V. I.

Lenin

TO V. L. LEDER [2]

October 28, 1913

Cracow, Ul. Lubomirskiego. 51

Dear Comrade, I quite understand your indignation against the
scoundrels in the so-called Chief Executive, but would advise
the commission [3] first of all, nevertheless, to secure
a formal refusal from the Chief Executive. You can after
all secure this (the address of Rosa Luxemburg, as a member
of the International Socialist Bureau, etc.), for without
it the I.S.B. will probably not interfere, and inclusion of
the question will be rejected on formal grounds. You should
not improve the position of Tyszka and Co. by any step on
your part which may call forth an I.S.B. refusal of your
request.

I advise you to write a careful information letter on behalf of the commission to Huysmans ( mainly pressing the
point that the Zarzad
Glówny [1] refuses to have its “ judgement” reviewed by a panel of I.S.B. affiliated parties
active in Russia) asking him to help you to bring moral
pressure to bear on the Chief Executive. This would be better than a premature formal appeal, entailing the risk
of failure.

I hope you will inform me, if Plekhanov replies to you.

With Social-Democratic greetings,
N. Lenin

Ulianow. Ul. Lubomirskiego. 51. Krakow.

---
Notes:
[1]
Chief Executive.— Ed .

[2]
V. L. Leder —a Polish Social-Democrat (a “Rozlamist”) who
supported the Left wing of the Social-Democratic Party of Poland
and Lithuania.

[3]
The Commission to review the decision of the trial of Karl Radek
on charges of unethical behaviour was set up by the Chief
Executive of the Social-Democratic Party of Poland and
Lithuania; under a decision of the court, Radek was expelled from the
party and from the German Social-Democratic Party.

The Commission was set-up in Paris in early September 1913
on the initiative of the bureau of the sections abroad of the
Social-Democratic Party of Poland and Lithuania (Rozlamists).

The Commission worked for five months and arrived at the
conclusion that there was no ground for the party trial of Radek
and his dismissal from the party.

Lenin sided with the opposition (Rozlamists) and believed
that the charges sprang from the acute struggle which the Chief
Executive waged against the opposition, and were motivated by factional considerations. He supported the review of the
Radek case.

For details on the differences between the Chief Executive and
the opposition, see present edition, Vol. 19, Note 135.