Dear Comrade,

I am very glad about your speech in Aarau and cordially congratulate you on your success. In my opinion, it came out splendidly. (If you have a full shorthand report of the congress, send it to me at least for a short time.)

Radek told me that he advised you not to be the first to speak, because a Russian’s speech would be “tactless” (Radek proved quite wrong), that Platten, etc., would have been better.

You proved quite right!

It is not worthwhile, I think, to start a Gezank* with Radek over the “stubborn fellow” and so on. Trifles!

Nonsense! Gossip—to which people resort, as the Okists, Dymka, etc., always did, and Ryazanov now especially (Radek also told me that he is furiously angry: the eccentric, why does he poke his nose where he has a poor understanding?).

Pay no attention to gossip, spend less time on the Zurich colonial swamp, more on contacts with Platten and on the publication and distribution of *Internationale Flugblätter* (if you spend less on the Okists + Co., more will remain for the *Internationale Flugblätter*).

Send the money for the *Internationale Flugblätter* (370 copies?) and the account (how many remain? how many given on credit? Totals, etc.) directly to me (Platten’s address is given only for outsiders).

As regards translating *Internationale Flugblätter* No. 1 into Italian, I think our mutual lady friend will help you.** She and Siefeldt have already found several Italian addresses, she has found an Italian to check the translation, and you have too. In my opinion, now the first thing to do is to translate it into Italian and have an Italian check the translation. Then (bypassing Balabanova,

*—quarrel. Ed.

**The person referred to is unidentified. Ed.

since she evidently will not help, and may even hinder), set about looking for a small newspaper or an association of Italians in Switzerland that would agree to publish it at their own expense: I think this is not a utopia, because publishing 2,000 copies costs 80 francs, and at 10 centimes* it is possible to make a profit.

If a publisher is not found, then we will try to publish it ourselves, but then especial effort must be made to organise distribution: our mutual lady friend, to whom I am writing, will help in this.

Please maintain and develop in every way your “close acquaintance” with Platten: he is now e x t r e m e l y important for the publication of the *Internationale Flugblätter*.

Does Platten attend the meetings of the party executive? Does he have the minutes? Is he a voting or non-voting member? Is he willing to develop the decision on “r e v o l u t i o n a r e A k t i o n e n”** so that it does not remain a dead letter? (Then it would be necessary to arrange publications, pamphlets, supplements to Swiss newspapers, concretising the concept of “revolutionäre Aktionen” and to smuggle all this into Germany.) Is he willing to help smuggle *Internationale Flugblätter* No. 1 into Germany?

And how is the sale of the pamphlet *Sozialismus und Krieg*** going? Write. Drop the Zurich colony and attend to the affairs of the Zimmerwald Left!****

All the best! Greetings to your wife and all friends.

Yours, Lenin

P. S. Write directly to my address:
Wl. Uljanow. Seidenweg. 4-a.III.
(bei Frau Schneider) Bern.

*—centimes. Ed.

**—“revolutionary actions”. Ed.

***—*Socialism and War*. Ed.

****—Zimmerwald Left. Ed.