V. I. LENIN — G. L. SHKLOVSKY
TO BERN.
[March 12, 1912. Paris.]1
Dear Comrade!
I hasten to answer some of your questions. The reeport on the conference is a necessary and most important thing. I hope that, having taken it up once, you will travel around all of Switzerland, and not just two cities.2 "From the announcement I cannot conclude about the steps that were taken by it to attract various foreign currents and national organizations."3 So you write.
But the announcement states directly and precisely that the Forwardists + Trotsky + Plekhanov were invited, and the nationals three times? What else is needed?
Lunacharsky at Zinoviev's reeport in Paris 4 had the audacity to say that there was a "Caunerkniff" * here, because the call was not from the conference, but from the arriving delegates. Well, isn't Lunacharsky a liar? 23 sessions = 12 days: if they hadn't called in advance, the invitees would have missed half (send a letter, give addresses, arrive - count!). And from Trotsky's letter it is clear that 7 people called = 1/2 of the total number of 14. 5
I was against the invitation, but the delegates invited both the Forwardists and Trotsky and Plekhanov.
The chairman of the credentials committee was a delegate from Kiev (Menshevik).*** Even Trotsky admitted (forcedly!) that this is an indisputable organization.
Who will the worker believe? The Kiev organization or the foreign shouters?
Don't believe the rumors. Neither the Plekhanovites, nor the Forwardists, no one left the conference. There were only two party members: from Kiev - behaved arch-correctly and generally went along. From
* - "fraudulent trick." Ed.
** One word is omitted. Ed.
*** - D. Shvartsman. Ed.

Ekaterinoslav * - behaved arch-contentiously, but he also did not leave the conference, but only made "protests" in the spirit of Plekhanov.
The Ekaterinoslav delegate submitted his draft resolution on constitution, where he fully acknowledged that everyone was notified, protested against those who did not appear, but wanted to be constituted as a conference of Russian organizations. He was left alone with this proposal.
Now 12 delegates in Russia - are giving reports everywhere. There are already letters about this from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Samara, Nikolaev and Tiflis. The work has begun and will continue.
The Bund + Latvians are trying to concoct a conference with the liquidators. Let them try! Deeds, gentlemen, not words are needed!!
You were powerless (+ Trotsky + Forwardists) from 26.XI. 1910 - when Trotsky proclaimed the convocation of a conference, you are powerless and will remain so. 6
We broke with the liquidators, the party broke with them.7 Let them try to convene another RSDLP with the liquidators! Laughable.
The Duma Social-Democratic faction is directly neither for us nor for them. But (1) there were 2 deputies at our conference;8 (2) Zvezda printed 9 Social-Democratic deputies among its contributors,9 while the liquidationist Zhivoe Delo had 4.10 Here are the Facts for you!
Among the Latvians, the Beki are waging war against their Central Committee.
Well, I wish you success! Greetings to all friends.
Yours N. Lenin**

The date was established on the basis of Lenin's letter to G. Shklovsky below (p. 201) and the mention of G. Zinoviev's reeport, which took place on March 1, 1912.

We are talking about reeports on the All-Russian (Prague) Conference of the RSDLP of 1912. G. Shklovsky made reports on the conference in Bern and Lausanne. However, the trip around all of Switzerland with reports did not take place.

We are talking about the brochure: "All-Russian Conference of the RSDLP. 1912. Publication of the Central Committee. Paris. 1912," which contains the "Announcement of the Conference" (issued as a separate leaflet) and all the resolutions
* - Zvin. Ed.
** At the top of the letter, N. Krupskaya wrote: "Antonov's address: M-r VgNshann. 217, rue Colbiac. Paris." Ed.

LETTERS FROM THE PERIOD OF THE SECOND EMIGRATION

(see Lenin's Works, vol. XV, p. 374 and "Revolution and the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in Materials and Documents" vol. VI, p. 187).
4 This refers to G. Zinoviev's reeport on the Prague Conference of the RSDLP, which took place in Paris on March 1, 1912.
5 Regarding Trotsky's letter and the composition of the Prague Conference, see Lenin's Works, vol. XV, note 167, p. 651.
6 This refers to the resolution adopted on November 26, 1910 by the Social-Democratic club in Vienna (which mainly included Trotskyists) against the "Rabochaya Gazeta," proposed by L. Trotsky after his reeport on the topic: "The Modern Workers' Press," in which the assembled club, apart from and against the Central Committee of the RSDLP, called on "all comrades in the field, without waiting for instructions from above, to immediately begin preparing for an all-party conference" and decided "to organize an all-party fund for the preparation and convocation of the RSDLP conference" (see Appendix to No. 19 - 20 of "Sotsial-Demokrat" from (26) January 13, 1911" and "Revolution and the RCP(b) in Materials and Documents," vol. 5, pp. 303 - 306; see Lenin's Works, vol. XV, note 13, p. 610),

This refers to the resolution of the Prague Conference on liquidationism and on the group of liquidators," which states "that the group of "Nasha Zarya" and "Delo Zhizni" by their behavior have finally placed themselves outside the party."
8 Representatives of the Social-Democratic faction of the State Duma V. Shurkanov (provocateur) and N. Poletaev arrived at the conference (with a great delay).
9 The following 9 Social-Democratic deputies of the State Duma were among the contributors to "Zvezda": A. A. Voiloshnikov, S. A. Voroniv, N. M. Egorov* M. V. Zakharov, I. P. Pokrovsky, A. Ya. Predkaln, N. G. Poletaev, P. I. Surkov, V. E. Shurkanov.
10 "Zhivoe Delo" is a weekly legal newspaper of Menshevik-liquidators, published in St. Petersburg from (February 2) January 9 (to May 11) April 28, 1912. The following members of the Social-Democratic faction of the State Duma were among the contributors: E. P. Astrakhantsev, G. S. Kuznetsov, V. E. Shurkanov" T. O. Belousov (see Lenin's Works, vol. XV, note 173, p. 656).
S0880
V. I. LENIN — G. L. SHKLOVSKY TO BERN. *
[March 13, 1912. Paris.]1
Dear Comrade! Nadya sent you my note today.
I hasten to inform you, so that there is no misunderstanding and so that you do not make a mistake in the reeport, that yesterday a meeting of the "Social-Democrats," enemies of the conference, took place in Paris.
Everyone adopted a resolution of protest against the conference (both the Plekhanovites and the Golosovites and the Forwardists and the conciliators and tutti quanti) * and something like excluding me from the International Socialist Bureau (I am passing on rumors, because the Beki and supporters of the conference, of course, were not at the meeting).
Of course, all this is laughable. If these gentlemen could not even keep the Foreign Bureau of the Central Committee (laugh in the reeport at him about Plekhanov's eulogy in No. 15 of the Diary, 2nd appendix]!)3 then now they will not be able to create anything at all. Come on, dear ones, not words, but deeds: you boast that you have united. Please, unite in Nasha Zarya and Zhivoe Delo, and most importantly in Golos S. D.4
Comedians!
I shake your hand and wish you success
Yours Lenin
P. S. This resolution is not yet in print, so it should not be referred to in the reeport, this is only for information, if they pull out this resolution.5
No one could say anything about Russian organizations, they got away with the phrase - "many important organizations were not present." They pointed out that the Ekaterinoslav delegate was left only with an advisory vote, but they did not point out that this very delegate submitted a resolution that not a single organization was bypassed, that the Organizing Committee did everything it could, that its activities deserve full approval. * *
1 The letter should be dated March 13, 1912, since the meeting mentioned, which took place "yesterday," was on March 12 (see Lenin's Works, vol. XV, notes 181 and 186, pp. 659 and 661).
2 See the previous letter (p. 199).
3 This refers to G. V. Plekhanov's article in Appendix 2 to No. 15 of the "Diary of a Social-Democrat," entitled: "Eternal Memory," signed "G. P." about the withdrawal by the Central Committee of the Latvian Territory of its representative from the Foreign Bureau of the Central Committee.
Representatives of the Bolsheviks, the Main Board of the Social-Democracy of Poland and Lithuania, and the Central Committee of the Social-Democracy of the Latvian Territory gradually left the Foreign Bureau of the Central Committee. Remaining in the composition of representatives of the Mensheviks and the Bund, the Foreign Bureau of the Central Committee was forced to liquidate itself.
* - all such. Ed.
** The postscript was written by N. Krupskaya. Ed.

LETTERS FROM THE PERIOD OF THE SECOND EMIGRATION

*
"Nasha Zarya" is a monthly legal journal, the organ of the liquidators; published in St. Petersburg from the beginning of 1910 to 1914 (see Lenin's Works, vol. XIV, note 167, p. 546).
"Golos Sotsial-Demokrata" is the organ of the Mensheviks: published from February 1908 to December 1911 (see Lenin's Works, vol. XIV, note 35, p. 501).

The resolution was printed in the "Information Sheet" of the foreign organization of the Bund (JV® 4, May 1912) and in "Pravda" (Vienna) in No. 25, dated May 6 (April 23), 1912 (see Lenin's Works, vol. XV, note 1S1, p. €59).