Rosa Luxemburg was right when she wrote long ago that Kautsky's "servility of a theoretician" — is lackey-ism, to put it plainly, lackey-ism before the majority of the party, before opportunism. There is nothing more harmful and dangerous in the world now for the ideological independence of the proletariat than this vile self-satisfaction and abominable hypocrisy of Kautsky, who desires to obscure and daub over everything, to lull with sophisms and allegedly learned verbosity the awakened conscience of the workers. If Kautsky succeeds in this, he will become the chief representative of bourgeois rot in the workers' movement. And Troelstra will back him — oh, this Troelstra is a more adroit opportunist than the "good-natured" old Kautsky! How this Troelstra maneuvered to drive honest people and Marxists out of the Dutch party (Gorter, Pannekoek, Wijnkoop)!! I shall never forget how Roland-Holst, who visited me once in Paris, said of Troelstra: "ein hundsgemeiner Kerl" (gredin, in French)*... I regret that you cast pearls before him 33... Troelstra + the scoundrels of opportunists in the Vorstand** of the German Social-Democrats are now conducting a filthy intrigue to daub over everything. Keep your eyes open, do not become an unwitting victim of this intrigue!! Do not inadvertently help these worst enemies of the workers' movement, who in a time of crisis defend chauvinism "theoretically" and engage in petty, revolting diplomacy. The only one who has told the workers the truth — though not with full voice and not always skillfully — is Pannekoek, whose article we have sent you (forward the translation to Russians) 34. His words, that if now the "leaders" of the International, murdered by opportunists and Kautsky, should gather and begin to "patch up" the cracks, — this "will have no significance whatsoever," — these words are the only socialist words. This is — the truth. Bitter, but truth. And the workers need now, more than ever, the truth, the whole truth, and not vile diplomacy,

* — a base fellow, a scoundrel. Ed.

** — the board, or CC. Ed.

not a game of "patching," not a smearing over of evil with rubber-stamp resolutions.

For me it is clear that Kautsky, Troelstra plus Vandervelde (perhaps plus x + y + z or minus x, y, z, that does not matter) are now occupied with intrigue for such purposes. The transfer of the International Bureau to Holland is the same intrigue of the same villains.

I shall hold aloof from them and from it, — I shall advise this to our representative in the International Socialist Bureau (Litvinoff, 76. High Street. Hampstead. London. N. W.) — and I advise it to you.

"Go not into the counsel of the wicked" 35, do not trust Troelstra and so on and so on and so forth and so forth, but present them with a short ultimatum: here is your manifesto (a reworking of the theses; we shall send it in printed form shortly) of our CC on the war: do you want to publish it in your language?? No? Well — so adieu*, we are not on the same road!

If Kollontai is on our side, let her help "push" this manifesto in other languages. Become acquainted with Höglund, a young Swedish Social-Democrat, leader of the "opposition," read to him our manifesto (refer to me: we became acquainted in Copenhagen) 36. Try, whether there will not be ideological affinity here (he is only naive, sentimental anti-militarist: it is to such people that one must say — either the slogan of civil war, or stay with the opportunists and chauvinists).

The whole crux of the task in Russia now — is to organize ideological resistance to the opportunists of the International and to Kautsky. That is the whole crux of it. Will not Martov go over to them??...

I am afraid!..

I press your hand firmly. Your Lenin

* — goodbye. Ed.

Sent from Bern to Stockholm

First published in 1924 in Lenin Miscellany II

Printed from the manuscript