V. I. LENIN — TO N. E. VILONOV
IN DAVOS (SWITZERLAND).
7/IV. 10. [Paris.]
Dear Comrade M[ikhail]! I am sending you the resolution adopted by the local “Tlekhans” here—or, more accurately, by the Party members among them, the “Meks.”1 If it is indeed true that among the Meks in Davos, Party members predominate, then it would be of utmost importance that they respond without delay and, one way or another, unite and come forward openly. Of course, the Bekis must proceed with extreme caution when offering such advice to the Meks, for even among the Plekhanovists, there is no accusation more terrifying, more dreadful, more unbearable than the charge of “aiding the Bekis” or of working “for the Bekis,” and so on.

In the current state of confusion, I see only two possible paths forward: either a return to our own Bekist faction, or a decisive struggle against the Voice-of-the-People faction alongside the Plekhanovists for control of the Party. The latter option is preferable—but it does not depend on us. For now, let us do everything within our power to prepare for the second path. Only after we have exhausted every possible avenue, explored every available means toward that second exit, should we turn back to the first.

I am very glad to hear that your engagement with pragmatism has begun to steer you away from Machism. In Russia today, they are vigorously translating all of this “latest” philosophical scum—Petzold and Co., the pragmatists, and the like. This is a good thing: once the Russian public—and especially the Russian workers—see these teachers of ours, Bogdapov and Co., in their natural form, they will quickly turn away from both the teachers and the students alike.

To regard truth as a mere instrument of cognition is, in essence, to move over to the side of agnosticism—that is, to abandon materialism. In this respect, and in all fundamental matters, the pragmatists, the Machists, the Empiriomonists—all belong to the same camp.

I send you a hearty handshake and wish you a speedy and thorough recovery.
Yours, N. Lenin
1 We are speaking here of the resolution passed by the Parisian Menshevik Party members at a meeting of the “Menshevik Group for the Support of the RSDLP” on April 4, 1910, signed by “Huga,” “Olgina” (V. Fomin), and “Rappoport” (X. T. Rappoport). Based on the resolution of the January Plenum regarding the necessity of abolishing the factions, the resolution called for the closure of the liquidator’s “Voice of the Social Democrat”—“as the organ of a specific political line.”
265P8V. I. LENIN — TO M. M. ZOLINA
IN DAVOS (SWITZERLAND).
For M. M.
ZOLU. 10. [Paris.]1
Dear Comrade! Thank you for informing me about Mikhail’s condition. I immediately took steps to arrange a subsidy for him. The situation is such that it is hopeless to secure the subsidy through the Central Committee’s Foreign Bureau—for we are now in the minority there. There was an opportunity to send funds back to Russia, and I forwarded the request to the Russian Central Committee, asking them to provide the subsidy to Mikhail. I hope to receive a favorable response within a couple of weeks. In any case, it is essential that we ensure Mikhail continues his treatment and remains in Davos until he has fully recovered.
I send you a firm handshake.
Yours, N. Lenin.
My address is:
Mr. V. I. Ulianoff
4. Rue Marie Bose, 4.
Paris XIV.
1 The letter was written on the eve of N. Filonov (“Mikhail”)’s death; he passed away on May 1, 1910, in Davos.

LETTERS FROM THE SECOND PERIOD OF EMIGRATION

1920)
V. I. LENIN — TO D. M. KOTLYARENKO.
To Comrade K o t l y a r e n k o, personally.
1.8. 10. [Pornic.]
I. Dear Comrade! Please be so kind as to order the following books for the editorial office:
1) The Report of the Fraction of the People’s Freedom for the 3rd Session of the State Duma. (Bookstore “Pravo,” St. Petersburg—or contact V. A. Kharlamov, 7 Potemkinskaya Street, St. Petersburg.) Price: 50 kopecks.
2) In Memory of N. G. Chernyshevsky: Lectures and Speeches by Annensky, Antonovich, Tugan-Baranovsky, and others. Price: 50 kopecks. (Public Benefit Society, St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospekt 40, Apt. 43.)
II. Furthermore, you acted quite imprudently in not sending the order by registered mail.1 I have already given Rappoport’s address to the post office here. But that is not enough. Send a formal request immediately to the Administration des Postes in Pornic, asking—as the sender—to forward the package to Rappoport, and enclose a postcard bearing your return address.
III. Regarding the Public Movement—2—it is said that Britman brought it over and handed it over to the expedition for me. If that is not the case, I will ask Grigory, and you should inquire with him as well, whenever the opportunity arises.
IV. As for the guests at the Copenhagen Congress—I cannot say anything definitive. As usual, it seems that admission to the galleries was free.*
Take one sheet from my parcel sent to the Foreign Bureau of the Central Committee (a small package is enclosed)—there you will find a printed sheet listing the address of the chairman of the local organizing committee: if you wish to know in advance with certainty, that is the address you should seek out.
V. I am enclosing a letter for the Foreign Bureau of the Central Committee.4 Please transmit it as soon as possible.
VI. And what about the report? I earnestly, most earnestly urge you to expedite its publication.5
I SEND YOU A HANDSHAKE,
Yours, N. Lenin.

We are speaking here of the report of the RSDLP submitted to the 8th International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen, published in French as a separate pamphlet: “Rapport du parti socialiste-democratic ouvrier de

LENINSKY SBORNNIK
Russia at the VIIIth International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen (August 28 – September 3, 1910)” (“Report of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party to the 1st Congress of the Socialist International in Copenhagen [August 28 – September 3, 1910]”).
The report had been drafted by Kamenev. It was translated into French by X. Rappoport and edited by Lenin. In Russian, it was republished in 1923 by Istpart.
D. Kotlyarenko had been sending X. Rappoport the report in installments for translation. One of the parcels was dispatched to Pornic, while Rappoport was living at that time in Trojean (lie d’Oleron).
For further information on the Copenhagen Congress, see note 195 to Volume XIV of the Collected Works, p. 552.
2 In the fall of 1910, the first half-volume of Volume I of “The Public Movement in Russia at the Beginning of the 20th Century” was published. For details on the five-volume series, see Collected Works, Volume XIV, note 38, p. 502.
3 It appears that we are referring to a notice from the Congress Organizing Committee, which could not be located.
4 The letter has not been preserved.
5 We are speaking here of the report by Tria (Vl. Mgelaadze), which was intended to be included as an appendix to the RSDLP report for the Copenhagen Congress. On August 5, Zinoviev sent D. Kotlyarenko a copy of the report, already edited by Lenin, with the instruction that after it was translated into French, the report should be sent to the printing house. Kotlyarenko was also tasked with soliciting the opinions of the editorial board members of the Central Organizing Committee—Barsov and Dan—regarding this publication. The report was later printed in Russian pursuant to a special decision of the Central Organizing Committee; see Gorky’s letter dated November 14, 1910 (p. 192 of this collection). However, Tria’s report is not included in the appendices to the Copenhagen Congress report.