Did Lenin Really Say 'We Are Not Shooting Enough Professors'?

The Bolshevik regime's treatment of intellectuals is well-documented. In 1922, Lenin ordered the deportation of over 200 prominent intellectuals on what became known as the 'Philosophers' Steamship.' He wrote genuine memos expressing hostility toward the intelligentsia, including letters to Stalin about 'cleaning out' the universities. However, the specific quote about 'not shooting enough professors' has the hallmarks of propaganda -- it is short, shocking, and perfectly designed to horrify Western audiences. It appears in no verified collection of Lenin's voluminous writings, speeches, or correspondence (which run to over 50 volumes). While Lenin certainly expressed hostility toward academics he considered counter-revolutionary, this particular phrasing likely emerged during the Cold War as anti-Soviet propaganda, attributing a fabricated quote to illustrate a genuine policy.