V. I.

Lenin

Interview with K. Fusse, Correspondent of the Japanese Newspapers Osaka Mainichi and Tokyo Nichi-Nichi

Lenin said on meeting Fusse that he was very glad to see him
and that despite everything that had taken place in recent years between
Russia and Japan and the fact that some people in Japan still took an uncompromising attitude towards
Soviet Russia, he nevertheless took an optimistic view of future relations
between the two countries. The Soviet Government had recognised the
independence of the buffer state and “this, I hope,” said
Lenin, “would help restore peace in the Far East in the very near
future.”

Fusse started the interview by asking Lenin: “Last autumn you
said the difficulties were over. Don’t you foresee big difficulties ahead?"

I meant that our greatest difficulties were over; but, of course, there
are still many difficulties confronting us.

Fusse: “You said it took capitalism many years to accomplish
the transition from feudalism, therefore it would also take socialism many
years to accomplish the transition from capitalism. Approximately how long
do you think this will take?"

Generally, it is hard to fix dates; to overthrow the old order doesn’t
require much time, but you can’t create the new order in a short time. We
have launched our plan for the electrification of industry and agriculture;
without electrification the communist order is impracticable, and our plan
of electrification is designed for a period of ten years under the most
favourable conditions. That’s the shortest time we set for building up our
new order.

Lenin then asked Fusse a number of questions concerning agrarian and
class relations in Japan.

What kind of landowners does Japan have? What is the position of the
landless peasant in Japan? Are there any peasant organisations? and so on.
Lenin also showed an interest in the state of electrification and public
education in Japan and how children were treated in Japan. When Fusse said
that Japan took better care of her children than the West, Lenin remarked:
“That’s very important, in view of the fact that the practice of beating
children in the schools has not yet been entirely eliminated in the
so-called civilised countries of Europe, not even in a country like
Switzerland..”

After this Fusse again asked Lenin a number of political
questions.

Fusse: do you visualise good-neighbourly relations between
socialist and capitalist states?”

Our terms of coexistence with capitalist countries were set forth at
length in the draft treaty which the American representative, Mr. Bullitt, recently published in Washington. These terms
were most unfavourable to us, and it was this that led the Allied
governments to believe that our willingness to make concessions was a sign
of weakness, and they started their intervention, as a result of which they
suffered complete defeat. We routed Kolchak, Yudenich and Denikin, Fusse: “Where does communism have more chance of success-in -the West
or in the East?”

So far, real communism can succeed only in the West, but it must be
remembered that the West lives at the expense of the East; the imperialist
powers of Europe grow rich chiefly at the expense of the eastern colonies,
but at the same time they are arming their colonies and teaching them to
fight, and by so doing the West is digging its own grave in the East.

Fusse: “What are the immediate tasks of the Soviet
Government?”

First, to beat the Polish landowners, second, to secure a lasting
peace, and then, third, to develop our economic life.

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