Letter to Alexandra Mikhailovna Kalmykova, September 27, 1902

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September 27, 1902

I have received your letter. Many thanks for your detailed reply. Until Viscount arrives I will not, as you wish, either raise the general question of finance or give any information about your letter, except in general terms, i.e., neither about how you define the body of “holders”, nor about what amount you specify, nor about how soon you can provide it (the whole immediately, or in instalments). We shall, in any case, have vertrauliche talks with Viscount about all the most important questions; so it will be best for me first of all to show him your letter, and to decide jointly with him on the limits, so to speak, of any further information about its contents.

I personally incline to the view that for the time being it would be best not to tell anyone about the whole amount (to keep it secret), nor to tell absolutely anyone about the possibility of obtaining it all at once, because at the present moment there’s an infinity of “possible” expenditure on “possible” undertakings. The abundance of escapes is putting a mass of people at Iskra’s “disposal”, provided all of them are given maintenance, but if we start this on a grand scale, frivolously and in haste, we shall find ourselves “on the rocks” within six months or a year. On the other hand, if we are more “tight-fisted”, a fairly large number of peripheral undertakings manage “to make do with their own resources”. In view of this, it is best to arrange matters in the old way (i.e., to speak to all those who participate in this way): you can provide a good deal yet, let us say, “over 10 thousand”, but, first, not all at once, and second, you wish to provide only in extreme necessity, advising them to seek regular sources to cover current expenses themselves. I repeat that so far this is my personal opinion, and I don’t yet know Viscount’s opinion. We wanted to raise the question with him here about some “amicable”, “friendly” division of functions, starting from the principle that after all it is better to take advantage of peace to bring about a stable modus vivendi than to postpone matters once more until some “accidental” conflict. But whether this will succeed, whether we shall decide in this way, whether it will be convenient to raise the question—all this is still unknown.

At present, we are very hard up for money, and there are some urgent expenses. Therefore, please send 2,000 marks immediately, if possible: what you can, of this amount, at once, and what you have to draw, as soon as possible (and let us know when it will arrive). But in my opinion you should already draw a larger amount: draw some 3,000 rubles and keep it at home, so that we could get it from you at short notice. Otherwise we literally don’t know how to get out of it: we already owe 150 rubles, and are putting off a payment of 50 rubles next week. We need about 300 rubles for departures (quite essential), about 200 for the people here soon, etc. Write as soon as you can what arrangements you have made, when and how much you will be receiving.

I shall pass on what you say to Brock. There is a crowd of people here, and altogether too much commotion. Yet many more are arriving in the next few days!

You write nothing about your plans for coming here, and very vaguely about your health: only that you don’t feel well, but what is the matter? I am also worried about the lack of news from home.

Well, my best wishes,

Yours,

Lenin