V. I.

Lenin

290

To:   THE GROUP OF BOLSHEVIK MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE OF THE METALWORKERS’ TRADE UNION

Dear Friends, We received both letters, thanks. We shall gladly give whatever help we
can. It is not worth writing special instructions. In a day or two we shall
publish a series of articles on this subject by Gr. Try and get it
reprinted in Metallist . We shall write for Metallist ,
too, as and when we can: You must get them to pay author’s fees—we shall then widen the
circle of contributors at once. Apparently, in a day or two, there will be
another decisive meeting. We learn from letters from our people that the
liquidators are gathering all their forces to give decisive battle; our
people, of course, are not dawdling and are leaving nothing to chance. The
matter is extremely important and grave. You must fight hard to keep all
you have won. We are with you in this struggle heart and soul. Why did you
allow a liquidator to get in as secretary? [1] And what’s that affair about the insurance committee? We
await your letters. Let us know always what we have to write about
there. Keep us informed. We earnestly wish you success.

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Notes:
[1]
This refers to the re-election of the Executive of the St. Petersburg
Metalworkers’ Union. The meeting, held on August 25 (September 7), 1913, was attended by about three thousand people. Despite the attempts of
the liquidators to set the meeting against the Bolshevik Executive, the
vast majority, amid applause, adopt ed a resolution expressing appreciation
of the Executive’s activities. The liquidators’ list collected only some
150 votes. The Bolshevik list, published beforehand in the newspaper
Severnaya Pravda , was adopted by an overwhelming majority.

Secretary of the Executive of the St. Petersburg Metalworkers’ Union up
till August 25 (September 7), 1913, was the liquidator V. Abrosimov, who
was subsequently exposed as an agent provocateur.