EDITORIAL STATEMENT OF “PROLETARY” \
To Comrade Viktor, Member of the Bolshevik Central Committee.
[June 27, 1908] *. Geneva, j
The editorial board of “Proletary” notes that not a single organization has reported on T. Maksimov’s departure—or on anything that has transpired over the past three days (nor, for that matter, in the period prior to that).
To the few individuals who were privy to such information, we immediately demanded absolute silence. We hereby solemnly commit ourselves, going forward, to take every possible measure to confine all matters pertaining to what has occurred within the circle of members of the B.C.C.
We make this commitment on the condition that T. Maksimov:
1) renounces the practice of forwarding his letter to the editorial office to local organizations;
2) undertakes, like us, to ensure that those individuals who have been informed of his departure from the editorial board—and others similarly affected—do not engage in any further private communications regarding this matter;
3) defers the expression of all his grievances and accusations until the next meeting of the B.C.C. members (both those currently abroad and those en route overseas);
4) does not insist on having his departure from “Proletary” published in the journal.
to the Editorial Board of “Proletary”
N. Lenin.
I.P. Dorov. **
Secretary of the B.C.C., Sablina
3.
* Printed from a copy handwritten by an unknown scribe. Ed.
** I.F. Dubrovinsky. Ed.
*** II.K. Krupskaya. Ed.

THE STRUGGLE ON TWO FRONTES

1 The date is established based on the dating of A. Bogdanov’s reply to the present editorial statement; Bogdanov likely responded on the very same day (see note 3 below).
* The conflict between the editorial board of “Proletary” and Bogdanov arose out of philosophical differences between Lenin and Bogdanov.
8 In response to this editorial statement, Bogdanov—again with the mediation of V. Taratuta—wrote the following letter: “To Comrade Viktor. Dear comrade, I certainly have no objection whatsoever to the kind of localized dissemination of information about the conflict that has arisen, as outlined in the document you submitted to me on behalf of the ‘Proletary’ editorial board. I hereby assume, until the issue is resolved at the next meeting of the B.C.C., the obligations set forth in the four points of the editorial statement. With warm regards, Maksimov. June 27, N.S. 1908.”
and
LETTER TO A.I. LYUBIMOV.
[August 18, 1909] Bonbon, Department of Seine-et-Loire.
Dear Mark! I am sending my reply to the Caprians for Lévy *.
If he deems it necessary, let him make a copy (X)** for Inok, and then send the letter to Capri—though I do not know the address. I believe it is possible to send it in two envelopes: write “Signor Massimo Gorki. Villa Blaesus. Capri. Italie” on the outer envelope, and “To the Executive Committee of the School” on the inner one.
I do not know any other address.
Regarding Trotsky, I must say that I will be most firmly opposed to providing him with assistance if he rejects (as he already has!) the proposal made to him by a member of the Central Committee—that he join the editorial board on an equal footing. Without resolving this question through the Executive Committee of the B.C.C., no steps toward aiding Trotsky may be taken. Therefore, the Economic Commission of the Proletary printing house may only agree to print “Pravda” if this is not understood as support for a new faction—inasmuch as Trotsky is founding a new faction, while the member of the Central Committee had instead proposed that he join the Party—rather than as a purely commercial transaction, paid for as with any other client, provided that typesetters are granted freedom of action and so forth.
I strongly insist that the question of our relationship with “Pravda” must still be decided by the Executive Committee.
* M.K. Vladimirova. Ed.
** The symbol (X) appears in the manuscript (without parentheses) between the lines, above the word “copy.” Ed.

The B.C.C. Commission maintains that not a single step may be taken toward assisting Trotsky until this decision is reached; we must not bind ourselves in any way.
With warm regards. N. Lenin.
X P.S. Please be sure to make a copy of my letter to the Caprians—it may prove necessary for the B.C.C.
1 The date is established on the basis that this letter was, most likely, written at the same time as the accompanying letter from Lenin, his “reply to the Caprians” dated August 18, 1909 (see Collected Works, Vol. XIV, p. 116).
* We are speaking here of Trotsky’s negotiations with the Bolshevik Central Committee regarding material assistance for the publication of the newspaper “Pravda” in Vienna (for more on Trotsky’s Viennese “Pravda,” see Collected Works, Vol. XIV, p. 520, note 88), as well as the terms under which the Bolsheviks would provide this assistance.