V. I.

Lenin

FOR RUSSIA

August 18, 1904

To Members of the C.C., R.S.D.L.P., Glebov, Konyagin, [1]
Traviusky, Loshad, and Osipov.

Iwas informed today, through the Central Committee’s Berlin agent, of
the decisions taken by four (?) members of the Central Committee at
their meeting in

Russia. [2] I cannot acknowledge these decisions lawfully adopted, for the following reasons:

1) The statement at the beginning of the resolution that the
meeting was attended by all Central Committee members but one
(that is, myself) is not true. After the arrest of
Vasilyev and Zverev and the resignation of

Mitrofanov, [3] the Central Committee still has another
member—Comrade Osipov. The rumours of his resignation have
proved false: Comrade Osipov himself considers that he is a
member of the Central Committee. That was also the view of
Vasilyev (who wrote to me about it), Zverev, and myself. In any
case, the four Central Committee members had no right to declare
Osipov no longer a member without first clarifying the matter of
his alleged resignation. It has to be added that neither I nor
the Central Organ nor any of the Central Committee’s foreign
agents was ever formally notified of Osipov’s resignation. Yet
Osipov was not invited to the meeting.

2)I too, so far from being invited to the meeting, was not even
informed of it or notified of the matters to be discussed. The
Central Committee has of course the right to decide matters by a
majority vote, but its decisions cannot be lawful unless all
members have been given the opportunity to share in the proceedings and, if necessary, enter a dissenting opinion. I
was denied that opportunity altogether unlawfully .

3) The four Central Committee members have not stated their attitude
to the agreement of May 26, 1904, between Glebov and myself,
although that agreement and my accompanying letter were, with
Glebov and Zverev’s consent, sent to all members of the Central
Committee with the request to give me a direct answer. The majority
on the Central Committee are fully entitled to overrule the
minority, but certainly not to evade official inquiries by the
minority and issues expressly raised by the minority for
discussion.

4)In view of the above I demand an immediate answer from the four
Central Committee members to the following:
a) on what grounds was Comrade Osipov, a member of the Central
Committee, not invited to the meeting? b) ditto as regards myself; c)
do they recognise that the majority of a body has the right to adopt
decisions in the name of the body as a whole only if the minority has
been invited to the proceedings and given the opportunity to state its
views and enter a dissenting opinion? d) do they recognise
their obligation to give an answer on the substance of all the
issues raised in the agreement of May 26, 1904?

5) Since the four Central Committee members have communicated
their unlawfully adopted decisions (as supposed decisions of the
whole Central Committee) to the Central Organ, I am obliged to
address a letter regarding their mode of procedure to Party
workers whom this matter rather closely concerns.

Central Committee member N. Lenin