To A. M. Kollontai
А. М. КОЛЛОНТАЙ
Date: 1917-02-17
Source: ru:PSS/v49
Translated by: AI (Claude)

17. II. 1917.

Dear A. M.! Today we received your letter and were very glad of it. We did not know for a long time that you were in America, and had no letters from you except one with news of your departure from America.

I wrote to you on the 7th-8th. I (the day the letter was sent from Stockholm—directly from here to America everything is intercepted by the French!), but this letter (with an article for "Novy Mir") evidently did not find you in New York.

As pleasant as it was to learn from you about the victory of N. Iv. and Pavlov in "Novy Mir" (I receive this newspaper devilishly irregularly due to the fault, evidently, of the post office, and not the newspaper's own dispatch)—equally sad is the news about Trotsky's bloc with the rightists for struggle against I. Iv. What a swine this Trotsky is—left phrases and a bloc with the rightists against the Zimmerwald Left!! He should be exposed (by you) at least by a brief letter in "Sotsial-Demokrat"!

No. 1 of "Internationalist" I have already received and was very glad. About the conference of S. L. P. and S. P. 6-7. I. 1917 I have incomplete information. It seems S. L. P. is throwing out the entire minimum program (here is a temptation and danger for Bukharin, who has been "stumbling on this very spot" with us since 1915!!). Extremely sorry that I cannot collect all documents about S.

L. P. (asked Bukharin about this,

but letters evidently are lost). Do you have any materials? I could return them after reading.

I am preparing (have almost prepared material) an article on the question of the attitude of Marxism to the state. I have come to conclusions even sharper against Kautsky than against Bukharin (have you seen his "Nota Bene" in No. 6 of "Jugend-Internationale"? and "Sbornik 'Sotsial-Demokrata'" No. 2?*). The question is of paramount importance; Bukharin is much better than Kautsky, but Bukharin's errors can ruin this "righteous cause" in the struggle with Kautskyism.

I will send you my article on self-determination against P. Kievsky. Eh, it's a pity there's no money! We would publish "Sbornik 'Sotsial-Demokrata'" No. 3 (all the material is ready) and No. 4 (Bukharin's article, which we rejected at first, on the state, and my article on the state)!

The Zimmerwald Right, in my opinion, has ideologically buried Zimmerwald: Bourderon and Merrheim in Paris voted for pacifism, Kautsky too on 7. I. 1917 in Berlin, Turati (17. XII. 1916!!) and the entire Italian party too. This is the death of Zimmerwald!! In words they condemned "social-pacifism" (see the Kienthal resolution), but in fact they turned toward it!!

Grimm has basely turned toward the social-patriots within the Swiss party (our friend in Stockholm will send you material about this), entering into a bloc with them 7. I. 1917 (Parteivorstandssitzung**) against the left for postponement of the congress!! And now even more basely attacked the left for Begründung des Referendums*** (we will send it) and composed a "middle," "centrist" resolution. Do you have, can you get the Zurich "Volksrecht"?? If not, we will send something or try.

Tomorrow (18. II) the congress of the Swedish party. Probably a split? It seems the young have devilish disarray and confusion. Do you know Swedish? Can you establish cooperation (mine and other leftists) in the newspaper of the Swedish youth?

* See "The Youth International" (Collected Works, 5th ed., vol. 30, pp. 225-229). Ed.
** — session of the Party Board. Ed.
*** — justification of the referendum. Ed.