...* Regarding the opportunism of the German opportunists, Gregory and I seem to be in complete solidarity, and I have encountered no disagreement in our assessment of their vileness. (I have not read the articles on the "New Currents.")

Among the Germans there are in fact 2 parties, and this must be borne in mind, while in no way covering for the opportunists (as "Neue Zeit" and Kautsky now do).

But the claim that the German party is the most opportunistic in Europe is incorrect. It remains the best all the same, and our task is to adopt all that is valuable from the Germans (mass of newspapers, large number of party members, masses of members in trade unions, systematic newspaper subscriptions, strict control over parliamentarians—among the Germans it is still better than among the French and Italians, not to mention England—and so on), to adopt all this without any indulgence toward the opportunists.

We must not shield the opportunists from "Sozialistische Monatshefte" (and there are heaps of leaders there) (as "Neue Zeit" and Kautsky and the German Vorstand do), but rather attack them with all our might. This is what Gregory always does in his articles on the Germans. I am reading Legien right now (leader of the trade unions) on his trip to America and I intend to tear this despicable opportunist to shreds**.

Firm handshake.

Your V. U.

Samoylov will probably change his address in the next few days. I will write as soon as I find out***.

* The beginning of the letter has not been found. The manuscript exists only from page 5 onwards. Ed.

** See V. I. Lenin, "What Should Not Be Imitated in the German Labor Movement" (Collected Works, 5th ed., vol. 25, pp. 106-110). Ed.

*** G. L. Shklovsky reported in his letter of April 9, 1914 to V. I. Lenin that he had placed F. N. Samoylov in a municipal sanatorium in Bern. Ed.

Written in April, before the 8th, 1914

Sent from Krakow to Paris

Published for the first time from the manuscript