V. I.

Lenin

585

To:   V. M. MOLOTOV FOR THE POLITBUREAU OF THE R.C.P.(B.) C.C. [1]

Secret

To Comrade Molotov, at the Politbureau:

1) Perhaps we should demand special guarantees against
the fascists (e.g., either an Italian warship with a wireless at our disposal? the names of responsible
persons in the Italian army and police, etc.)?

2) Perhaps we should at once inform them that our delegates will number from ... to ... ((+ staff))? When shall
we call the All-Russia C.E.C. session?

3) On the whole (and about the rest) Chicherin is right.

4) Perhaps we should appoint on behalf of the All-Russia
C.E.C. (as a subtle point):

Lenin —Chairman

Chicherin—Deputy with all the powers of the Chairman, in the event the latter cannot go.

{{

Joffe ??

2 assistant deputies ?

and

or 3–4

?? Krasin ??

}}

assistant deputies ? [2]

5) Perhaps we should start at once only personal talks
(without any papers) in Berlin and Moscow with the
Germans about contacts between us and them at Genoa?

6) Perhaps we should at once suggest secretly to all the
plenipotentiary representatives to put out feelers with
the governments concerned to find out whether or not they are prepared to start unofficial secret talks with
us on a preliminary marking out of the line at Genoa?

16/ I. Lenin

---
Notes:
[1]
Written under the text of G. V. Chicherin’s proposals concerning a reply to the Allied Supreme Council, which on
January 6, 1922, adopted a resolution on the convocation of an
All-European Economic and Financial Conference, and on the
main conditions which the Supreme Council believed were
necessary for its success.

[2]
The question of a reply to the Supreme Council of the Entente
about the international conference at Genoa was discussed by
the Politbureau of the R.C.P.(B.) C.C. on January 17, 1922, which
decided: “To agree in general with Comrade Chicherin’s proposals,
with Comrade Lenin’s additions and amendments taken down
by Comrade Chicherin” (Central Party Archives of the Institute
of Marxism-Leninism of the C.P.S.U. Central Committee).

On January 27, 1922, an Extraordinary Session of the
All-Russia C.E.C. approved the composition of the Soviet delegation to the Genoa Conference. On the delegation were L. B. Krasin,
M. M. Litvinov, N. N. Narimanov, V. V. Vorovsky, Y. E.
Rudzutak, A. A. Joffe, Kh. G. Rakovsky and others, V. I. Lenin
was appointed chairman of the delegation, and People’s
Commissar for Foreign Affairs G. V. Chicherin, his deputy ( Dokumenty vneshnei politiki SSSR , Vol. V, Moscow, 1961, pp. 66–67).