266. To G. V. CHICHERIN

Written on July 20, 1921 · First published in 1965 in Collected Works, Fifth (Russian) Ed., Vol. 53. Printed from the original. · page 219

Comrade Chicherin:

I have just read yesterday’s C.P.C. decision on the matter of the Petrograd port. The text shows that the decision has been adopted and that the contract is to be framed by a special Commission with the participation of the P.C.F.A., the All-Russia Extraordinary Commission, and the Petrograd Soviet. Introduce your concrete proposal and try to get it through in this Commission.^[1]

Lenin

Notes

[1] A reference to G. V. Chicherin’s protest against the proposal to conclude a concession agreement with the British Bolton Company to set up a free port in Petrograd. Chicherin said that this would create a grave threat to the Republic’s external security.

This question was repeatedly discussed by the C.L.D. and the Narrow C.P.C. Eventually, the proposal was not accepted,