[End of March 1916]

1) Submit the Russian No. and send me the proofs. We will publish [it] immediately, entirely Russian. Send [me] the distribution and length of articles.

2) Concerning "*Kommunist*" now (I am sending another letter with my [views]. Return [it]), I think you will be convinced that you were wrong. Alexander¹ would have accepted our proposal about the CC, taken it to Russia, and stirred up trouble. Now there is one way out: force them to bear responsibility; show and prove that they acted as a faction.

3) Alexander's letter is critically important. It is clear that the gossip of the "woman"² is working full force and on 9/10 has won over Alexander. Is it worth asking him to come? I am wavering. It is already late. Already hopeless (because even Kollontai³ is against it! hm! hm! NB note well!!). Would it not be better to try to send someone to Russia? But whom? Lyudmila⁴? That would be good. Inessa⁵? That would also be good, but she won't go. This needs more careful consideration.

4) "Not for a million [dollars]" a bloc with "*Nashe Slovo*" etc. in transport. I fully agree with you.

5) I don't want to let my answer to Bukharin go beyond the circle you indicated. I will send it only to papa⁶ and Lyudmila as well.

6) Radek is liquidating the Bureau of the Left. If he is moving toward peace, then let him send our theses to Kniff⁷ and other left [elements], or better give us their addresses.

Formally we have violated nothing in the bloc, as also in substance. The CC proposal does not exclude compromise on the Zimmerwald Left bloc. If Radek gives the theses on Saturday, send [them] immediately so that I have [them] Sunday morning.

7) Should we not give money to I.S.D.¹⁰ for one more delegate? Ask Radek how much and then we will discuss.

8) I am returning Alexander's letter. What should be done with this letter? Should only you answer it or should I also? Did he ask you not to show it to me?

If you write, you must think very carefully. I advise you to attack the "woman" with all your might: all the gossip comes from her. That's the end of it; the matter is clear.

9) Five secretaries are playing a double game. Here Martov¹¹ + Ko have left the group of "*Nashe Slovo*" people. Martov read his statement in it about his exit from the editorial board of "*Nashe Slovo*"!!

In my opinion, tell Vaise¹² (the crook!) at the discussion: if "your [people]" break with "*Samozashchita*"¹³ on the one hand and with Chkeidze on the other, then we are glad to unite!!

10) No. on "self-determination"?

Would it not be better to wait for No. 2 of "*Vorbote*"¹⁴ to answer right away the theses of Radek and Co.¹⁵?

In my opinion, better. We will submit our theses for typesetting, then wait for Radek's theses (perhaps you will receive them in proofs?) and right after "*Vorbote*" our issue. This is better. Will Radek refuse to show you his counter-theses?

11) Will Radek agree to give us full [pages] in "*Vorbote*" (No. 2) for our theses? And what is the deadline?

I will propose 2-3 more additions.

Salut. Lenin

P.S. Concerning the nerves, I very much apologize for causing you unpleasantness. My nerves are in very poor condition.

¹ We are speaking of issue 53 of the newspaper "*Sotsial-Demokrat*," entirely devoted to events in Russia (appeared April 13, 1916).

² V. I. Lenin is referring to members of the editorial board of the journal "*Kommunist*": G. L. Pyatakov, E. B. Bosh, and N. I. Bukharin.

³ Alexander—A. G. Shlyapnikov.

⁴ We are speaking of E. B. Bosh.

⁵ V. I. Lenin is referring to A. M. Kollontai.

⁶ Lyudmila—L. N. Stahl, member of the RSDLP from 1897.

⁷ V. I. Lenin is referring to I. F. Armand.

⁸ Papa—M. M. Litvinov—member of the party from 1898, a Bolshevik.

⁹ We are speaking of the "Proposal of the Central Committee of the RSDLP to the Second Socialist Conference" (see V. I. Lenin. Complete Coll. Works, vol. 27, pp. 282-293).

Johann Kniff—German communist. During the imperialist world war, he was a member of the group "International."

¹⁰ "*I.S.D.*"—"*Internationale Sozialisten Deutschlands*" ("International Socialists of Germany")—group of German left social-democrats, arising during the first world war.

¹¹ L. Martov (Yu. O. Tsederbaum)—one of the leaders of Menshevism. During the period of the imperialist world war, he occupied a centrist position.

¹² F. Vaise (Menders)—one of the leaders of the Latvian Mensheviks.

¹³ We are speaking of the collection "*Samozashchita*" (Self-Defense) with articles by V. Zasulich, A. Potresov, P. Maslov, Ana (N. Zhordania), and others, published in Petrograd in 1916.

¹⁴ "*Vorbote*" ("Harbinger")—journal, theoretical organ of the Zimmerwald Left; published in German in Bern. Two issues appeared: No. 1—in January and No. 2—in April 1916. V. I. Lenin took an active part in founding the journal. On the pages of the journal, a discussion among left Zimmerwald supporters unfolded on the question of the right of nations to self-determination and the slogan of "disarmament."

¹⁵ By "theses of Radek and Co." V. I. Lenin means the "Theses on Imperialism and National Oppression," which were compiled by K. Radek and printed over the signature of the editorial board of "*Gazeta Robotnicza*" in the journal "*Vorbote*" No. 2 in April 1916 and then in Russian in the "Collection of *Sotsial-Demokrat*"" No. 1. The answer to them were the theses of the editorial board of the Central Organ of the RSDLP, the newspaper "*Sotsial-Demokrat*"—"Socialist Revolution and the Right of Nations to Self-Determination," printed also in the journal "*Vorbote*" No. 2, and in Russian in the "Collection of *Sotsial-Demokrat*"" No. 1 in October 1916 (see V. I. Lenin. Complete Coll. Works, vol. 27, pp. 252-266).