[9 August 1913]

Dear Comrade, In our opinion, the matter requires at present a meeting with Kautsky, Mehring, and Zetkin, Bebel, and other influential figures of German Social Democracy. During my stay in Bern a few days ago, I made the acquaintance of a Swiss attorney and socialist who fully shares our point of view and who was so kind as to have a conversation with Bebel, who is currently in Switzerland. This attorney has known Bebel for 20 years and will be able to speak with him again in Jena,¹ where he will be present.

In this situation, the following question has arisen for us. We are convinced that the only chance to win the case without a trial consists in personally convincing Bebel, Kautsky, and the other comrades in question in Jena. And to accomplish this, it is absolutely necessary to have a perfect command of the German language and to have the opportunity to establish personal contact with many German comrades.

It seems to us that the Swiss comrade attorney best meets these requirements. Of course, then we will have to pay him from 400 to 700 francs, and this sum should be deducted from your agreed-upon fee. We have no more money and we cannot make any additional expenditures for trips, etc.

¹ The Jena Congress of the German Social Democratic Party was scheduled for September 1913.