V. I.

Lenin

525

To:   INESSA ARMAND

Dear Friend, Thank you very much for the translation. I did not have a chance to
read it; I spoke at the very beginning of the congress, when the French
delegates had not yet arrived and no French translations were being made. I
shall nevertheless try to make use of the translation. I shall send it to
Abramovich, etc., and we shall try to get it published somewhere.

I missed the post today: the P.O. closed at 7 p.m., and I was engaged
at the congress.

The congress impressed me favourably. For the first time during the
war, not only a Left emerged at the Swiss congress (in 1914 it did not exist at all, and in 1915 it only began to
take shape) but it started to build up into an opposition to both
the Rights and the Centre (Grimm). No little credit for this is due to
Radek; previously, in the summer, he had got things mixed up a bit, for
Grigory wrote me positively that Radek had written him boasting that he had
“reconciled Grimm with Platten” (a fine service!). But Bronski is
following a line that is three times more vacillating and three times more
foolish than Radek’s.

Radek arrived and we “made it up” (relations had been strained to the
verge of a break). On the eve of the congress we managed to arrange a
private meeting of the Left delegates (which I had been urging for three
weeks, but unsuccessfully until then!). This meeting was attended by
all the Left leaders, the Young included. [1]

Radek and I easily carried through a resolution of ours, acting in concert
and agreeing to acceptable concessions. At the congress the struggle has
already begun. The first fight was over an appraisal of the Nationalrat
group. The Lefts attacked. The speeches of Name and Platten were
splendid. Greulich’s defence of the Right was extremely feeble. Grimm
played at Centre again and by aid of “little amendments” obtained a
unanimous vote (spoiling the game a bit). He saw that the majority was
obviously on the side of Platten. Tomorrow there should be a fight on the
question of Kienthal; we have taken a hand here in drafting a Left
resolution; it is much better than the one of Nat.-rat. We shall see what
will come of it! I’m like an old war horse in battle.

All the very best, Yours, Lenin

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Notes:
[1]
See next letter.— Ed .