13.
A. Kollontai *).
Esteemed and dear Comrade!
Thank you very much for sending the leaflet (for now I can only pass it on to the local
members of the editorial board of “Rabotnitsa” — they have already sent a letter to Zetkina of a similar, apparently, content to yours) and for the offer
to send information about England to the Central] Organ.
I am corresponding with a London comrade (Mr. Litvinoff), who
represents the Central] Committee of our party in the International] Socialist] Bureau, but, of course, the more
connections with representatives of the left part of the International] the better.
I fully agree with you that these representatives must stick
closer together, communicate.
And precisely to achieve this goal, I will allow myself to use your kind letter to
continue the conversation you started.
You agree with the slogan of civil] war, apparently, not entirely, but assigning it, so to speak, a subordinate (and perhaps
even: conditional) place behind the slogan of peace.
And you emphasize that "we need to put forward a slogan that would unite
all".
I will say frankly that I am most afraid at the present time of such
a sweeping unification, which, in my conviction, is most dangerous and most harmful to the proletariat.
After all, Kautsky has already composed in Neue Zeit an archi-"unifying" theory, co2)
1) This letter begins the correspondence between V.
I. Lenin
and A. M. Kollontai. The somewhat formal tone of this 1st letter
to Comrade Kollontai is explained by the fact that until the beginning of this correspondence, Comrade Kollontai was not among the like-minded people of V. I. Lenin.
2) The preserved original of the letter ends here.
[January 1915]

14.
Esteemed] Comrade! Received your letter and the English
appendix.
Thank you very much!
I am sending you both things you wrote about. Please report—if you translate and send them—on their fate.
They say, in "Hamburger
Echo" there was an editorial "Über unseren Verrath an die Internationale 2)" and it says that the Germans
(i.e., the German] opportunist] scum)—all and with them
Plekhanov], Maslov and Chkheidze.
Is it true?
And what do you think about it?
Greetings and best wishes.
V. Ilyin.
P. S.
Ask Alexander to meet Kobetsky, Kobezky, Kapelwej 51, Kjobenhavn, and take from him my letter
to him (Alexander).
It is useless to put forward a kind program of pious wishes for peace if, at the same time and in the first
place, the preaching of an illegal organization and civil
war of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie is not put forward.
V. Lenin.
A. Kollontai.
[January 1915]

LENIN. ---- LETTER TO A. KOLLONTAI.

The European war has brought the great benefit to international
socialism that it has vividly revealed the full extent of the decay,
baseness, and vileness of opportunism, giving a magnificent impetus
to cleansing the labor movement from the manure accumulated over decades
of a peaceful era.
N. Lenin.
1) "Hamburger Echo" - "Hamburg Echo" - organ of the Hamburg Organization of the German Social Democracy, social-patriotic direction.
2) "On our betrayal of the International."

15.
Dear friend! Your plan regarding the April journey and preparation for it seems quite correct to me.
Indeed, we must dwell on such a plan and prepare it as systematically and thoroughly as possible.
Thank you for the letters. We have already written to you several times.
We also sent sheets with seals. I hope you received all of this.
Today we received "No. of "Nashe Slovo" 2), which has begun to be published
in Paris instead of the closed "Golos". In "No. of "Nashe] Slovo"
Martov's (and Dan's) statement on disagreements with "Nasha Zarya".
Apparently there is a big split among them (the liquidators]), and what
will come out is unknown. Axelrod is clearly "reconciling" the German chauvinists
(and Bundists) with the Francophiles (and Plekhanov).
Martov after
Zurich sang to Axelrod's tune, and now whether he will "move to the left" for long, we
do not know.
We are releasing in a few days "No. 37 of "Social-Democrat|".
I shake your hand firmly and wish you every success.
Yours Lenin.
Before April, we will try (together with you) to establish correspondence
and some connections.
You also need to make arrangements in advance.
[Postscript by N. K. Krupskaya.]
It is now very difficult to obtain documents in England 3). We recently
inquired about this. Although, of course, a personal acquaintance
may help.
To A. Shlyapnikov.
[January 31, 1915] 1).

LENIN. ---- LETTERS TO A. SHLYAPNIKOV.

The matter is far off until April, but if staying in Stockholm is
associated with failure in the future, it is better to leave.
How things will be in the spring—Allah knows, but it will be seen there, of course,
one should not cut off opportunities for oneself.
Big hello.
Nadezhda Krupskaya.
1) This letter can be dated January 31, judging by the fact
that on the day it was written, No. of "Nashe Slovo" was received.
It was received by Shlyapnikov on February 4.
2) "Nashe Slovo" began to be published on January 28, 1915, after the closure
of "Golos". L. Trotsky, Yu. Martov, Manuilsky (Unemployed), Uritsky and others took part in it.
3) Shlyapnikov, for the trip to Russia, intended to obtain
documents in England among Belgian refugees, having previously entered
England for this purpose. This is what he did, traveling to England in April, and from
there through Norway and Sweden, to Russia in October.