V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v49;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

FROM THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

August 17/30, 1917.

Dear Friends,

With great difficulty, after long weeks of forced interruption, it seems possible to resume correspondence. Of course, to make this fully successful, you must do your utmost to arrange and organise it from your end.

The vile campaign of slander raised by the bourgeoisie about the alleged espionage or complicity in it of Ganetsky, Kollontai and many others is, of course, a despicable cover for the offensive against the internationalists by our gallant “republicans”, who wish to “distinguish themselves favourably” from tsarism by slander.

(1) I read somewhere in the Russian newspapers that Ganetsky and Radek are publishing a refutation.¹ I do not know if this is true. But it is necessary. In the first place, Radek must write to Paris and obtain the records of the last Paris trial of him (by the various factions of the R.S.D.L.P.). Lunacharsky, in castigating the vile slanderers, long ago told about this trial in *Novaya Zhizn*.² But that is not enough. Every effort must be made to obtain the records, or at least the full verdict of the court, and if it is impossible to publish it, have it typed in several copies and sent here. If it is impossible to obtain the records or the verdict, it would be desirable at least to obtain a written account of the trial from one of the Parisians who took part in it, and to publish at least a small pamphlet in Russian (there is a Russian printing-press in Christiania) in order to refute the vile slanders by documentary evidence. If the pamphlet can be sent across even in small quantities, extracts from it should appear in the *Arbeiterpolitik*, *Politiken*, *Demain*, etc.

(2) It is equally necessary for Ganetsky to refute the slanderers by documentary evidence, by publishing as soon as possible a financial statement of his trading and his “affairs” with Sumenson (who is this person? I hear of her for the first time!) and with Kozlovsky (it is desirable that the statement should be verified and certified by the signature of a Swedish notary, or of several Swedish Socialists, members of parliament). It is also necessary to publish the text of the telegrams (they have already appeared in the Russian newspapers, in *Russkaya Volya*, *Bez Lishnikh Slov*,³ etc., but probably not in full) and to analyse and explain each one.

This vile Dreyfusard affair, this slander, must be fought by publishing a pamphlet as soon as possible, sparing no effort, trouble or money, in order to brand the slanderers and, if possible, to help those arrested on this vile slanderous charge.

(3) What is the financial position of the Foreign Bureau appointed by our Central Committee? After the July persecutions it is clear that our Central Committee cannot help (at least, that is my opinion). Write whether you have succeeded in collecting anything through the Swedish Lefts, and whether the Bureau will continue to exist. And the bulletin? How many issues have been published and in what languages? Has Guilbeaux received all the issues? Have you a complete file of *Demain*? Was the bulletin sent to America, North and South? Write about all this in greater detail.

(4) By the way. I do not remember who told me, but I think it was that Moor has turned up in Stockholm, after Grimm and independently of him. That the scoundrel Grimm, as a “Centre” Kautskyite, should prove capable of a despicable rapprochement with “his” minister does not surprise me: whoever does not break decisively with the social-chauvinists always runs the risk of landing in this despicable position. But what sort of man is Moor? Is it fully and absolutely proved that he is an honest man? That he never had, and has not, any direct or indirect dealings with the German social-imperialists? If it is true that Moor is in Stockholm and if you know him, I would very, very earnestly, insistently, request you to take every measure for the strictest and most documentary verification of this. There must be, and should be, no room here for the slightest suspicion, censure, rumour, etc.

I very much regret that the “Zimmerwald Commission” did not condemn Grimm more severely!⁴ It should have been more severe!

(5) I was and remain absolutely opposed to participation in the Stockholm conference.⁵

I must note that I am writing this entire letter on my own behalf, for I have had no opportunity either to consult the Central Committee or even to get in touch with it. Therefore, when replying to me in particular detail, attach to your letter an official, detailed, business-like, documentary report of yours (of the whole Bureau) to the C.C., and I will forward it.

Thus, I am absolutely opposed to participation in the Stockholm conference. Kamenev’s speech⁶ (have you seen *Novaya Zhizn*? you must subscribe to it) I consider the height of stupidity, if not treachery, and I have already written about it to the C.C. and for the press. Fortunately, Kamenev spoke only for himself and was disavowed by another Bolshevik.

I consider participation in the Stockholm conference, and in any other conference together with the ministers (and scoundrels) Chernov, Tsereteli, Skobelev and their parties, a direct betrayal, and I will come out in the press with this opinion against anyone. If in the “Zimmerwald Commission” (judging by the report of the social-chauvinist Rozanov) it was possible almost to reject or half-reject Stockholm, that is very good. But “almost” and “half” are no good at all, and this whole “half”-social-chauvinist Zimmerwald Commission, which is dependent on the Italians and Ledebourites who desire “unity” with the social-chauvinists, is a most harmful institution.

(6) We are committing a very great, unpardonable mistake in delaying or putting off the convocation of a conference of the Lefts for the founding of the Third International. It is precisely now, precisely when Zimmerwald is so shamefully wavering or compelled to be inactive, precisely now, while there is still in Russia a legal (almost legal) internationalist party with more than 200,000 (240,000) members* (which no other country in the world has during the war), precisely now we are obliged to call a conference of the Lefts, and we shall be outright criminals if we fail to do so in time (the Bolshevik Party in Russia is being driven underground more and more from day to day).

Money for the conference can be found. There is a possibility of publishing several issues of its bulletin. There is a centre for it in Stockholm. There is a French support (*Demain*) and an English support (the Socialist Labor Party of America; its delegate, Reinstein**, was in Petrograd the other day and will probably be in Stockholm)—however, apart from the S.L.P. (Socialist Labor Party of America) there is also English support, both Tom Mann in England and the minorities there in the British Socialist Party***, and the Scottish Socialists, and *The International* in America.

It would be outright criminal to postpone the convocation of a conference of the Lefts now.

* 17 daily newspapers; total weekly circulation 1,415,000; daily 320,000.

** I have no idea what sort of bird he is. According to the newspapers, he greeted the “unity congress” of the Mensheviks!! So he is a suspicious bird.

*** British Socialist Party. *Ed.*

It would be infinitely stupid to “wait” for a “large” number of participants and to be “shy” because at present there are “few”. For now such a conference will be an ideological force, regardless of the number of participants, whereas later it may be possible to hush it up.

The Bolsheviks, the P.S.D., the Dutch, the *Arbeiterpolitik*, *Demain*—that is already a sufficient nucleus. To it will certainly be added, if we act energetically, a section of the Danes (Trier and others who left the party of the scoundrel Stauning), a section of the Swedish youth (we are doing them an injustice by not leading them, for they must be led), a section of the Bulgarians, the Lefts from Austria (“Franz”), a section of Loriot’s friends in France, a section of the Lefts in Switzerland (the *Jugend-Internationale*) and in Italy, and then the Anglo-American elements of the movement I have already named.

The resolutions of the Bolshevik conference (April 24–29, 1917) and of their congress (VII, 1917: see the resolutions in *Novaya Zhizn*)*, the draft of a new programme of this same party—that is already a sufficient ideological basis (with the addition of the *Vorbote*, *Tribune*, *Arbeiterpolitik*, etc.) for coming out before the whole world with clear answers to the questions of imperialism and with an indictment of the social-chauvinists and Kautskyites.

Such a conference must be called immediately, a provisional bureau set up, and its address and draft resolutions printed in three languages for transmission to the parties.

I repeat once again: I am profoundly convinced that if we do not do this now, we shall make this work immensely difficult for ourselves in the future and immensely facilitate an “amnesty” for the traitors to socialism.

(7) The ministerialism of the Russian Menshevik-“Zimmerwaldists” must be used all the more to present an ultimatum to Zimmerwald in general: either a break with the Brantings, Huysmans and Co., or we walk out immediately. By the way: is the *Arbeiterpolitik* conducting a campaign against Zetkin and against the Brunswick *Volksfreund* for the fact that these scoundrels, for intriguing purposes, whitewashed

* The reference is to the resolutions of the Seventh (April) Conference and the Sixth Congress of the R.S.D.L.P.(B.) (see *The C.P.S.U. in Resolutions and Decisions of Congresses, Conferences and Plenums of the C.C.*, 7th ed., Part I, 1954, pp. 335–53 and 372–89). *Ed.*

and supported the Russian Mensheviks, Chkheidze and Co., who turned out to be ministerial scum like Sembat, Renaudel, Thomas and Co.?

Can it be that even Mehring has not yet understood all the vileness of Chkheidze, Tsereteli, Skobelev and Co.?

(8) It is necessary to arrange for the forwarding of your letters here—I hope to receive immediately a letter as detailed as mine (otherwise I will not agree to correspond)—and of literature: at least complete files of the *Arbeiterpolitik*, *Demain*, *Kampf* (Duisburg), *Weekly People* (S.L.P.), *Leipziger Volkszeitung*, *Neue Zeit*, *The Call* and others, Spartacus, the publications of Loriot and his friends, *Avanti!* and so on and so forth. To begin with, at least send cuttings.

(9) You must send here, if possible every week, first, articles for the provincial and Petrograd Party press (surveys of the movement of the Lefts abroad, facts, facts, facts); second, leaflets (of 4–8–16 pages) for publication as small pamphlets. Summaries of facts about the collapse of the International, about the disgrace of the social-chauvinists, about the disgrace of the Kautskyites, about the growth of the movement of the Lefts: at least four pamphlets on each of these subjects, of 16–32 pages each. Facts and facts. There is hope of publishing them.

Reply at once whether you can undertake this. When sending by our method (legal sending is now out of the question), I think it does not matter what language is used.

(10) I hope you have a complete file of *Pravda*. You subscribe to *Novaya Zhizn*. If you do not have *Rabochy i Soldat* (suppressed), *Proletarskoye Dyelo* (Kronstadt) and *Sotsial-Demokrat* (Moscow), write at once, and I will send them as soon as the new route, which this letter is using for the first time, is working.

P.S. August 18. I have just received Nos. 1, 2 and 4 of the new newspaper *Proletary*, the Central Organ—of course, it will soon be suppressed. I will try to send them to you. I am sending Nos. 1–7.

August 20. I still have not been able to send the letter, and perhaps it will not be possible very soon. So I am getting something like a diary instead of a letter! There is nothing to be done about it. You must have a great deal of patience and persistence if you want to keep in touch with the internationalists in the “freest” imperialist republic.

Today I learned from *Izvestia* that the *Izvestia of the Stockholm Information Bureau of the Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies* is being published weekly in Stockholm. Try to send complete files of all Stockholm publications. We see nothing.

August 25 (September 7). It seems I shall be able to send the letter tomorrow. Make every effort to arrange delivery from you. Be sure to reply at once, even if briefly, to the address (inside your country) which the comrade who hands you this letter (or his friend) will give you. He will also give you the code; by way of experiment I am writing a few words in this code and ask you to reply in the same code.*

P.S. Write another pamphlet, 16–32 pages, about Russia’s secret diplomatic treaties: brief, exact, facts, facts. Such-and-such a treaty of such-and-such a date, month, year, contents so-and-so. A list of the treaties. A summary. As brief and factual as possible. Reply whether you will undertake it, and when you will send it.

I conclude: for heaven’s sake, immediately a conference of the Lefts, a bureau of the Lefts, a bulletin of the bureau, and appoint a second conference in two (one and a half) months.

Greetings!

Lenin

Written in Stockholm

---

Sent from Helsingfors

First published in 1930

in the Lenin Miscellany XIII

Printed from the manuscript