24 Novembre 1922.

Alia Delegazione del PCI

Cari amici, La situazione della questione italiana al Congresso e tale che noi crediamo il nostro dovere dirvi apertamente e da buoni compagni cio che segue:

La grande comissione del Congresso si dichiarata all'unanimita d'essere per principio per la fusione del PCI col PSI. Non c'est dubbio che anche il Congresso approvera all'unanimita questa questa decisione Questo un fatto del quale non potete non tener conto. Le vostre opposizioni sono gia state sentite. Ma il Congresso decidera - e questo y del tutto chiaro - altrimenti.

Ora tutta la questions consist in cio: come paserra questa questiona al plenum del Congresso, se da parte vostra non saranno com- messi tali errori,. che potrebbero fiaccare le posizioni dei comunisti italiani verso gli elementi vacilanti dei massimalisti. Questo sarebbe molto triste.

Se gli oratori della vostra maggioranza anche al plenum vorranno ostinatamente parlare contro la fusione, questo solo rinforzera la posizione di quei massimalisti, i quali meno di tutto si dovrebe rin- forzare. Lo spetacolo sara assolutamente indesiderabile.

Al C.E. del 1C sara resa resa difficile l'appoggio del PCI durante e dopo la fusione. II PCI sara del tutto isolato. II danno politico sara enorme. L'errore sara irreparabile. II nostra consiglio: Voi potete al Congresso fare a breve dichiarazione, che la maggioranza della vostra delegazione era contro la fusione e ha gi& apportato le ragioni, ma dovete contemporaneamente dichiarare, che siccome la Comis- sione ha deciso altrimenti, voi accettate questa decisione e Tattuerete coscientemente. Se farete questo, ci darete la possibility du rivolgere tutta la polemica contro la posizione di prima del PSI e la prospet- tiva non sera invertita.

II nostro dovere yo di awertirvi contro un enorme errore politico.

Aspettiamo una vostra sollecita risposta.

Per incarico del CC det Partito Comunista Russa:

Lenin.

Zinoviev.

Trotsky.

Radek.

Boukharine.

Fond 2, op. 1, d. 25921, fol. 1-3 - typewritten text.

Translation

November 24, 1922.

To the Delegation of the Communist Party of Italy

Dear friends, the situation of the Italian question at the Congress is such that we feel it our duty to say to you openly and in a comradely manner the following:

The Grand Commission of the Congress has unanimously expressed itself in principle in favor of the merger of the Communist Party of Italy with the Socialist Party of Italy. There is no doubt that the Congress will approve this resolution with the same unanimity. This is a fact which you cannot disregard. Your objections have been heard. But the Congress will decide - it is quite obvious - otherwise.

Now the whole question is how this question will pass in the plenum of the Congress, and whether in doing so there will not be such mistakes on your part as would weaken the position of the Italian Communists in relation to the shaky elements of the Maximalists. This latter would be extremely unfortunate.

If the speakers of your majority persist in opposing unification even in the plenum of the Congress, this alone will strengthen the position of those maximalists who should least of all be strengthened. The picture will be extremely undesirable. It will be difficult for the Executive Committee to support the CPP during and after the merger. The CPP will be completely isolated. The political damage will be enormous. The mistake is irreparable. Our advice: you can make a brief statement at the congress that the majority of your delegation was against the merger and gave reasons, but you should immediately state that since the committee decided otherwise, you accept this decision and will carry it out in good faith.

If you do this, you will give us the opportunity to direct the whole polemic against the former position of the Socialist Party of Italy and the perspective will not be perverted.

It is our duty to warn you against a tremendous political error.

On behalf of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party:

Lenin.

Zinoviev.

Trotsky.

Radek.

Bukharin.

November 124, 1922 L.D.Trotsky in a letter to G.E.Zinoviev, copied to V.I.Lenin, N.I.Bukharin and K.B.Radek, proposed to address "to the Italian delegation with a letter on behalf of the Central Committee of our party and to recommend to them a sharp change of policy already at the Congress" (The Trotsky papers. 1917-1922. V. II, p. 768-770). Apparently, at the same time Trotsky sent a draft letter to the Italian delegation at the Fourth Congress of the Comintern. It was about the decision of the congress commission on the question of the unification of the Communist and Socialist Parties of Italy, which was opposed by the majority of the CPI delegation headed by A. Bordiga. Lenin supported Trotsky's proposal and in his reply note of November 25 emphasized that "otherwise the actions of the latter will be extremely harmful to the Italian Communists in the future" (Lenin V.I. Complete Collected Works, vol. 54, p. 314).