V. I.

Lenin

407

To:   G. Y. ZINOVIEV

Dear Friend, Did you receive Abram’s article (back) and the article for the C.O.?

I am sending some more short articles for Kommunist . (I don’t
think we need worry about the size. Abram’s should be inserted too for certain . We must have facts. We must have versatility. Better let
No. 1 be fuller. In case of any thing, a 5% pay rise and employment of a
second compositor.)

I am sending copy for the C.O.

Figure out the size (the C.O. will now be smaller, will it not?) and
get it done with.

I don’t think there will now be a conference of Leftists:
Kautsky & Co. will call a general conference.

Radek is silent .

I do not agree with the end of your article (about Nashe Slovo ). “Peace” as presented by Nashe Slovo should be
attacked a hundred times more sharply. We should not make excuses (“that
is not the point”, “we admit”) but attack: the Nashe Slovo
people are engaging in phrase-mongering about “peace”, while seeking peace with the social-chauvinists . The gist of their peace slogan is
peace with the social-chauvinists . It should be pointed out (and
elaborated) that peace without terms is nonsense , a mere
phrase. Then it should be elaborated that peace for the ignorant mass has a different meaning (à la
“Gaponade” [1] ), but as a slogan of the Party it is charlatanry. We
are for participation in the Gapon unions, but against the
“Gapon” slogans. I advise discussing this further by letter.

Yours, Lenin

I am sending you Fridolin’s letter. I advise inviting him; let
me know whether you write to him, or want me to write. ((Return
all the letters of Radek, Fridolin, etc.))

I am not sure that you communicated all your latest literary
“titles” to me. Eh??

I think we ought to obtain Alexinsky’s book La Russie et la guerre .

What do you think?

I believe the “Bibliography and Notes” in Kommunist were
better unsigned (for the sake of variety and avoiding repetition of the
same names).

Vote this proposal. Yuri, if he likes , may leave his signature
(“Pyotr Kievsky”): I suggest that his article [2] be given in the same section.

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Notes:
[1]

“ Gaponade ”—from the name of the Russian priest
Gapon. Acting on instructions from the secret political police aimed at
weaning the workers away from the, revolutionary struggle, he set up, on
the eve of the first Russian revolution, a legal organisation known as the
Assembly of Russian Factory Workers. On Gapon’s suggestion, a peaceful
procession of workers was organised on January 9, 1905, to petition the
tsar. The procession was shot down by the tsarist troops, the massacre
becoming known as Bloody Sunday.

[2]
This refers to Pyatakov’s review of No. 1 of the journal
Internationale published by Rosa Luxemburg and Franz Mehring.