Letter to Elena Stasova and Friedrich Lengnik, June 19, 1904

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We have just received Absolute’s letter about the meeting and do not understand it at all. On whose initiative is the meeting being arranged? Who will attend it? Will Nikitich, Deer and Valentin be there? It is essential to know everything in the greatest possible detail. For what may happen is this: Deer, Nikitich and Mitrofan may transfer their votes to Nil or Valentin, which will give them a majority, and they may carry out a coup d’état; it is easier to do this abroad, where the Council is at hand to sanction their decisions. In general a meeting here of the soft members may turn out to be very dangerous at the present time. Judging by the way Nil behaves, one could expect anything from him. He says, for example, in connection with Plekhanov’s letter: “We must reply that we do not agree with Lenin’s policy, but we don’t want to give him up.” What he understands by Lenin’s policy, God alone knows. He refused to discuss matters with Falcon: “You will learn my opinion from Valentin.” He talks to the Minority in a very friendly way, quite different from the way he talks to the Majority. Falcon wanted to go away today, but just now we are in some perplexity. The “soft” ones alone may decide, if it is to their advantage, that transfer of votes is not allowed, in which case Falcon ought not go away—it will be an extra vote and, besides, support for Lenin is needed. If, however, there are no grounds for thinking that the meeting will end in a coup, then there is no need for Falcon to hang about. In the first event, wire: “Geld folgt” (meaning: Falcon to travel immedi- ately); in the second event, wire: “Brief folgt” (meaning:Falcon to remain abroad). The address for the telegram is...

Reply also by letter without delay and in as much detail as possible. Settle the time more exactly. What do you mean by: prepare lodgings? Do you too think that all the “stone-hards” can go away without everything falling into the hands of the hard-soft “Matryona-ites”? If, for example, Valentin remains while the others go away, he can break a lot of china. In that case, perhaps, Falcon’s presence will be needed in Russia. Think all this over very carefully. At present we do not share your optimism concerning the CC, but we are optimists as regards our victory.

If the meeting is a general one, let Stake once more make desperate efforts to drag Deer out here and explain to him that the transfer of his (Deer’s) vote to Konyaga or Boris could mean a coup d’état and Lenin’s withdrawal for a desperate struggle.