To the Politburo of the CC of the RCP.

Statement

In view of the completely abnormal relations that have developed between the High Command (the Small Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic) and the Southern Front, manifesting themselves at times, on the one hand, in outright hostility of the Commander-in-Chief and Gusev toward the Southern Front Commander, and on the other, in complete indifference to the needs of the Southern Front, we consider it our duty to declare the necessity of either replacing the entire composition of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Southern Front, or replacing the High Command, or, if the latter is considered untimely, replacing Gusev, who, according to our information, is the chief instigator against the Southern Front.

Members of the CC and the Revolutionary Military Council of the Southern Front:

L. Serebryakov.

Stalin.

November 12, 1919.

City of Serpukhov.

Source: Bolshevik Leadership. Correspondence. 1912-1927, pp. 110-111.

RGASPI. F. 558. Op. 1. D. 5450. L. 2.

NOTE

In addition to this statement, Stalin sent a separate telegram threatening his resignation. On November 14, 1919, the matter was considered at a Politburo session. The resolution adopted stated: "...a) Instruct Comrade Lenin to send Comrade Smilga a coded telegram inquiring about one reassignment that the Politburo considers possible; b) Instruct Comrade Trotsky to convey to Commander-in-Chief Kamenev, on behalf of the government, a political-economic directive on the necessity of taking Kursk and advancing on Kharkov and the Donbas, and on the corresponding distribution between the Southern and South-Eastern Fronts of reinforcements being withdrawn from the Eastern and Turkestan Fronts... Propose that Vladimir Ilyich personally discuss the content of this directive with the Commander-in-Chief; c) Inform Comrade Stalin that the Politburo considers it absolutely impermissible to reinforce business demands with ultimatums and threats of resignation."