V. I. LENIN — TO G. L. SHKLOVSKY
IN BERNE.*
July 13, 1914. Poronin. 1
Dear Grigory Lvovich! I have just learned that the International Congress has been postponed to August 9, New Style.1
I hope you are setting out— and in advance, so that we may make preparations in Paris (Kamsky was part of the delegation in Brussels2 and will inform you accordingly). Please reply without delay. Even more pressing is the question of Samoilov’s trip. Will he be able to go? It is highly probable that none of the members of the RSDLP Central Committee from Russia will arrive in time. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that Samoilov travel. The best arrangement would be for you to journey together. If medical treatment requires it, you might arrange for him to stay (if necessary) just outside Paris—within a half-hour or so by rail—in a boarding house (or even a sanatorium) in a village located about thirty minutes’ distance from the city. He will need to come to Paris at most two or three times, each visit lasting no more than three to four hours—and, in all likelihood, even less. From a therapeutic standpoint, this should certainly be feasible. All that remains is to …
On the right side of the postcard is the address of G. Shklovsky (see p. 195); on the post office, the address has been altered to: “Leissigen Doronhalde i/Thun,” while at the top left is Lenin’s address (see p. 222). Ed.

to think things through in advance and to correspond with one another. (We are not going to M.S.B.; Litvinov or Kamsky will be there instead.) Write to Dr. Wladimirsky (rue Bail-lon, 10, Paris); he will offer valuable advice.
I earnestly urge you to make every effort to prepare and arrange this as thoroughly as possible. Should Samoilov’s trip prove utterly impossible—against all expectations—please telegraph me without delay (address: Ulyanow, Poronin) with the word “nievozmozno.” Conversely, if Samoilov’s journey becomes feasible and you undertake to see that everything is arranged, please telegraph “jedet” (=Samoilov is going) or “jedem” (=you and Samoilov are going). I need your telegramic reply promptly—I am sure you can easily guess why.3 In addition, write to me without delay.
Best regards to Fedor Nikitich* and your family.
Your V. I.
P.S. In the event of war, it is quite possible that you will receive letters and money on my behalf. I trust that we will then manage postal deliveries with precision and care. Should I be forced to leave, I will send you a telegram.

The next international congress was scheduled for August 23, 1914, in Vienna. However, in light of the outbreak of war between Austria and Serbia, the M.S.B., at its meeting held in Brussels on July 29, resolved to accelerate the convening of the congress, setting its date for August 9 in Paris. The congress never took place.

The delegation sent to the Brussels Unification Conference by the Central Committee of the RSDLP (6) included: I. Armand (Petrova), M. Vladimirsky (Kamsky), and I. Popov (see Lenin’s Collected Works, vol. XVII, note 177, p. 745).

Evidently, Lenin anticipated the possibility of his own departure from Galicia in light of the impending war.