V. I. Lenin

(To Comrade Chicherin, A Copy To Comrade Radek And All Members Of The Political Bureau)

The telegram about the British. Labour Party shows how extraordinarily naïve Krasin is. As I see it, measures of two kinds should
now be taken; 1) a series of articles signed by various people and
ridiculing the views of so-called European democracy on the Georgian problem
should he published in the press; 2) some caustic journalist should he
immediately commissioned to draft. for Chicherin a super-polite Note in
reply to the British Labour Party. In this Note he should make it perfectly
plain that the proposal that we withdraw our troops from Georgia and hold a
referendum there would be quite reasonable and might be recognised as coming
from people who have not gone out of their minds, and have not been bribed
by the Entente, if it extended to all nations of the globe; specifically, in
order to set the British Labour Party leaders thinking about the meaning of
present-day imperialist relations in international politics, we suggest, in
particular, that that party give favourable consideration to the following:
first, that British troops be withdrawn from Ireland and that a referendum
be held there; second, the same with regard to India; third, the same with
regard to the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Korea; fourth, the same
with regard to all countries in which there are troops of any of the big
imperialist states. The Note should express, in superbly polite terms, the
idea that people desirous of giving thought to these proposals of ours and
to the system of imperialist relations in international politics may prove
capable of understanding the “interesting” nature of the
proposals made by us to the British Labour Party. On the whole, the draft
Note, couched in super-polite and extremely popular terms (to suit the
intelligence of ten-year-olds), should deride the idiotic leaders of the
British Labour Party.

I propose that the Political Bureau consider whether it ought to send a
copy of this letter to Krasin. I personally am in favour.

Lenin

December 27, 1921