I come to the categorical conclusion that precisely at this moment we must give battle to the Black Hundred clergy in the most decisive and merciless manner and crush its resistance with such brutality that it will not forget it for decades to come. The greater the number of representatives of the reactionary clergy and reactionary bourgeoisie we succeed in executing for this reason, the better.
Letter to Comrade Molotov for the Politburo on March 19, 1922. "The Unknown Lenin: From the Secret Archive". Book by Richard Pipes, p. 152-154, 1996.