V. I.

Lenin

630

LETTER TO G. V. CHICHERIN

15.II.1922

Comrade Chicherin:

A telegram from Krasin dated 13.II (File No. 1466/c)
says (Lloyd George): “If the Soviet Government refuses to
recognise the Cannes resolutions that will threaten the
break-down of the entire conference and will, in any case ,
make it easier for Poincare to walk out....”

That is formulated more “threateningly” than accurately!

But the whole British press, judging by our papers, has
made frequent statements to the effect that the invitation
to the Genoa Conference does not require and never has required the preliminary acceptance of the Cannes terms and
that the contrary opinion held by the French is an incorrect one.

All the material must be collected to establish precise
and formally indisputable facts.

It seemed to me that three facts were indisputable:

(1) when we were invited it was not required that we make a precise, clear and formal declaration of acceptance
of the Cannes terms; (2) we did not make any such declaration in our reply,
and we have not been informed that our reply is incomplete; (3) the entire British bourgeois press in its dispute with
the French recognised that the preliminary acceptance of
the Cannes’ terms is not obligatory.

With communist greetings, Lenin