V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v46; en:CW/CW34;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

THE OLD MAN WRITES. I have read your angry letter of January 3 and am replying at once. The secretary will answer below about the correspondence, the dogs, etc. I can no longer make out who is to blame, but we must absolutely keep in constant touch, at least twice a month, and so far this has not been the case, and for long periods we have known nothing about you. Do not forget that when we have no letters we can do nothing, we do not know whether people are alive, we are compelled, directly compelled, to regard them as practically non-existent. You did not answer my question about Brutus’s move; apparently there is little hope of things being properly arranged until this move takes place. Now to business. In abusing us you exaggerate our strength and influence: we came to an agreement here about the O.C., insisted on its congress, on inviting you, and wrote to you. More than that we could not do, absolutely could not do, and we are not responsible for anything. The root of the trouble is that Brutus was not at the O.C., and everything that followed was done without him (as also without us). We did not co-opt the unknown member (it is so-and-so, a sluggish and unintelligent fellow, I knew him personally in Pskov, tied down by his family and his job, and backward, good for nothing, it was because of him that Pankrat was already being abused), we did not move the Bureau, we gave Pankrat absolutely no “authority”. But when it turned out that Pankrat was the only (N.B., N.B.) mobile man on the O.C., then the result could not but be that he had authority. You write: there are people, but we have not got them, do not know them, do not see them. We have been exasperated to the point of neurasthenia by the complete lack of people for the O.C., which needs mobile, flying, free and illegal people. Pankrat alone went illegal, travelled, began to fly about, began to know everything—and naturally assumed the rank of corporal. We did not hinder him, of course, for we could not hinder him and did not want to hinder him: there is no one else!!! Do understand that at last. Pankrat is lazy and slack, but he is intelligent, capable, knows the work, knows how to fight, and one can get on with him. Now he is stuck in Paris for an indefinite period, and we are quarrelling with him, driving him neck and crop to Russia, for otherwise the O.C. is exactly zero.

“She” (Akim’s brother) is leaving soon; we shall try to get her on to the O.C.; “she” seems to be energetic.

“Peru” does not want to leave. There are no passports, no copies. If Brutus moves to a near and lively place, then we shall help him to regain the Bureau,* and everything will perhaps be arranged.

Otherwise everything will go (if it goes) according to the will of Allah, according to the will of Pankrat and according to the will of “her”, and we are powerless here.

Literature has been sent. Over 40 poods have been shipped. The O.C. statement is being printed in No. 32, which will appear the day after tomorrow.

Uncle, too, is still on the sidelines (like Brutus) and has not even got anywhere; if he and Brutus were to settle even in Poltava, they would take over the Bureau.

I am very angry with Zarin: he does not write properly, he is slack, knows nothing about Kiev, allowed a split under his very nose. To stand so aloof from local affairs is simply monstrous!! And what fault is it of ours that of the two “equal members” of the O.C. Zarin “sits and says nothing”, while Pankrat, for good or ill, is stirring? I think (I don’t know for certain) that Zarin is a man with little initiative and, moreover, tied down by legality and his job. And nowadays such people naturally remain on the sidelines, upon my word, without any fault or wish of ours.*

* This refers to the Bureau of the Organisational Committee for convening the Second Congress of the Party. Ed.
* Published according to the manuscript.