V. I.

Lenin

154

To:   THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE R.S.D.L.P.

October 5,1905

Dear friends, I have just received Reinert’s new letter. I have gone carefully into his
proposal, talked it over with Delta and revised my negative reply in the letter
of October 3, 1905.

I can return Orlovsky in a week’s time. They could then, perhaps, manage
without me somehow for a week or two. I would write a few articles in advance
and do some writing during the journey. But your plan, nevertheless, seems to me
highly irrational. According to the news now filling the foreign press, feeling
in Finland is running very high. It is openly reported that a number of
outbreaks are imminent and that an uprising is being prepared. Troops are being
sent there in force. The coastal and naval police have been reinforced
fourfold. After the John Grafton incident, [1] special attention is being paid to ships approaching the coasts. Arms have been
discovered in many places and the search for them has been stepped up. It is
considered within the bounds of possibility that clashes will be deliberately
provoked to provide a pretext for using armed force.

To arrange a general meeting there under such circumstances means taking a
quite unnecessary risk. It would be an absolutely desperate undertaking. A
trifling accident (the likelihood of which in Finland now is particularly great)
would be enough to wreck everything, both the C.C. and the C.O., for then
everything here would go to pieces. We must face the facts: it would mean
handing over the Party wholly to the Menshevik leaders to be torn to pieces. I
am sure that when you have thought the matter over you will agree that we are
not entitled to do that.

Please discuss whether the p]an could not be altered in the following way. All
of us to meet in Stockholm. Compared to the present plan this would mean for you
some slight inconveniences and tremendous advantages. The inconveniences lie in
the half-a-day’s delay (counting from Abo, near which it is proposed to
meet) or a maximum of one day each way. Two days in all, possibly even 4
days. That is a mere trifle. The advantages are greater safety. A total
break-down would then be ruled out completely. That means we shall not in the
slightest jeopardise the C.O. and the whole C.C.; we shall not be doing anything
stupid or desperate. Some of you can travel quite legally; they cannot be
arrested. The rest will obtain passports of other people or will travel without
passports (Delta says it is easy for the Finns to arrange for crossing the
frontier). In the event of an arrest being made, it would be, firstly, an
isolated case and not wholesale break-down and, secondly, there would be
absolutely no evidence, so that in the event of legal proceedings it would be
impossible for the police to dig up anything serious. We are then guaranteed
meeting for two to three days in complete safety, with all the documents
available (I shall bring them with me and you will send yours by post, etc.),
and with the possibility of drawing up any minutes, manifestos, etc., that we
like. Finally, we would then try out whether I could travel to Stockholm more
frequently, in order to work for you and for the leaflets, etc., from there (the
Mensheviks, I believe, did something of the kind in the South).

Please discuss this plan carefully. If you approve, send me a telegram
addressed: Kroupsky, 3, rue Dawid Dufour, Genève, signed Boleslav with just a
number indicating the date when I ought to be in Stockholm (30=I should be
there by September 30; 2 or 3=1 should be there by October 2 or 3, and so on).

All the best.
N. Lenin