LETTER TO A. I. LYUBIMOV.
[Early September 1909. Bonbon, Seine-et-Loire Department.]
Dear Mark! Of course, I fully agree to whatever use you may make of my letter in your report—and to its publication as well. Just bear in mind that I am writing an article for Proletary*, where I will openly denounce this gang of scoundrels, Maximov and Co., and I will refer to their so‑called “school” no other way than as the “Eroginian Apartment.”³ So, to avoid any misunderstandings: I am only prepared to speak “softly” with workers who come to me personally, seeking my endorsement in writing.
As for Maximov and Co.—they are nothing more than a band of adventurers who have lured certain workers into the Eroginian Apartment. To prevent any contradiction, do not circulate my letter publicly; instead, send it exclusively to organizational bodies, and be sure to include the following caveat—better yet, print this caveat as well:
“The proper response to that company of aggrieved literary figures, unrecognized philosophers, and ridiculed ‘builders of God’—those who have hidden their so‑called ‘solution’ from the Party—will be given in Proletary. This letter, however, is a personal reply from Lenin to those workers who have approached him directly.”
When it came to Bogdanov’s report, I would advise either that no one attend at all—or that you respond in such a way as to forever dissuade him from ever attempting to stir up trouble again. It is a despicable form of cowardice to meddle in another faction after having already been expelled from it. Nothing is more harmful now than indulging in petty niceties.
A complete break—and open warfare—are far more effective than mere clever maneuvering. Such warfare will quickly teach a lesson to those fools who still “haven’t quite figured things out.”
With warm regards, N. Lenin.
P.S. And Plekhanov’s Diary!!!³ Don’t forget—I’m waiting for it.
1 We are referring here to Lenin’s letter to the students of the Capri school, dated August 30, 1909.
* If I manage to finish it in time, I’ll send it to you tomorrow by express mail—it might just arrive in time for the report.

2 At this time, Lenin was writing his article “On the Faction of Supporters of Recallism and ‘God-Building,’” which was published as an appendix to Nos. 47–48 of Proletary, dated September 24 (November 11), 1909 (Collected Works, Vol. XIV, p. 137).
3 After stepping down from the editorial board of the Menshevik newspaper Golos Sotsial-Demokrata, Plekhanov had resumed publication of his own “Diary of a Social Democrat.” Following a three-year hiatus, in August 1909, No. 9 of the “Diary of a Social Democrat” appeared—entirely devoted to the struggle against liquidationism. It is about this very issue that Lenin writes in the present letter.