Date: 1921
Source: ru:PSS/v53; en:CW/CW42

Source: PSS vol 53

something akin to Zeitungskorrespondenz—supplying articles and materials to newspaper editorial offices.

Of course, it is certainly possible to find three Germans who know English, French, Italian, and Czech—at least as a starting point. As I recall, Radek even had in mind certain individuals—

If we could secure capable workers and offer them contracts—and given that educated professionals in Germany are often in dire straits, we would be able to attract highly qualified personnel—this bureau would conduct systematic scholarly research for us, collecting literary and specifically journalistic material and processing it according to two fundamental, overarching questions:
A) International imperialism;
B) The international labor movement.

Through this bureau—and with Radek’s assistance, and with Radek himself as a key collaborator—we would likely identify some two to three dozen communists who are engaged in journalistic work across the globe.

Such a bureau would primarily operate in German—after all, for continental Europe, German is undoubtedly the most international of languages—and at the first opportunity, it could be supplemented by publishing translations into French and English. Translations into Russian could easily be commissioned right away: we could simply assign this task, via state channels, to two or three bourgeois professors, thereby freeing up communist forces from purely administrative duties.

With regard to both of the aforementioned issues (A and B), the bureau would need to systematically monitor all international literature—especially periodicals—and compile lists of valuable books and newspaper articles on these topics.

The most crucial task here would be to properly elaborate upon and categorize these issues; to construct a rational, regularly updated list of these questions and their corresponding groupings, adjusted in accordance with the demands of the moment.

Next, concerning books and exceedingly rare, yet particularly important—perhaps one in every hundred, or perhaps even one in every five hundred—newspaper articles:

we should limit our reviews to no more than three to ten lines, so that readers can quickly discern what they are seeking or what is offered in a given book or article.

Literary consultants could readily produce such reviews—more accurately, not “reviews” per se, but rather concise summaries of content—if only the German center were to organize this work and compensate the writers accordingly.

Furthermore, the bureau must compile synopses of key news items from newspapers and assemble clippings from periodicals—though for starters, it might suffice to produce just three or four copies: one for local use, one for Moscow, and one kept in reserve.

Together with our consultants and under Radek’s leadership, we would compile a list of topics, for example:
– nuances and contentious issues within communism;
– issues related to communism and its immediate vicinity
(II1/2

I believe that with proper organization, this bureau could generate a considerable income, since its bulletins would be purchased by prominent newspapers and libraries as vital informational resources.

Yet, of course, even in the best-case scenario, this revenue would cover only a small fraction of the bureau’s expenses. We can—and indeed must—assume responsibility for those costs ourselves. For us, all of the material collected will serve directly to advance the cause of popular education and to strengthen agitation and propaganda efforts.

Such a bureau can—and ought to—be established. Its benefits are immense.

Without it, we lack eyes, ears, and hands to participate effectively in the international movement—and instead, we engage in this work largely by chance, finding ourselves dependent on whoever happens to be closest, whoever is within reach, whoever happened to read something, happened to drop by, happened to share a piece of information, and so on.

* and anarchists);
– issues within the trade union movement itself;
– elections and their statistical analysis—or the outcomes of such elections—as a means of gauging the relative strength of various currents within the labor movement;
– the history of notable strikes and “incidents” (demonstrations, “actions,” public rallies, and the like), and so forth.

* Here we are referring to the centrist Second International. Ed.