LETTER FROM V.I. LENIN AND N.K. KRUPSKAYA TO R.V. MALINOVSKY

16 (29) August 1916

29/VIII 1916.

Dear Roman Vatslavovich! Grigory forwarded your letter of July 30th to us. We moved from Bern to Zurich at the beginning of February and have not heard from you since then. As in your last letter, you wrote that you were planning to go somewhere for work, we thought that you had not written because you had left Alt-Grabow.*

We recently received from Russia the collection "Under the Old Banner" with contributions by Olminsky, Stepanov, Avilov, and others. We were very pleased with this book, which takes the correct line. We also received a set of "Insurance Questions." The recent issues remind us of the old "Pravda." One issue is dedicated to the day of the workers' press, expressing wishes for the restoration of "Pravda," and collections are being made. We were told that this reflects the mood in workers' circles. I do not know whether they send you books and journals from Petersburg. Judging by the library report, they do. Just in case, I asked the people in Petersburg to send the collection and "Insurance Questions" to the library. Correspondence with friends goes on every now and then. Many have been sent to the front, and then letters take an endlessly long time. Recently, we learned that Elena Fedorovna went to Irkutsk for 5 years.* Here I have chattered to you about all sorts of things today.

Our people from Lausanne send parcels.

Well, all the best.

Sincerely, N.K.[rupskaya]

Dear Roman Vatslavovich! Greetings from me as well. You wrongly suspected me of ill will: Nadia explained what was going on. I also thought that you had gone to work. It would be better to write directly to my address: Ulianow. Tschudiwiese. Flums. Switzerland. They will forward it to me.

Sincerely, Your V.Ulyanov.

Published - "Istoricheskiy Arkhiv," 1995, No. 4, p. 10.

Fund 2, op. 1, d. 27138 - autographs.

*The following is crossed out: Write to us through Shklovsky for now; we are currently living in the countryside, but in about two weeks, we will probably move to the city. From there, we will inform you of the new address.

1 This refers to the following letter from R.V. Malinovsky to G.E. Zinoviev: "Alten-Grabow, 30 July 1916. Dear Grisha! I received the parcel with honey, cocoa, milk, etc. Thank you. I managed to raise the question of the persecution of Jews in Russia in connection with the lecture 'Cooperation in Russia and its Future.' I read Gorky's article in the current issue of 'In Exile,' which we receive regularly. I get letters from home often, and I am not short of parcels — some kind soul has already sent the 4th parcel from Lausanne, 'Comit6??????????????????? Israilite.' Do you know who this is? The parcel contains 2 loaves of bread, 2 cans of milk, tea, and 2 bars of soap. If you know who this is, please let me know, and thank them. Address: Avenue 4, Rue de l'Ancienne Donane.

Stefa has rented a large apartment and is letting rooms, and they are doing well.

I always write to one of you once a month. If I do not write more often, it is due to circumstances beyond my control. But why do you write so rarely? Yes, it is indeed hurtful.

I asked Ilich to answer several important questions for me, but there has been no response.

I asked Nadezhda Konstantinovna to send me at least one book from her bound library, but in vain.

The last letter from Ilich I received on 22/XII 1915. Soon, I will be marking the anniversary. Well, in his own way, Ilich is right; is it worth spending time writing to a prisoner, especially one who failed to conduct a survey, but how does this make me feel — is it worth thinking about?

My health was poor, but now it is much better: I work more regularly and less, and the sun, which I love, helps.

I would ask you to give your opinion on the consequences of our work, clearly and definitively, and there will be no lack of evidence, as the blackguards have done a good job. This is very important to us.

I send my best wishes, and I ask you to greet Zina, Nadezhda Konstantinovna, Ilich, and kiss Stepa.

Yours, Kostya. Old address." (RCHIDNI, f. 17, op. 1, d. 1729, l. 13-14.)

2 The Ulyanovs left Bern on January 20 or 21 (February 2 or 3) 1916.

3 This refers to the mountain village of Flums, where V.I. Lenin and N.K. Krupskaya (due to the exacerbation of her Basedow's disease) lived from July 4 (17) to the end of August (beginning of September) 1916.

4 "Under the Old Banner" — a collection of articles by B. Avilov, A. Vitimsky, A. Lomov, and others. Saratov, 1916.

5 See doc. 88, note 3.

6 E.F. Rozmurovich, after a seven-month confinement in Taganskaya prison, was sent into exile in the Irkutsk province on July 16 (29), 1916.