V. I.

Lenin

Comrade Chicherin, I am sending you the decision of the

Politbureau [2]

Yours,

Lenin

(1) Certainly .

(2) Not

in the name of the Government.

(3) Hasten Litvinov’s departure.

(4) Confine ourselves to Gorky’s letter, but not allow him
to use the argument about the struggle being turned into annihilation.

Members of the Politbureau:

Lenin [1]

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Notes:
[1]
The decision was signed also by Kamenev, Trotsky and Krestinsky (the
latter with the stipulation “I agree reservedly”)— Ed .

[2]
The decision of the Politbureau accompanying Lenin’s note was adopted
in connection with Chicherin’s letter to Lenin dated September 26, 1919, in
which Chicherin asked for instruc-tions on the following points: 1) could
an appeal he made without the decision of the C.C. of the R.C.P.(B.) to the
workers of the Entente countries to bring pressure to bear on their
Governments not to interfere in the Soviet state’s negotiations with the
Baltic states for concluding peace treaties? 2) Should we make new peace
proposals to the Entente countries in the name of the Soviet Government?
“This,” wrote Chicherin, “would be construed as a sign of weakness
.... On the other hand, it would give an opening to the opponents of
intervention, especially to the trade unions”; 3) Could we take advantage
of Litvinov’s proposed trip to a neutral country to negotiate an exchange
of prisoners of war with the English representatives in order to “throw
out a feeler on the question of peace”? 4) In the event of Litvinov’s
mission being a failure would it be worth while asking A.M. Gorky, who
intended to make an appeal for peace, to mention in his letter “our
invariable desire for peace and to point out to the Governments of the
Entente the risk of the struggle being turned into annihilation”?

(underlined by Lenin). “However,” wrote Chicherin, “we should much prefer
an official peace proposal...” (Central Party Archives, Institute of
Marxism-Leninism of the C.C. of the C.P.S.U.). On this question see also