Published:
First published in 1942 in Lenin Miscellany XXXIV.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1975,
Moscow,
Volume 44,
pages 299b-300a.
Translated: Clemens Dutt
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive.
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
Archive” as your source.
• README
22/X. 1919
Comrade Trotsky,
I was somewhat taken aback by Zinoviev’s demand yesterday for more regiments. Is it true about the Estonians?
Nevertheless, I passed it on to Sklyansky, and an order has been given to have them sent from Tula (again from Tula!).
It is not safe, however, to take any more from the reserves of the Southern Front. Would it not be better to search elsewhere?
It is devilishly important for us to finish with Yudenich (precisely to finish—to deal a final blow). If the offensive has begun, is it not possible to mobilise another 20,000 Petrograd workers and exert really mass pressure on Yudenich?
If there are 5–10 thousand good attacking troops (and you do have them), then surely a city like Petrograd can give about 30thousand to follow up, as an aid to them. Rykov says that a great deal of property has been “found” in Petrograd; there is bread, and meat is on the way.
It is necessary to finish with Yudenich soon; then we shall turn everything against Denikin.
In my opinion it is dangerous to take units from the Southern Front now: they have started an offensive there, and it must be extended.
Greetings,
Lenin
P.S. I have just learned from Sklyansky that 2 regiments intended for Petrograd have reached Kotlas. We shall expedite their movement.[1]
New information: this is not true.
[1] This paragraph is crossed out in the manuscript.—Ed.
| | | | | | |