V. I.

Lenin

421

To:   DAVID WIJNKOOP

30/VII.1915

Dear Comrade, I received your letter and postcard. I am sending you the complete
French translation of our Manifesto; I have already sent you the
translation of our Party’s resolutions, made by Radek. You now have all the
documents (as regards the “United States of Europe”, I think we shall
adopt Gorter’s point of view).

I am very glad that we agree in essentials. What we need is not the
solemn declarations of leaders (against which Pannekoek has written so
well), but a consistent revolutionary declaration of principles to help the
workers find the correct path. This is most essential. I was particularly
pleased to hear that you are in touch with the Belgian friends (we could
send P. Golay’s pamphlet for them, if you haven’t already seen
it [1] ) and wish to talk personally with some of the Leftists
in another country. If the Belgian anonymous group “Étoile” and
another, German, group published a declaration of principles together with
your and our party—this would be a good and serious beginning. The
Swedish Left with Höglund are on our side: I received a letter today
about this. It would be a good thing if you wrote to England and persuaded
some group there (if only a small one) to draft a joint declaration.

Sincere regards and wishing you success.

Yours,
N. Lenin

P.S. The second preliminary conference was to be held on August 7, but
it will probably be held later.

---
Notes:
[1]
This refers to Golay’s pamphlet Le Socialisme qui meurt et le Socialisme qui doit renâitre , Lausanne, 1915.