V. I.

Lenin

139

To:   THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST BUREAU

To the Secretariat of the International Socialist Bureau

Geneva, July 8, 1905

Dear Comrades, Your letter of July 6 somewhat surprised us. You should already have known that
Citizen Plekhanov is no longer the representative of the Russian
Social-Democratic Party in the International Socialist Bureau.

In Iskra No. 101, Citizen Plekhanov published the following letter,
which we translate literally, and which, one would think, he should
have brought to the notice of the Bureau:

“ Comrades, the decisions of the conference [of the breakaway section
of the
Party], [1] which have dealt a mortal blow to the central institutions of our
Party, compel me to divest myself of the title of editor of the Central Organ
and fifth member of the Council (elected by the Second, lawful
Congress).

Plekhanov .

“ P.S. I take this opportunity publicly to ask that section of the Party
which recognises the decisions of the ’Third’
Congress [2] as binding, whether it wishes me to continue to represent this, now—
alas!—dissevered Party in the International Socialist Bureau. I can remain
the representative of the R.S.D.L.P. only if this is the wish of
both sections.

“Montreux, May 29, 1905.”

The editorial board of
Proletary , [3] the Central Organ of the Party, replied to this statement of Citizen Plekhanov’s with the
following paragraph, published in No. 5, for June 13, 1905:

“ In regard to Comrade Plekhanov’s postscript we can state that the question of the Party’s representation in the

International Bureau by Comrade Plekhanov has now been submitted to the C.C. of
the Party for its decision.”

The question has not yet been settled and, consequently at the
present time Citizen Plekhanov cannot, in the capacity of
representative of the
Party, [4] sign any document emanating from the International Bureau.

In view of this we draw your attention, dear comrades, to the fact that it is
very inconvenient for us to communicate with the Bureau through a comrade who
himself declares publicly that he cannot represent the Party so long as
it does not definitely authorise him to do so. We again repeat our request to
the International Secretariat that, pending settlement of the question of
representation in the International Socialist Bureau, everything that concerns
us (letters, manifestoes, documents, funds, etc.) should be sent to the address
of the Party’s Central Committee (V. Oulianoff, Rue de la Colline, 3,
Genéve).

Accept, dear comrades, the assurance of our fraternal sentiments.