Letter to Grigori Zinoviev, Prior to April 18, 1916

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Author(s) Lenin
Written 18 April 1916


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Written prior to April 18, 1916
Published: First published in 1964 in Collected Works, Fifth (Russian) Ed., Vol. 49. Sent from Zurich to Berne. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1977, Moscow, Volume 43, pages 531-533.
Keywords : Grigori Zinoviev, Letter

First letter[edit source]

Today I sent you a parcel.

(1) I am sending our theses; whole sentences have been omitted from them. Please insert them immediately (you have the rough copy) and return to me at once (for Platten).

(2) Have you another copy? I am afraid Grimm may let us down. That will leave us without our theses on the eve of the conference, and at the conference!!

(3) I am a bit uncertain whether it is worth while my going to the conference. There is no mandate (from the Letts) and there probably won’t be. To attend as a “guest” would be rather awkward, I’m afraid; I may be turned away for all I know (the decision of the 5–8.II.1916 meeting is not binding on the conference).[1]

What does Radek say to this?

(4) Is Radek “hiding” Fröhlich or not? A number of meetings of the Lefts and formal conferences are needed.

(5) Fröhlich and others will be arrested (I assure you) if they live in Berne. It is our duty to tell Fröhlich and the others: if you don’t want to be arrested, go to some secluded nook (somewhere near the conference; Grimm should tell them where it will be); that’s the only way to avoid arrest. And a meeting of the Lefts could be arranged there.

Talk it over with Radek and Fröhlich (what about the Serb?[2] You say nothing about him) and let me know.

(6) The Ledebourites, that is the Kautskyites, will probably mess up the whole conference!! Everyone will be looking at them!!

How many will there be from the I.S.D.? 2(Fr.+....[3] )?

And from the Internationale?

(7) We must be prepared to light Martov and Axelrod over the mandate. Do you undertake to collect material point by point of No. 2 of the Bulletin (from Nash Golos+Self-Defence+Chkheidze’s and Chkhenkeli’s speeches and so on?)? If you do, you must start at once.

(8) A French translation of our theses ought to be made (Inessa will probably agree), for I don’t think Grimm will do it.

Salut, Lenin

Second letter[edit source]

I am not sending this by express, as it would only waken you, according to my reckoning, without appreciably saving any time.

I quite agree with you about inviting the French and promising 50 frs.

Advise the Brest people to travel via George: it is important that he and we should “intercept” them first in stead of Grimm (if possible it would be good to do the same with the Parisians[4]).

I haven’t had time yet to read-the indictment.[5] I shan’t be long.

If you like, I’ll send you Sukhanov’s new pamphlet, if you promise me Junius[6] (for 1/2 day at least. Get it from Radek, but don’t mention me). Neither Platten nor Nobs have it.

It would be extremely useful for the cause for Alexander first to work a little in England. It is dangerous at present to go to Russia, we shall be ruining a good man (in Sweden as well as in Russia). Coming here just now is harmful, since he and you will not be able to restrain yourselves, and we shall only be sullying a valuable man at the conference. Besides, in a month or two he will be much more useful in Russia, and by that time many important things will be cleared up and revealed.

Salut,

Lenin


P.S. He will have a “rest” only by working in England. Inaction will only wear him out.


N.B.: P.S. If Grimm does not publish the protest, we must find that out at once and publish it ourselves, altering the text.[7]


P.P.S. Where are the other theses of Radek’s for the Zimmerwald Left agreement and when shall we have them???

  1. ↑ This refers to the trip to attend the Second International Socialist Conference. At the meeting of the enlarged I.S.C. held in Berne on February 5–9, 1916, it was decided that the Conference in Kienthal could be attended by all those who had participated in the Zimmerwald Conference. Lenin attended the Kienthal Conference as a representative of the CC, RSDLP
  2. ↑ This refers to Katzlerowitch, a representative of the Serbian Social-Democrats.—Ed.
  3. ↑ One word in the manuscript is illegible.—Ed.
  4. ↑ This refers to the arrival of the French delegates to the Second International Socialist Conference. Safarov (George) was in Switzerland at the time. Whom Lenin meant by the “Brest people” has not been ascertained.
  5. ↑ Meaning the indictment in the case of the Bolshevik deputies of the Fourth Duma.
  6. ↑ A reference to the pamphlet by Junius (Luxemburg), Die Krise der Sozialdemokratie, Zurich, 1916.—Ed.
  7. ↑ See Note 431.
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