V. I. Lenin

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

FROM LENIN TO THE CC

Dear friends! Regarding your latest letters, I must say that I agree with all the decisions except two. 1) I emphatically protest the appointment of Matryona as an agent and earnestly ask you to reconsider. The individual is utterly muddled, will do us grievous harm, will change sides another ten times, and disgrace us with his stupidity, etc.

Let him work in the committee, but he is utterly unfit to be an agent. Could he perhaps be assigned to the technical side? Regarding Stanislav, I would ask you to inform me who he is, what he is like, and all about him.

For my part, I would strongly recommend Lalayants as an agent, who has shown outstanding organisational abilities in Odessa and in the Southern Bureau, and who, according to all reports, has set up live work excellently. He was the soul of all local work—so a number of Odessites reported, even those not always well disposed towards the "hard-baked". Finally, he is an extremely principled person.

2) Regarding Plekhanov, I am extremely surprised that you passed over in silence the question raised here with Winter. Have we the right to appoint as the Party's representative a man who does not wish to join the Party and to recognise the Third Congress? Now, after all, he has declared in print that he does not consider the Third Congress legitimate and that he will be a representative only from both factions. Here a number of comrades pointed out, even when Winter was here, that by appointing Plekhanov we would only spoil him and finally ruin him. I was at first for Plekhanov, but now I see that he cannot be appointed without conditions. Just imagine concretely what it means to have as representative in the Bureau a man with whom no one talks, whom it is impossible to compel to "represent" the CC really, and not himself! We have now at last achieved direct relations between the Bureau (International Socialist Bureau) and ourselves, and we see that there are quite a number of money matters and other matters (appeals in the name of Russia and concerning Russia, about which I recently wrote to them; the manner of representation, about which they asked me the other day, etc.). The Bureau wrote that there is again some "proposal of Bebel's" 48 (which has not yet reached us); no doubt the old man is again preparing to "conciliate" (Kautsky has published a most scurrilous article on the German edition of the "Announcement" 49). Just think what our position would be if Plekhanov were the representative and Plekhanov had to deal with Bebel on the question of "peace"!?? I understand very well what strong reasons compel all of us, and you especially, to desire "peace", to desire the appointment of Plekhanov, but I am convinced that such steps, without a real guarantee of peace, will be merely a false step, will further confuse the matter, cause new splits, breaches of agreements, wrangling, fresh embitterment, and will only postpone the work of unification.

In my opinion, all talk of unification will be empty phrase-mongering until a feasible plan for it is worked out in practice: that is what the matter is coming to; we must wait a few months, let everyone appreciate the absurdity of the conference decisions, let experience destroy their idiotic "organisational rules", let experience somewhat reduce their pretensions (for, on the whole, our affairs are better and we are clearly going towards victory),—then direct negotiations will begin, without intermediaries, between the centres, then we shall work out (at once, or after two or three attempts, I cannot, of course, say) a modus vivendi*. But now we must fight.

My proposal: to make an "offer" to Plekhanov in your spirit, but on condition that he agrees to recognise the Third Congress, join the Party and submit to its decisions. By such a step we shall both keep up appearances and render harmless any possible confusion.

Pending receipt of your reply, I shall propose nothing to Plekhanov. I earnestly ask you to postpone a decision until our meeting in September.

I am extremely surprised that you do not write a single word about the "Open Letter" 50 sent to me and written in Reinert's hand? What? How? I don't understand. Why is there not a single word about it in the decisions??

Write soon, whether to print it in the Central Organ. If yes, I would very much ask for a small alteration regarding the tactical differences, so as not to fall into contradiction with my pamphlet, about which Lyubich 51 will tell you. I hope we shall not differ on this, and, if possible, I would ask you to allow me to make this alteration.

I am extremely surprised that the "Announcement" is not appearing in full in Russia. This is a scandal!!!

Hurry up all the technical people with this, for God's sake!!

We are extremely grateful for the dispatch of detailed decisions, committee letters and leaflets. At last something like regular communication between us is being established! Please do not drop this practice and find a good secretary in St. Petersburg. We are in dire need of information from St. Petersburg on Party affairs, on the liberals, on questions of Party life being discussed in the circles, etc., etc. Do not forget that the Bund and the Mensheviks are better informed than we are here!

A firm handshake. N. Lenin