceedings for the recovery of royalties started by V. V. Mayakovsky against I. I. Skvortsov-Stepanov, director of the State Publishers. On August 25, 1921, the Moscow Disciplinary Court under the Moscow Gubernia T.U.C. ruled that I. I. Skvortsov-Stepanov was to be disqualified from union membership for 6 months. On September 8, the case was reviewed, and the judgement rescinded.
    Deputy People’s Commissar for Education, Y. A. Litkens, and member of the collegium of the Academy of Labour Education, F. V. Lengnik, wore accused of dismissing a group of workers arid employees. The Moscow gubernia comrades’ disciplinary court under the Moscow Gubernia T.U C. issued a reprimand and deprived them of the right to hold elective office for six months. A commission of the RCP(b) Central Committee examined this case on September 20 and decided: = “1) To ask the gubernia disciplinary court under the Moscow Gubernia T.U.C. to reexamine the case = 2) On the substance of the accusation ... to confine itself to a trade union and a Party reprimand” (Central Party Archives of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the CPSU Central Committee).
    Concerning Lenin’s proposal, set out in point 2 of the document, the Politbureau of the CC drew the attention of the Presidium of the All-Russia CEC on September 6, 1921, to the need to refer the matter of appropriating 1,000 million rubles for the theatres for the examination by the CPC