Written: Written on January 6, 1919
Published:
First published in 1960 in the book: Y. M. Sverdlov, Izbranniye proizvedeniya v trekh tomakh (Selected Works in three volumes), Vol. 3.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1975,
Moscow,
Volume 44,
pages 183b-184a.
Translated: Clemens Dutt
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive.
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
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• README
Gusev
Revolutionary Military Council, Eastern Front
Arzamas
Inform the Revolutionary Committee in Ufa for their guidance that negotiations must be begun immediately with the Socialist-Revolutionaries who are proposing negotiations, after taking all precautions against attempts at provocations and for safeguarding the front, while at the same time guaranteeing absolute personal immunity to the envoys from the Socialist-Revolutionaries. At the talks it is to be stated clearly straight away that there can be no question of any change in the Soviet Constitution, because Soviet power, being the power of the exploited classes for suppressing the exploiters, has definitely proved its necessity for securing victory over the bourgeoisie, and the Soviet movement is now spreading to all countries of the world.
Continually report directly to us on the whole course of the negotiations, and on the participants of both sides.[2]
[1] The last sentence of the telegram and the signatures are in Sverdlov’s handwriting.—Ed.
[2] This telegram was sent in reply to an inquiry from the Ufa Revolutionary Committee to whom the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries had made a proposal to begin negotiations for joint action against Kolchak.
The talks with the Ufa Right Socialist-Revolutionaries were held during January-February 1919 in Ufa and Moscow.
At the end of February, the All-Russia Central Executive Committee adopted a resolution on the attitude towards the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries. In view of the positive results of the talks and the fact that on February 8, 1919, the party conference of the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries declared itself opposed to an armed struggle against Soviet power and to foreign intervention in Russia’s affairs, the All-Russia Central Executive Committee passed a decision to give to the groups of Right Socialist– Revolutionaries which adopted this stand the right “to participate in Soviet work”. (Izvestia No. 45, February 27, 1919.)
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