Date: 1902-07-22
Source: ru:PSS/v46
Source: CW vol 46

Dear friend! The recent news we received from you about the release of Vanya's friends - "allies" (= supporters of "Rabocheye Delo") raises a series of doubts for us. Will Vanya* stand firm now? In any case, put the question to him point-blank, get a direct answer, and in case of a negative response, shame him in the most resolute terms and, in any case, inform us immediately how things stand. If Vanya has again left (or is even leaving) our hands, then it is all the more necessary for you to triple your efforts on Masha**: if possible, directly on her; if not, then through the intermediacy of your new acquaintances, about whom you wrote to us so thoroughly and interestingly.

Your task (in case of even the slightest unreliability or evasiveness of Vanya) should be to prepare the war of the Petersburg Iskra-ites against the remnants of economism***. Of course, they have no need to talk about this war, but it must be prepared with all their might and, if possible, on both flanks. That is, first, try to maintain the personal relationships you have established with our friends in the intellectual half of Vanya, try to see them, influence them, shame them, see their youth, and prepare the defection of the Iskra-ites from the half-hearted people. The second flank - much more important - is the workers. Your circle is an excellent ground, and you must first of all achieve that this circle develops, realizes, and formalizes its hostility towards Vanya. Try to provide this circle with "What Is To Be Done?"**** and achieve (this is very easy, judging by your letter) complete solidarity, emphasizing especially and doubly that "What Is To Be Done?" is directed precisely and mainly against the "Petersburg" type of people. Put the dots over the i's in conversations with them, constantly refer to Vanya as an example of evil, an example of what should not be done. I am ready to help you in this in every way I can, for example, with a series of letters to the circle. Let this circle first become consciously and entirely sincere, consciously and unconditionally hostile to the entire old "Petersburg," and to "Rabochaya Mysl" and "Rabocheye Delo" and to any half-heartedness.

Then (but only then) we will do the following: the statement which you advised Vanya to make and about which I wrote to you in detail*, this statement, in a somewhat modified form, of course, will be made by the circle, it will raise the "banner of revolt" against Vanya's economists and declare a direct campaign with the aim of winning Masha entirely to its side.

I have no doubt that this campaign will end in a rapid and complete victory, and I consider the main difficulty not the campaign itself, but precisely to bring people to a direct campaign, so as not to slip back into compromises with Vanya, into concessions to him, into delays, etc. No absolute compromises, relentless war against the slightest remnants of economism and amateurism - this, in my opinion, is what you should set as your task in the circle. It is better to spend 1/4 year, 1/2 year, or more on preparation, but to achieve the creation of a fighting and sincere circle, than to unite not fully developed people with Vanya's diplomats and procrastinators.

Take advantage of the fact that in relation to the circle your hands are free, and pursue your line decisively, not letting people who are not entirely your own come within shooting range.

If you conduct affairs in this way, you will be independent of Vanya's vacillations and fluctuations, you will have your own point of support. And if necessity forces you to sometimes play politics with Vanya, then with the circle you must absolutely not engage in the slightest bit of politicking, but always hold yourself irreconcilably against Vanya. Your tactics then will be simple: when Vanya approaches us, you pat him on the head, but firmly keep a stone under your coat, that is, do not hide from him that this is not enough, that he must completely approach and enter, and that you will not be satisfied with little. When Vanya moves away, you do not let him off a single mistake, a single misstep. Catching Vanya on every misstep and mercilessly exposing and denouncing them in the circle (and, as far as possible, sometimes in "Iskra") - this should be one of your main tasks.

In short, consistently stick to the principle with Vanya: I want peace with you, and for this, I am preparing a war against you with all my might.

In conclusion, one practical piece of advice. Vanya is by nature a diplomat and a stickler for rules. He has now raised the question of remodeling the kennel, and it is very likely that under the respectable cover of this "constitutional review" he will drag out the matter, invent thousands of compromises, etc. Do not let yourself be caught on this hook. Ruthlessly ridicule the love for writing statutes. Statutes are not the issue, and whoever thinks that, starting from such tactical and organizational ideas, one can write a model statute, understands nothing and must be relentlessly attacked for this misunderstanding. If Vanya imagines that they will comprehensively discuss a new statute, revise 40 out of 50 articles, and then "with a good feast to the wedding," that is, that then work will proceed according to the new statute, - if he (as is evident from everything) imagines this, then it means that he has only verbally discarded the old prejudices, but in practice still harbors hundreds of foolish ideas, with which a battle and a battle is needed. Attack pedantry and formalism and prove that the issue is not in statutes, but in 1) coming to an agreement on views, having thought them through to the end, and 2) getting along in the most practical work.

Standing on this position, we spit on your (Vanya's) game of statutes and declare outright: who we are, what we want, and how we work, you know and must learn not only from literature but also from personal meetings in Russia and abroad (such meetings are inevitable in revolutionary work). If you do not want to go hand in hand with us, then state it openly, do not waver, and remember that we will fight against any wavering "militarily." Do not think that you can hide your wavering from us with statutory reviews and the like.

And if you want to go together, then take up the work at once, and then you will see that this very work, in connection with the all-Russian newspaper, over it and on its basis, will show what new forms are needed, and will probably (even undoubtedly) show that with real, living work these forms outline themselves without any statutes. And when we are strong, we will arrange four Russian and two foreign (or vice versa - depending on circumstances) meetings and conferences per year, and all kinds of statutes will be determined at these conferences (put simply: all kinds of statutes will be sent to the devil).

I shake your hand firmly and impatiently await a reply: do my letters hit the mark, that is, do they give you what you need.

Yours, Lenin

---

Written on July 22, 1902

Sent from Logiville (North Coast of France) to St. Petersburg

First published in 1926 in the journal "Red Chronicle" No. 6

Published from the manuscript

* Vanya - conspiratorial name for the Petersburg Committee. Ed.
** Masha - conspiratorial name for the Workers' Organization in St. Petersburg. Ed.
*** The above text in the manuscript is crossed out in red pencil. Ed.
**** See V. I. Lenin. Collected Works, 5th ed., Vol. 6, pp. 1-192. Ed.
* See this volume, pp. 194-195. Ed.