V. I. Lenin

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

S. I. GUSEV

Tell Gusev from Lenin personally. 4. IV. 05.

Dear Friend,

You wrote yourself that you are being shadowed. Besides, I have gathered information here from the St. Petersburg people who have recently arrived from the scene of action, which fully confirms this fact. There can be no doubt about it whatever. I know from my own experience and that of many comrades that one of the most difficult things for a revolutionary is precisely to leave a dangerous place in time. It always happens that just when it is necessary to stop work in a given place, the work becomes particularly interesting and particularly necessary; it always, absolutely always seems so to the person engaged in it. That is why I consider it my duty most insistently to demand of you that you leave St. Petersburg for a time. This is absolutely necessary.

No excuses, no considerations of the cause must delay this step. The harm from an inevitable arrest would be enormous. The harm from your departure is insignificant and only apparent: put young assistants in the higher posts for a time, for a month or two, and rest assured that, although there may be a very brief loss to the cause, on the whole and in the long run the cause will gain tremendously. The young people will learn from more responsible work; we shall soon correct any mistakes they may make. Meanwhile, an arrest would spoil our most important chances for organising central work. Once again: I strongly advise you to leave immediately for the provinces for a month. There is plenty of work everywhere, and general guidance is needed everywhere. If you want to (and you must want to), you can always arrange to leave.

I am not writing about the agreement of March 12, 1905. There is no point in swearing about it. Apparently, it could not have been done otherwise.

The question now is to energetically prepare the Congress and increase the number of delegates. As for money, don’t get carried away and take care of it: it will be even more needed after the Congress.

Sent from Geneva to St. Petersburg

First published in 1925