V. I.

Lenin

To:   THE BUREAU OF THE C.C., R.S.D.L.P., IN RUSSIA

For Vasilyev and No. 3. Dear friends, we received your news today that
the majority of the co-operative has again re stored the national-cultural
autonomy clause to please the Jewish nationalists and the rest of that
company. What is this—a mockery of the six? Do these gentry not under
stand that by interpreting the Programme to please this company they are
thereby releasing the minority from submission? Why, it is a public disgrace that they should gain the upper
hand by making use of one chance vote of a muddled Menshevik, or perhaps
relying in this case on No. 16. We do not know what the six have done on
this question.

But how can we silently submit, how can No. 3 agree to read such bilge
publicly (and thereby assume responsibility), how could the six (or at any
rate No. 3 alone) not come out at once with a statement in Dyen
that these gentry are making a mockery of the Programme and heading for a
split—this we cannot possibly understand. For if nothing is said, the
Jewish
Marxists [1] will walk all over us tomorrow. After all, there must be some limit. And if
these gentlemen think that the minority is obliged to submit even when the
Programme is obviously being torn to bits, they are badly mistaken.

We sent in one general article on cultural-national autonomy before
your letter came (we quoted Plekhanov: the Caucasians and the Bund are
adapting socialism to nationalism). Today we are sending articles directly
against the co-operative. We would ask you to see that they are printed as
soon as possible, and we believe that if it is not too late you should take
resolute measures to prevent changes in the Programme. It is necessary to
fight, since the others are taking such steps. As regards the merging of
Vechernaya Pochta [2] and Dyen you will all doubtless adopt the resolution, with the
exception of the pro-liquidators. This of course was trickery on their
part, and we shall not agree to join them in anything. Why are only four
coming? We earnestly beg you to get all six to come. This is extremely
important.