Letter to Julius Martov, Secretary of the Party Council, September 2, 1904

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To Comrade Martov

September 2, 1904

Comrade,

In reply to your invitation of August 31, 1904, to a sitting of the Council, I must state that until the lawfulness of the composition of the CC and of its last, allegedly regular, meeting has been verified by all CC members, I do not consider either Comrade Glebov or myself entitled to represent the CC in the Party Council. Until such a check is made I regard all official steps undertaken by Comrade Glebov (and participation in the Council is also an official step) as unlawful.

I shall confine myself to pointing out one obvious untruth and one inaccuracy in the “verification” of the CC’s composition carried out by three CC members at their “meeting” of. . . July. 1) Regarding the resignation of Mitrofanov, I have the written statement of Comrade Osipov. About the resignation of Travinsky, I have had no definite written statement from anyone. Three CC members at least prematurely accepted the resignation, without consulting the other members. 2) Regarding the notorious resignation of Comrade Osipov I have a written communication of CC member Vasiliev about his dispute with Comrade Valentin and the decision to examine the dispute at a general meeting of the Central Committee. About Osipov’s resignation, too, I have not had a single communication. The statement of the three CC members that Osipov formally announced his withdrawal at the preceding regular meeting of the CC is an obvious lie, documentarily refuted by the agreement of May 26, 1904, signed by Zverev and Glebov. This agreement, which was concluded months after the “preceding regular meeting of the CC” and after Osipov is alleged to have joined the St. Petersburg Committee, records the CC as consisting of nine members, i.e., including Osipov.

N. Lenin,

CC member