V. I.

Lenin

TO L. I. GOLDMAN

... I have always said that the distribution of functions
tends to resolve of itself: over here, the literature is
published, articles are written for the paper, etc. In Russia,
the literature is distributed and contacts are established.
Transport is handled by special persons, appointed by mutual agreement of those here and there, and connected
with-both sides. Such is the ideal....

... We have long been concerned over the fact that organisation in Russia (a matter of first-rate importance) has
been making such slow headway, and, you will recall, we
even sent you a “plan” last summer [1] (unfortunately we
have not kept a copy of the letter elaborating the “plan”).
But you replied: “We have no men.” You now seem to have
found it possible to get down to this, and we are all ready,
of course, to help all of you, if it depends on us. But our
role here is quite a subordinate one. You are connected
with
X. Y. Z. [2] ; consequently, all the “sources” of
literature are within your reach. Establish contacts with one
another, and turn these sources to use; if you find people
who are suitable and have earned your complete confidence,
make up a management committee from among them by joint agreement and we shall of course write to everyone
we can to have them abide by the committee’s instructions.
What is essential though is that the management committee
should without fail have in view the whole of Russia, and
not by any means one district only, because Iskra’s whole
future depends on whether it will be able to overcome local
rule-of-thumb work and district separateness, and become
an all-Russia paper in practice ....