"To the People's Commissar of Tank Production of the USSR, comrade Malyshev
NKTP factories are busy with design and production of new experimental prototypes and modernization of existing tanks, both by your orders and on their own initiative.
This work, as a rule, is performed without prior approval of projects by GBTU, who is only given ready prototypes for trials. During trials, many noticeable drawbacks are discovered that lower the combat quality of the vehicles, which could have been discovered by joint inspection of the technical drafts.
This incorrect method of work results in excess correspondence and increased amount of time required to build experimental prototypes, as they are delivered with a large amount of defects and then defects that are discovered in trials are slowly corrected, as it happened with the IS and T-44 tanks.
Modern tanks should be built in a short time with the specifics of wartime crew training in mind, methods of using tanks in modern war, and other issues that are studied by the GBTU.
I consider it imperative that during further work regarding creation of new tanks or modernization of existing ones by the NKTP should discuss with the GBTU all principal technical decisions and orders to develop technical projects, components, and assemblies before the orders are given to factories.
I ask you to respond with your decision regarding the aforementioned issues.
Marshall of the Armoured Forces, Fedorenko
Lieutenant-General of the Tank Forces, Biryukov."
CAMD RF 38-11355-2243
NKTP factories are busy with design and production of new experimental prototypes and modernization of existing tanks, both by your orders and on their own initiative.
This work, as a rule, is performed without prior approval of projects by GBTU, who is only given ready prototypes for trials. During trials, many noticeable drawbacks are discovered that lower the combat quality of the vehicles, which could have been discovered by joint inspection of the technical drafts.
This incorrect method of work results in excess correspondence and increased amount of time required to build experimental prototypes, as they are delivered with a large amount of defects and then defects that are discovered in trials are slowly corrected, as it happened with the IS and T-44 tanks.
Modern tanks should be built in a short time with the specifics of wartime crew training in mind, methods of using tanks in modern war, and other issues that are studied by the GBTU.
I consider it imperative that during further work regarding creation of new tanks or modernization of existing ones by the NKTP should discuss with the GBTU all principal technical decisions and orders to develop technical projects, components, and assemblies before the orders are given to factories.
I ask you to respond with your decision regarding the aforementioned issues.
Marshall of the Armoured Forces, Fedorenko
Lieutenant-General of the Tank Forces, Biryukov."
CAMD RF 38-11355-2243