303. TELEGRAM TO I. I. VATSETIS AND S. I. ARALOV^[1]

Written on April 21 or 22, 1910 · First published in part on April 21, 1957, in Literaturnaya Gazeta No. 48. Published in full in Ukrainian in 1958 in the book: Borotba trudyashchikh Bukovini za sotsialne i natsionalne vizvolennya i vozz’yednannya z Ukrainskoyu R.S.R. 1917–1941, Chernivtsi. Published in full in Russian in 1961 in the book: Iz istorii grazhdanskoi voiny v SSSR, Vol. 2. Printed from the original. · page 215

In code

Commander-in-Chief Vatsetis and
Aralov, member of the R.M.C.R.
Serpukhov

The advance into part of Galicia and Bukovina is essential for contact with Soviet Hungary. This task must be achieved more quickly and surely, but beyond this task no occupation of Galicia and Bukovina is needed, for the Ukrainian army must on no account be distracted from its two main objectives: the first, the most important and most urgent, is to help the Donets Basin. This assistance must be given quickly and on a large scale. The second objective is to establish a secure link by rail with Soviet Hungary. Inform us of your directives to Antonov and measures for checking their fulfilment.

Lenin
Chairman, Council of Defence

Notes

[1] This is a reply to a telegram received on April 21, 1919, from Commander-in-Chief I. I. Vatsetis and member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic S. I. Aralov, inquiring whether an advance into Galicia and Bukovina was permissible politically and what objective it pursued.

Lenin wrote on the telegram from Vatsetis and Aralov: “To Comrade Sklyansky’s secretary: please code and send off the attached (this probably refers to Lenin’s telegram.—Ed.), then pass it on to Comrade Sklyansky for filing.” (Iz istorii grazhdanskoi voiny v SSSR, Vol. 2, 1961, p. 382.)