V. I. Lenin

On the Question of the Bureau’s Next Steps

A number of groups abroad, big, small and tiny, are making
a lot of noise over the forthcoming sitting of the International Socialist
Bureau on December 1 (14). {1} By the time Tuesday’s edition is out there will perhaps be
some news, by cable, of the Bureau’s decision. I believe it to be my duty,
therefore, to describe the state of affairs so as to prevent any false
rumours and to make it possible to adopt the right tone at once.

The small and tiny groups abroad, who have no support in Russia (like
Rosa Luxemburg and the Tyszka people, or Charles Rappoport, who recently
wrote in a small French paper in the same spirit, or Alexinsky and the
Vperyod group in Paris, etc., etc.), all these little groups are
straining hard to have the Bureau take a vote for “unity”.

Of course, we too want unity!! The efforts of the little groups are a
pathetic move to protect the liquidators. This move of theirs will fail:
they will make a fuss and that’s as far as it will go.

What decision will the Bureau take? That is, of course, something we
don’t know. But we were told by a very prominent member (or even a
group of members) that forformalreasons the idea is to admit the
liquidator O.C., insteadof Plekhanov, and from the Duma group,
only the Seven, or rather the Eight. These formal reasons are
as follows: the parliamentary groups in every country do not
represent the parties, but only themselves ; let us say there are
eight Socialist-Revolutionaries and seven Social-Democrats—then
only the eight S.R.s. are sent in. Since that is so (that will be verified), nothing can, of course, be done
forthetimebeing . Let the liquidators throw out Plekhanov—we shall see whether this is going to do them any good!!! I am Sure that it wil not .

That is why I strongly suggest that there should be no nervousness or
excitement, either over the rumours being spread by the liquidators, or
over any possible Bureau decisions. We have taken steps to have the reports
on Russian affairs from London written through us (about
non-Russian affairs directly to you)— calmly wait for them and you will find that there was no need for any trip and that neither the barking
nor the Bureau will rescue the “drowning men” (the liquidators).

There is private information that Plekhanov is not going.

This should not be printed just yet. I repeat: calmly wait for reports
from your own correspondent.

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Notes:
{1}
The December session of the International Socialist Bureau was
held in London on December 13 and 14, 1913, and discus ad the unification
of the British socialist and labour parties, the Vienna Congress, Russian
affairs, etc. The question of uniting the Social-Democratic Party in Russia
was brought up for debate just before the session closed. In view of the
late hour, the question was not discussed in detail, and the Bureau
confined itself to adopting a resolution motioned by Kautsky on behalf of
the German delegation. It authorised the Executive Committee of the
I.S.B. to call a conference of representatives of “all the factions of the
working-class movement in Russia, including Russian Poland, who accept the
Party Programme or whose programmes are in accord with the
Social-Democratic Programme, for an exchange of opinion (Aussprache) over
the issues on which they are divided”. Motivating the resolution, Kautsky
said on December 1 (14) that the old Social-Democratic Party in Russia was
dead. It was necessary to revive it, relying on the Russian workers’ desire
for unity. In his article “A Good Resolution and a Bad Speech”, Lenin
analysed the content of the resolution and said Kautsky’s speech was a
monstrous one (see present edition, Vol. 19, pp. 528–30).

Writing to Inessa Armand of the issue of Vorw\"arts which carried

Kautsky’s statement, Lenin said: “You should get hold of it and organise a
protest campaign. We are for an exchange of opinion, for the resolution of the I.S.B.— this NB —but we are
absolutely against Kautsky’s scoundrelly phrase. He should be beaten
unmercifully for this” (present edition, Vol. 35, p. 130).

In a letter to the Bolshevik section in Paris, Lenin wrote: “It is most
desirable that the section should adopt a slashing resolution against Kautsky (calling his statement
about the Party’s death, shameless, brazen, monstrous, ignorant )”