London, 10 November 1871 
1 Maitland Park Road, — 
Haverstock Hill, N.W. 

Dear Speyer, 

Lessner acquainted me with your letter. Overwork and then 
illness have prevented me from replying to you sooner. There are 
a number of errors in your letter. 

1. According to the Rules the General Council in YanKEELanp 
should concern itself primarily with the Yankees. 

a K. Marx and F. Engels, ‘Resolutions of the Conference of Delegates of the 
International Working Men’s Association Assembled at London from 17th to 23rd 
September 1871’. - & Gertrud and Franziska Kugelmann 

2. But as far as the private correspondence with West, etc., is 
concerned, the General Council has absolutely nothing to do with it. A 
number of the English members of the General Council, in 
particular George Harris and other sectarians of the school of 
O’Brien, the currency QUACK Doctor,*” are in contact with West et Co. 
Anything they may write to the Unrrep States has no official status. If 
you can supply proof that Harris, etc., have taken it upon themselves 
to write to America in the name of the General Council., we shall soon 
put a stop to such mischief. 

3. As far as any other correspondence from members of the 
General Council is concerned, we are not in a position to forbid it. 

Firstly, I do not see what objection can be made to the 
correspondence between Eccarius and Jessup. It has not come to 
my notice that Jessup, one of our oldest correspondents in the 
United States, has been acting against the New York Comurrree.! 

Secondly, my correspondence with Sigfrid Meyer. Meyer and 
Vogt were mandataries of the Genera. Councit; I do not know 
either of them personally, but had regarded Meyer, and have 
always thought of Vogt, as having long been active members of 
the workers’ party.“* I have been advising them both for a long 
time now to join the organisation established by the Central 
Committee in New York. 

I have not had a letter from Vogt for some years now, and if he 
does intrigue, he will certainly find no support from me. I am 
concerned only with the interests of your movement, and not with 
private individuals. 

As for Sorge, I am no more acquainted with him personally 
than I am with Meyer and Vogt. It is my conviction, however, that 
the General Council owes him a profound debt of gratitude for 
his activities—a belief which I have repeatedly expressed in the 
Genera Councit, 

4. You must strive to win the support of the Trades Unions aT ALL 
costs. 

This letter is addressed only to you personally. You must not 
show it to anyone except Sorge. 

Write to me soon. 

Salut fraternel. 

Yours sincerely, 
Karl Marx