Letter to Georgi Plekhanov, August 8, 1902

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Author(s) Lenin
Written 8 August 1902


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First published in 1925 in Lenin Miscellany IV. Sent from London to Geneva. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1977, Moscow, Volume 43, pages 89b-90a.
Keywords : Georgi Plekhanov, Letter

8.VIII. 02

Dear G. V.,

The comrade[1] we had been waiting for, and whom the old friend[2] who brought you the money knows, arrived here yesterday. First of all please tell this old friend to come here: he will be needed for joint talks, and the newly-arrived comrade will be here no more than a week and a half or two.

Further, about the new arrival seeing you. He himself wants to meet you—and it would of course be very useful to the cause if he did. The only question is whether you should try to come here earlier so as to be sure to find him, or, on the contrary, whether you should wait for him in Geneva, where he is going from here. Yesterday, before he knew that you too would be here soon, he asked me for a letter to you.

Take this too into consideration: practically all the Rabocheye Dyelo people (Martynov, Akimov, Olkhin, Krichevsky, who is going there, and others) have gathered in Switzerland (in Montreux, if I’m not mistaken) and our visitor is going there to see them. The first impression is that he is an Iskra supporter, and Russian friends recommend him as one. But ... just the same.... Mightn’t the Union crowd (the Rabocheye Dyelo people) feed him a pack of lies? How will it be if he sees them last and is unable perhaps to stand up to some new gossip, or the like? Therefore we think it might be better if he made your acquaintance and saw you more than once in Geneva. You could then perhaps talk things over with him both during his meetings with the Union people and after. Then perhaps whatever new gossip there may be could be squashed at once, etc.

Talk this over (with our old friend), decide where to meet the new arrival, and let us have an answer as soon as possible. The worst thing that could happen would be for you to miss each other.

If you decide to see him over there (but our old friend should come here under all circumstances), we shall write you a detailed letter giving all the information we have about him.

Is your mail address absolutely safe? Are you certain your letters will not be read?

Best regards,

Yours,

Lenin

  1. ↑ V. P. Krasnukha.—Ed.
  2. ↑ The “old friend” evidently was P. A. Krasikov. The 500 rubles brought had been collected for Iskra by its representatives in St. Petersburg.
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