LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF PETROGRAD ORGANIZATIONS
July 20, 1918
It is imperative to mobilize the maximum number of workers from Petrograd:
1) several dozen leaders;
2) thousands of rank-and-file comrades.
Otherwise, we will be in serious trouble, for the situation with the Czechoslovak Legion is precarious.
In such a context, it is utterly counterproductive to “sit back” and “cherish” Petrograd’s supposed “well-being,” while simultaneously hesitating to send reinforcements from there! Even if the majority of Bolsheviks in the Petrograd Soviet were to see their share drop from 98% (we currently hold 98%) to just 51%—what of it?
We shall not perish, even if (even!) the proportion of non‑Bolshevik Soviets in Petrograd were to rise to 49%—though when that might occur remains uncertain. But we are certain to perish—not from the Czechoslovaks, unless we make desperate efforts to recruit hundreds and thousands of leading workers, thereby transforming Kinel into a firm, unshakable stronghold. This is no exaggeration; it is an accurate assessment. You will bear responsibility for our defeat if you continue to be stingy and cling too tightly to “Petrograd.”
Respond!
Greetings! —Your Lenin