4 *"La Guerre Sociale"* (*"Social War"*) — a newspaper published in Paris from 1906. In 1916 it was replaced by the newspaper *"La Victoire."* During the years of the imperialist world war, it took a distinctly social-chauvinist position.

5 *"La Voix du Peuple"* (*"The Voice of the People"*) — a journal; organ of the General Confederation of Labor; published in Paris from 1900 to 1940.

6 *"Le Mouvement Socialiste"* (*"Socialist Movement"*) — a socio-political journal; published in Paris from January 1899 to June 1914.

7 *"Bulletin de l'Office du travail"* (*"Bulletin of the Labor Bureau"*) — publication of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Post and Telegraph; issued in Paris from 1894 to 1913.

8 *"Le Peuple"* (*"The People"*) — a daily newspaper, central organ of the Belgian Workers' Party; published since 1885 in Brussels.

9 *"Vorwärts"* (*"Forward"*) — a daily newspaper, central organ of the German Social Democratic Party; published in Berlin from 1891 to 1933.

10 *"Leipziger Volkszeitung"* (*"Leipzig People's Newspaper"*) — a daily Social Democratic newspaper; published from 1894 to 1933. For a number of years it was the organ of the left wing of German Social Democracy; from 1917 — organ of the German "Independents," after 1922 — organ of the right Social Democrats.

11 Wiener *"Arbeiter Zeitung"* (*Vienna "Workers' Newspaper"*) — a daily newspaper, central organ of Austrian Social Democracy. Founded by V. Adler in 1889 in Vienna.

12 *"Sozialistische Monatshefte"* (*"Socialist Monthly"*) — a journal, chief organ of German opportunists and one of the organs of international revisionism; published in Berlin from 1897 to 1933. During the First World War it took a social-chauvinist position.

13 *"Korrespondenzblatt der Generalkommission der Gewerkschaften Deutschlands"* (*"Information Bulletin of the General Commission of the Trade Unions of Germany"*) — a journal; published in Berlin from 1904 to 1919.

14 *"Justice"* (*"Justice"*) — a weekly newspaper; published in London from January 1884 to the beginning of 1925; from 1911 — organ of the British Socialist Party.

15 *"Fabian News"* (*"Fabian News"*) — a journal; published in London from 1891.

16 *"Labour Leader"* (*"Labour Leader"*) — a weekly journal, published from 1891. From 1946 it bears the title *"Socialist Leader"* (*"Socialist Leader"*).

17 *"Sozial-Democrat"* (*"Social-Democrat"*) — a journal; published in London from 1897 to 1911.

## LETTER FROM V. I. LENIN AND P. I. STUCHKA TO THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE RSDLP¹

[End of September 1907]

From what has been communicated to us concerning the relations of the executive collegium to the broad editorial board of the Central Organ, we see that these relations are extremely unclear. If the executive collegium is able to conduct business independently and to finally accept or reject articles, while the broad editorial board determines the general direction of the organ, outlines the content of each issue and supervises its conduct, then we would consider it possible to assume the functions proposed to us. If, however, at the demand of any member of the executive collegium, the question of any article is transferred for decision to seven persons, then under such conditions we cannot participate in the executive collegium, for we consider the conduct of a periodical organ under such conditions impossible. We therefore request that the Central Committee define more precisely the functions and rights of the executive collegium and the broad editorial board.

*"Izvestiya of the Central Committee of the RSDLP,"*
1907, No. 3, October 11

¹ The Central Committee of the RSDLP, elected at the V (London) Congress of the RSDLP on May 1, 1907, discussed repeatedly during September 1907 the question of forming an editorial board for the Central Organ of the party — the newspaper *"Social-Democrat."* At the nineteenth session of the Central Committee on September 2, at the proposal of the Bolsheviks, V. I. Lenin was elected editor-in-chief of the Central Organ and an editorial collegium of 7 persons was elected (2 Bolsheviks, and one each from: the Mensheviks [G. V. Plekhanov], the Bund, the Social Democracy of the Latvian Region, and Polish Social Democracy). This decision was reconsidered at a session of the Central Committee on September 20 at the initiative of a member of the Central Committee from the PSD, L. Tyshka — the post of editor-in-chief was abolished and a new editorial collegium was elected consisting of 7 persons: two Bolsheviks — V. I. Lenin and M. N. Pokrovsky, two Mensheviks — F. I. Dan and A. S. Martynov, L. Tyshka, a Bundist [Zeltser-Grosser], P. I. Stuchka, representing Latvian Social Democracy, and an executive collegium consisting of three persons: Lenin, Martynov, and Stuchka. The functions of the editorial collegium included: determining the content of each issue, general supervision of the organ, division into sections, issuance of general directives (questions, topics, etc.), while the executive collegium was responsible for: inviting contributors, commissioning articles and distributing them, accepting or rejecting articles.

In response to such a division of responsibilities between the editorial and executive collegia, the present letter to the Central Committee of the RSDLP was written and read at the twenty-sixth session of the Central Committee.

Concerning this letter, the Central Committee adopted the following resolutions: "1) Articles accepted by the executive collegium are published in the organ. The question of publication of articles rejected by a majority of the executive collegium is decided in final form, upon the demand of the interested parties, in the editorial commission. 2) It is established that according to the sense of the resolution of the Central Committee, the words 'determines the content of each issue' mean that the topics on which articles are to be written in each issue are assigned by the editorial commission."

P. I. Stuchka — a party member since 1903, was chairman of the Central Committee of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party. After the October Revolution — member of the Central Executive Committee, People's Commissar of Justice; in 1918-1919 — chairman of the Soviet government of Latvia, subsequently — deputy People's Commissar of Justice of the RSFSR, from 1923 — chairman of the Supreme Court of the RSFSR.