Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 26 - From Marx to Mao

312WIRELESS MESSAGETO ALL REGIMENTAL, DIVISIONAL, CORPS, ARMYAND OTHER COMMITTEES, TO ALL SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARYARMY AND SAILORS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY NAVY 123On the night of November 7 the Council of People’sCommissars sent a wireless message to Commander-in-ChiefDukhonin ordering him immediately and formally topropose an armistice to all the belligerent countries, bothAllied and those hostile to us.This message was received at Field Headquarters onNovember 8 at 5.05 a.m. Dukhonin was ordered to keep theCouncil of People’s Commissars constantly informed of theprogress of the negotiations and to sign the armistice agreementonly after it had been approved by the Council ofPeople’s Commissars. Simultaneously, a similar proposalto conclude an armistice was formally submitted to all theplenipotentiary representatives of the Allied countries inPetrograd.Not having received a reply from Dukhonin by the eveningof November 8, the Council of People’s Commissarsempowered Lenin, Stalin and Krylenko to ascertain thecauses of the delay from Dukhonin over the direct line.The conversation lasted from 2 a.m. to 4.30 a.m. onNovember 9. Dukhonin made numerous attempts to evadegiving an explanation of his conduct and a precise reply tothe orders of the government, but when Dukhonin was givena categorical order to enter immediately into formal negotiationsfor an armistice, he refused to obey. Thereupon,in the name of the Government of the Russian Republic, onbehalf of the Council of People’s Commissars, Dukhonin wasinformed that he was dismissed from his post for refusingto obey government orders and for conduct that entaileduntold hardships for the working people of all countries and