V. I.

Lenin

Letter to Members of the Politbureau of the C.C., R.C.P.(B.) with Proposals on The Draft Directives of the Comintern Executive for the Comintern Delegation to the Conference of the Three Internationals [1]

Zinoviev

Stalin

Kamenev and other members of the Politbureau:

I propose

p. 11 (2nd part) (re changing attitude towards the Mensheviks) should
be thrown out.

We cannot speak of this even provisionally just now.

In my opinion the directives should be amended this way:

AA) If you wish to raise the most controversial questions, i.e., those
that evoke the greatest hostility of the III International towards the
II and 111/2 Internationals, then we agree on condition (a) that the list of questions be arranged with us (b) ... and the most detailed rules of procedure in discussing the
rights of the III International; these rights to be safeguarded in
greatest detail, etc., etc.

BB) We, on our part, propose raising only the least controversial questions with the aim of attempting partial, but joint
action by the rank and file of the working class.

If they accept AA , we shall insert: a general appraisal by us
of the II and II 1/2 Internationals, the sum of our accusations
against them, etc., etc.

Further: on 25.III, i.e., at the preliminary meeting, our delegates
should be extremely discreet, so long as there is still hope of
achieving our purpose, i.e., enticing all 3 Internationals ((the II and the
II 1/2)) into a general conference.

We should not make a break at once because of its composition ,
and in any case we should not break without getting in touch with Moscow,
unless it is something glaringly mean, absolutely intolerable.

Lenin

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Notes:
[1]
This letter was written in connection with the drafting by the
Comintern Executive of directives for the Comintern’s delegation to the
conference of the three Internationals. It is a comment on the directives
which G. Y. Zinoviev drafted and sent to Lenin on March 14, 1922, with a
request to express his opinion on them before the draft was submitted to
the Comintern Executive. These directives, amended in accordance with
Lenin’s remarks and proposals, were approved by the Politbureau, and
unanimously endorsed by the Comintern Executive on March 17.