Written: Written on January 27, 1920
Published:
First published in 1942 in Lenin Miscellany XXXIV.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1975,
Moscow,
Volume 44,
page 337a.
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
Forward it to ROSTA:
1) for information and guidance;
2) investigate who issued the “Zatonsky” idiocy, and impose a measure of punishment on this person;
3) report to me fulfilment, and
4) the measures taken to prevent such “unfortunate” occurrences in future.
27/1.
[1] Written on a memo from G. V. Chicherin, People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs, reporting cases of violation of the decision of the C.C., R.C.P.(B.) that all information on matters of foreign policy should first be submitted to censorship. Specific mention was made of an interview given by V. P. Zatonsky (see Vecherniye Izvestia No. 450, January 26, 1920). Lenin sent the document to the Russian Telegraph Agency (ROSTA) marked: “To be returned.” On the same day, P. M. Kerzhentsev, the head of ROSTA, replied to Lenin that measures had been taken for all correspondence concerning foreign affairs to be sent to the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs for perusal. On the letter Lenin wrote: “To be kept in the dossier on ROSTA.” On February 21, 1920, in connection with a letter from the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs about the irresponsible statement of a Moscow journalist speaking on the radio on questions of Soviet foreign policy, Lenin again wrote to Kerzhentsev: “Why was this not sent for censorship? Who is responsible?” (Lenin Miscellany XXXIV, p. 267.)
| | | | | | |