Written: 3 January, 1918
First Published: 6 January, 1918 the
newspaper Aarmia I Flot Rabochei I Krestyanskoi rossii
No. 4
Source: Lenin’s Collected
Works, Progress Publishers, Moscow, Volume 26, 1972,
pp. 426
Translated: Yuri Sdobnikov and George
Hanna, Edited by George Hanna
Transcription & HTML Markup: Charles
Farrell and David Walters
Online Version: Lenin Internet Archive November,
2000
Dear comrades,
Comrade Podvoisky has told me of your proposal and I ask you not to take amiss the fact that I am forced to confine myself to writing a letter to you. I whole-heartedly welcome your confidence that you will succeed in the great task of building a socialist army—in view of all the present difficulties and in spite of them. We may be in one of the critical periods of the revolution, when Soviet power is threatened both by an external foe—the German and other imperialists—and an internal one—the counter-revolutionaries hiding behind the slogan of “All Power to the Constituent Assembly”.
We shall overcome this crisis as well. There is not the least doubt about it. The Soviets will retain the power they have won. The socialist revolution has begun. It will go on to victory in Russia and the whole world.
With best wishes of success and courage in your work.
Yours,
Lenin
(The reading of the letter was met with loud, prolonged applause.)