V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v47; en:CW/CW34;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

NATIONS FROM LENIN

11. III. 05

Dear Friend, I have just received Nos. 10 and 11.* Many thanks, especially for the abuse in No. 10. I like it when people swear—it means they know what they are doing and have a line. You gave it to the “old wolf” neatly; he even scratched himself from reading it! But No. 11 showed that you are still too much of an optimist if you hope to settle accounts easily with the St. Petersburg Mensheviks. Oh, I fear the Danaans** and advise you to fear them too! Note that with them everything unfavourable to them remains on paper, without documents—for example, the CC’s consent to the congress. Today No. 89 of *Iskra* came out—there is the Council’s decision of March 8, 1905 against the congress, a lying, furious one (“the participants in the congress by their own actions place themselves outside the Party”), it counts 33 “competent Party organisations, apart from the central institutions” as of January 1, 1905 (a shameless lie, unprecedented committees like the Kuban and the unconfirmed Kazan have been cooked up, and for two, the Polesye and the North-Western, the dates have been muddled, instead of April 1, 1905 it says January 1, 1905). It is clear that there can be no question of the Council’s participation in the congress, and consequently of the League and the Central Organ either. I am very glad of this, and I do not believe that the Russian Mensheviks will go, I do not believe it. So far none of you has delivered a single piece of paper about the consent to the congress of a single Menshevik committee. Do not fall into illusions! If the St. Petersburg Mensheviks make concessions, demand from them, as a *conditio sine qua non*,† recognition of the congress convened by the Bureau, and recognition of the St. Petersburg Committee as the only lawful one and connected with the working-class movement—certainly in writing, certainly with a copy sent (in their own handwriting) to *Vperyod*, certainly in the name of all the members of the St. Petersburg group of the minority by name. But even then, do not let them into any connections—otherwise you will create internal enemies for yourselves, mark my words!

Convey immediately to Rakhmetov, by urgent telegram, that around March 20, 1905 there will be a most important conference here with the S.R.s and a mass of other parties on an agreement for the uprising,‡ Rakhmetov’s presence is necessary, let him gallop without losing a day.

In conclusion I will tell you once again: you do not know the strength of the minority throughout Russia and are falling into illusions. This is in vain. The Mensheviks are now stronger than we are, a desperate struggle, a long struggle, is necessary. The “icons abroad”** are taking a heap of money. I consider it positively indecent for us to start talking about an agreement with the Bund, etc., after their (and the Latvian) conference with the CC§ (the minutes in *Posledniye Izvestiya* and in No. 89 of *Iskra*). That would be idiocy: we would be forcing ourselves on them, and they would say: we don’t know you, we have already agreed with the CC. It would be a disgrace, for goodness’ sake!!

I firmly shake your hand. Lenin

in the journal

* Nos. 10 and 11—letters from S. I. Gusev to V. I. Lenin. *Ed.*
** “I fear the Danaans”—an ironic reference to the Mensheviks. *Ed.*
† —indispensable condition. *Ed.*
‡ —a conference of the Socialist-Revolutionaries and other parties on an agreement for an uprising. *Ed.*
** “Icons abroad”—an ironic name for the Menshevik leaders. *Ed.*
§ —the conference of the Bund and the Latvian Social Democrats with the CC. *Ed.*