Written: Written prior to April 18, 1916
Published:
First published in 1964 in Collected Works, Fifth (Russian) Ed., Vol. 49.
Sent from Zurich to Berne.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
[1977],
Moscow,
Volume 43,
pages 531-532a.
Translated: Martin Parker and Bernard Isaacs
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive
(2005).
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
Archive” as your source.
• README
Today I sent you a parcel.
(1) I am sending our theses; whole sentences have been omitted from them. Please insert them immediately (you have the rough copy) and return to me at once (for Platten).
(2) Have you another copy? I am afraid Grimm may let us down. That will leave us without our theses on the eve of the conference, and at the conference!!
(3) I am a bit uncertain whether it is worth while my going to the conference. There is no mandate (from the Letts) and there probably won’t be. To attend as a “guest” would be rather awkward, I’m afraid; I may be turned away for all I know (the decision of the 5–8.II.1916 meeting is not binding on the conference).[3]
What does Radek say to this?
(4) Is Radek “hiding” Fröhlich or not? A number of meetings of the Lefts and formal conferences are needed.
(5) Fröhlich and others will be arrested (I assure you) if they live in Berne. It is our duty to tell Fröhlich and the others: if you don’t want to be arrested, go to some secluded nook (somewhere near the conference; Grimm should tell them where it will be); that’s the only way to avoid arrest. And a meeting of the Lefts could be arranged there.
Talk it over with Radek and Fröhlich (what about the Serb?[1] You say nothing about him) and let me know.
(6) The Ledebourites, that is the Kautskyites, will probably mess up the whole conference!! Everyone will be looking at them!!
How many will there be from the I.S.D.? 2(Fr.+....[2] )?
And from the Internationale?
(7) We must be prepared to light Martov and Axelrod over the mandate. Do you undertake to collect material point by point of No. 2 of the Bulletin (from Nash Golos+Self-Defence+Chkheidze’s and Chkhenkeli’s speeches and so on?)? If you do, you must start at once.
(8) A French translation of our theses ought to be made (Inessa will probably agree), for I don’t think Grimm will do it.
Salut, Lenin
[1] This refers to Katzlerowitch, a representative of the Serbian Social-Democrats.—Ed.
[2] One word in the manuscript is illegible.—Ed.
[3] This refers to the trip to attend the Second International Socialist Conference. At the meeting of the enlarged I.S.C. held in Berne on February 5–9, 1916, it was decided that the Conference in Kienthal could be attended by all those who had participated in the Zimmerwald Conference. Lenin attended the Kienthal Conference as a representative of the C.C., R.S.D.L.P.
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