235. To A. I. RYKOV AND V. M. MOLOTOV
Rykov and Molotov
I have a mortal fear of shuttling. Mekhonoshin is not fit at all for work in the centre.
I feel that Babkin and Avanesov are overdoing it with
the “inquiries”. I think that your commission should take
no more than three hours to complete the case:
Bryukhanov
and Potyaev
should both be (politely) told off;
another quarrel between
you two and we shall dismiss and jail
both.[1]
That’s all.
Notes
[1] A reference to the conflict between the Central Administration of the Fishing Industry (Glavryba) (Chairman A. I. Potyaev) and the People’s Commissariat for Food, in which the former insisted on its inclusion in the system of S.E.C. administrations, while the latter wanted to retain its own control over it.
On July 7, 1921, a commission of the R.C.P.(B.) Central Committee, set up to settle the conflict, decided that the Administration was to be left under the People’s Commissariat for Food, and ordered the heads of the two establishments to work in close contact and maintain normal relations.
Lenin wanted the conflict settled as soon as possible, because friction at the centre had a negative effect on work all down the line. See this volume, Documents 272, 273, 274, 275, 276 and 290; and Collected Works, Fifth (Russian) Edition, Vol. 53, Documents 50 and 119.