V. I.

Lenin

8

To:   THE BUREAU OF THE C.C. OF THE R.S.D.L.P. IN RUSSIA [1]

April 16, 1912

Dear Friends

For God’s sake give us more contacts. Contacts, contacts,
contacts, that’s what we haven’t got. Without this everything is unstable. Remember that two have already left
the scene, there are no replacements for them. Without contacts everything will fall to pieces alter one or two
further arrests. You must without fail set up regional committees (or simply groups of trusted agents ), linked up
with us, for every region. Without this everything is shaky.
As regards publication, you should press on with reprinting
the entire resolution about the elections, [3] to make it
everywhere available in full and among the masses.

As regards the money, it is time to stop being naive about the Germans. Trotsky is now in full command there,
and carrying on a furious struggle. You must send us a mandate to take the matter to the courts, otherwise we
shall get nothing. We have already sent the May Day leaflet everywhere. I advise you to publish the appeal to the
peasants about the elections as a leaflet (from Rabochaya Gazeta : the peasantry and the
elections). [2]

Make sure of republishing the long article from Rabochaya Gazeta . This is
an essential supplement to the platform, in which a very important paragraph about socialism has been omitted.
Write! Contacts, contacts. Greetings.

P.S. Vorwärts is printing the most brazen lies, as, for
example, that all Russia has already declared in favour of
the Bundist-Lettish conference. It’s Trotsky and Co. who
are writing, and the Germans believe them. Altogether, Trotsky is boss in Vorwärts . The foreign department is
controlled by Hilferding, Trotsky’s friend.