Zöllenberg, 15/VII/1915.

Dear Comrade!

I am sending you a report on the Bern Preparatory Conference of our representative, Comrade Zinoviev. Please bring this report to the attention of Comrades Pannekoek and Gorter, and as soon as possible communicate your own views—and those of your party (or any relevant resolutions)—to them.

In my view, this preparatory conference is significant only insofar as it has definitively exposed the “peculiar” (to put it mildly) role played by certain German “leftists” (and, in particular, by Clara Zetkin). Several months ago, in the presence of Comrade Radek—one of the German “leftists”—I asked whether Clara Zetkin would side with the old party or the new party—if, that is, the question of schism were ever to arise (by “new,” I meant the revolutionary party, not the national-liberal variety akin to the one we see today). “With the old party,” this “leftist” replied without hesitation.

Comrade Radek was extremely indignant at this “leftist” and assured me that he was mistaken—that Zetkin would, without reservation and in good faith, wage battle against the vile German social‑chauvinists.

But now this dispute has been settled once and for all—not in Radek’s favor. Zetkin intends to join forces with Haase and Kautsky—while Haase and Kautsky are striving for “unity” (with Südekum: in Russian terms, we might call this “the unity of lackeys, the split of revolutionaries”—that is, unity with the national bourgeoisie, at the expense of the international working class)!! I am convinced that this “leftist” conference, with Zetkin and Haase, devoid of “Lichtstrahlen” and “tribunists,” is nothing but sheer hypocrisy: the objective purpose of this conference is none other than to strengthen the old, treacherous party by means of a feigned struggle between “leftists” (à la Zetkin) and “rightists” (the Whigs and Tories of modern-day England!).

We must act—with the tribunists and certain German leftists who do not follow the Zetkin line—perhaps also with the Latvian Party and the Polish Social Democrats (the so‑called opposition)—and take decisive, urgent action if we are not to miss this crucial moment.

Comrade Radek has promised to translate our resolutions into German*. You are already familiar with our Manifesto (of the Central Committee); it has been published—in unfortunately abridged form—in your “Tribune,” No. 130. David, in his book, cites this manifesto with remarkable thoroughness (almost with an almost unbelievable degree of conscientiousness for an opportunist). We are sending you Radek’s translation and ask that you inform us as soon as possible whether you consider it feasible and advisable to draft a joint resolution and issue a joint declaration of protest against the “leftist” conference (Zetkin and Co.). In my view, we will do so—in one form or another.

With best regards,

N. Lenin
P.S. Please also bring this to the attention of Comrade Lutheraan, with whom we once jointly opposed the “swamp” (the center)—of course, provided you deem it useful to show the letter to Comrade Lutheraan as well.

Wl. Uljanow in Sorenberg (Canton Lucerne), Switzerland. All of this is strictly confidential!

Translation from German

* By “resolutions” we mean the resolutions of the Bern Conference of the Foreign Sections of the RSDLP (see Collected Works, 5th ed., vol. 26, pp. 161–167). Ed.

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Sent to Zwolle (the Netherlands)

First published from the manuscript