V. I.

Lenin

196

To:   N. G. POLETAYEV [1]

I have received your two letters, which surprised me.
What could be easier, it would seem, than to write and tell us simply and clearly what is the matter? We are still
in the dark. It should not be difficult to find a person to
write sensibly, clearly and frankly at least once a week.

Your attempt to detach the liquidators from liquidationism is unfortunate to a degree. We have never
approved this distinction. Only sophists draw it. We earnestly re quest you not
to believe the sophists and not to make this distinction. One can reconcile
oneself to anything but the liquidators, and if you do not want the work to be
ruined, keep them out of it.

With great difficulty we obtained from a publisher hero a further thousand
rubles and will send them to you tomorrow. If this publisher approaches you
again with questions, advice, conditions, and so on—don’t answer at
all, or answer as we once advised.

Concerning the little magazine, we have had nothing from anyone.

So we repeat once more our insistent request: we have obtained for you what you
require, see that you do not let us down, keep out the liquidators (there is no
such thing as liquidationism without liquidators. And who could have played
such a cruel joke on you by assuring you of a distinction between
liquidationism and the liquidators?) and, further, see to it that we get a
sensible, clear, frank and detailed letter every week. Surely these two
requests are not difficult, not too much; we cannot manage without it.

Yours....

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Notes:
[1]
Poletayev, Nikolai Gurievich (1872–1930)—Social-Democrat,
Bolshevik, a turner by trade. Took part in the workers’ circles in the
1890s. Repeatedly sentenced to imprisonment. Deputy to the Third Duma from
St. Petersburg Gubernia, member of the parliamentary Social-Democratic
Party. Closely associated with the publication of the Bolshevik newspapers
Zvezda and Pravda . After the October Socialist
Revolution—a business executive.