18/XI 11.

Dear comrades!

Now we have just been informed that the so-called "Technical Commission "2 has addressed you in writing with a demand to contribute money (your debt to the Bolshevik faction) either to it (the "Technical Commission") or to Mrs. K. Tsetkina.

We consider it necessary, in view of this, to reiterate our demand stated in the letter of 16/XI 11,3 and to highlight the role of our opponents, who have disgraced themselves with this last speech as never before and will not hide nowhere from the party responsibility for their intrigue. We can only welcome the open speech of the "Technical Commission", which has finally exposed them, In the answer itself, you now have before you two formal, i.e. written, precise demands for money. You have two and only two opponents before you - until now you have never had two claimants before you: different institutions demanded money from you on the eve of their dissolution and none of them supported their demands.

Let us look at the claim of the "Technical Commission". Our opponent is an institution which, by a direct decree (printed in Russia) of the Russian Organizational Commission, is forbidden "literary and other" speeches without the knowledge of the Russian Organizational Commission4.

Speaking after this without any "knowledge and consent" of the Russian Organizational Commission, Messrs. Leva and Stanislava, posing as the "Technical Commission", act as blackmailers. Having received a direct desaveu1* from the center established in Russia and expecting tomorrow an even greater condemnation from the Russian] conference (which will probably expel such intriguers from the Party), these gentlemen are now relying on no one!!!5Tomorrow they will run away and disappear without a trace, just as they appeared without any shadow of serious support, literary, organizational or otherwise.

We consider it our duty to warn you against entering into negotiations with such subjects: such negotiations or guidance (at least to some extent) of their opinion can bring you nothing but disappointment and trouble.

But this is not enough. The heroes of the intrigue in the person of Leva and Stanislava, addressing you, did not even wait for the letter of Tsetkina which came to Lenin today (addressed to him with the inscription: Bolshevik faction). In this letter, without mentioning either the typography or the debt, Tsetkina clearly retreats, for - omitting to give the money, hiding behind evasive phrases about the "sicherstellung "2* of the money (from those who do not have it) - Tsetkina declares "offfiziell "3*, first, that she "could not and did not want to remain a "depositor" for a single hour after Kautsky's departure (and Koutsky left on 15/X !!), and, secondly, that she "resigns her position of depositor "6.

What is the knowledge or the impudence of Messrs. Lewa and Stanislava, if they demand from Vasteperiper to return the money to the "depositor" who resigned his position!

In view of the attempts of such subjects to confuse and delay the matter, which has been further clarified by the departure of Tsetkina (although the matter was clear even before her departure), we feel obliged to confirm the demand and state that we are waiting to receive a quite satisfactory answer from you within the next few days.

With comradely greetings

N. Lenin

Grigory

Y.Kamenev.

Fond 2, op. 1, d. 27106 - autograph of G.E.Zinoviev, signatures - autographs of V.I.Lenin and L.B.Kamenev.

1* Non-recognition, refutation (French).

2* Guarantees (German).

3* Officially (German).

1See also Docs. 14, 17, 18, 46.

2See Doc. 35.

3The letter of November 3 (16), 1911, has not been found.

4Cf. CPSU in Resolutions and Decisions of Congresses, Conferences and Plenums of the Central Committee. 9th ed., vol. 1, p. 371.

5In November 1911, two members remained in the Technical Commission - the Bolshevik-Leninist M.K. Vladimirov (Leva) and the SDKPiL representative S. Goldenberg (Stanislava). The Bolshevik-Leninist representative M.F.Vladimirovsky left it after Stanislava and Leva refused to obey the decisions of the Russian Organizing Commission. In January 1912. The Technical Commission ceased its work.

65 (18) November 1911. Lenin received a letter from K. Tsetkin dated November 3 (16), 1911, in which she informed him that she was withdrawing from her duties as "holder". Lenin immediately replied to her with a letter in which he emphasized: "You now have absolutely no right to continue to keep the money with you and are absolutely obliged to return it to me, since you received the money from me only for the purpose of submitting the matter to the decision of the arbitration court by three certain persons", and further that he was compelled to appeal to the civil court, "since your silence means that you reject my peace proposal" (Lenin's Collection XXXVIII, p. 49).