709

PROPOSAL FOR THE POLITBUREAU OF THE R.C.P.(B.) C.C. [1]

Only one thing should be done right away: send a coded telegram to Chicherin requesting a summary or theses for
a manifesto.

Lenin

Written on April 28, 1922

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Notes:
[1]
Written in connection with the following proposal introduced
by Trotsky in the Politbureau of the R.C.P.(B.) C.C. on April
28, 1922: = “1) to issue a statement for agitational purposes to the
effect that if the Entente governments should confiscate all the
capital of the Russian capitalists abroad, the Soviet
Government would undertake not to raise any protest, =

2) to issue a
manifesto to the population in the event of a break-up of the talks
at the Genoa Conference.” =

Lenin underlined this sentence from
Trotsky’s note: “We should ask our delegation to let, us have
an outline of their main ideas for such a manifesto (otherwise
we may well miss some important aspects)” and wrote in the
margin: “I agree only with the last sentence.”

That same day, the Politbureau adopted this decision: = “To
send a telegram to Comrades Chicherin and Litvinov to this effect:
‘In the event of a break-up we consider it, necessary to issue a
manifesto to the population on behalf of the C.P.C. or the
All-Russia C.E.C. Please outline a draft of the manifesto or the
main ideas for one, and send urgently to Moscow’” (Central Party
Archives of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the C.P.S.U.
Central Committee).

In the subsequent course of the talks, the need for a manifesto
disappeared.