V. I.

Lenin

240

TELEGRAM TO S. I. GUSEV FOR THE UFA REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE

Gusev
Revolutionary Military Council, Eastern Front
Arzamas

Inform the Revolutionary Committee in Ufa for their guidance that negotiations must be begun immediately
with the Socialist-Revolutionaries who are proposing negotiations, after taking all precautions against attempts at
provocations and for safeguarding the front, while at the
same time guaranteeing absolute personal immunity to the
envoys from the Socialist-Revolutionaries. At the talks it
is to be stated clearly straight away that there can be no
question of any change in the Soviet Constitution, because
Soviet power, being the power of the exploited classes for suppressing the exploiters, has definitely proved its
necessity for securing victory over the bourgeoisie, and
the Soviet movement is now spreading to all countries of
the world.

Continually report directly to us on the whole course of the negotiations, and on the participants of both
sides. [2]

Lenin , Sverdlov [1]

---
Notes:
[1]
The last sentence of the telegram and the signatures are in
Sverdlov’s handwriting.— Ed .

[2]
This telegram was sent in reply to an inquiry from the Ufa
Revolutionary Committee to whom the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries
had made a proposal to begin negotiations for joint action against
Kolchak.

The talks with the Ufa Right Socialist-Revolutionaries were
held during January-February 1919 in Ufa and Moscow.

At the end of February, the All-Russia Central Executive
Committee adopted a resolution on the attitude towards the Right
Socialist-Revolutionaries. In view of the positive results of the
talks and the fact that on February 8, 1919, the party conference
of the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries declared itself opposed to
an armed struggle against Soviet power and to foreign intervention
in Russia’s affairs, the All-Russia Central Executive Committee
passed a decision to give to the groups of Right Socialist–
Revolutionaries which adopted this stand the right “to participate in
Soviet work”. ( Izvestia No. 45, February 27, 1919.)