494. To I. S. UNSCHLICHT
Comrade Unschlicht, Deputy Chairman, All-Russia Cheka
Copy to the Narrow C.P.C.
I authorise you to call and chair a conference consisting of the People’s Commissars for Foreign Trade, Internal Affairs and Defence urgently to examine the problem of combating smuggling.
Make your report to the Narrow C.P.C. within a week.[1]
Chairman, C.P.C.
Notes
[1] The question of combating smuggling was examined at several Narrow C.P.C. sittings in November 1921.
On November 21, the C.P.C. approved a draft decree “On Rewards for Detention of Smuggled Goods” (the decree was published in Izvestia VTsIK on December 3, 1921). On November 23, the Narrow C.P.C. discussed the measures for combating smuggling, and on November 28, having adopted as a basis a draft C.P.C. decree on combating smuggling introduced by the All-Russia Cheka, it instructed the commission, within five days, “to carry out an additional reworking of the draft and also work out a statute of organs to combat smuggling” (Central Party Archives). The draft decision submitted by tie commission was adopted with amendments by the Narrow C.P.C. on December 8 (the decision was published in Izvestia VTsIK on December 29, 1921).