Letter to Lev Kamenev, Prior to May 20, 1913

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Author(s) Lenin
Written 20 May 1913


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First published in 1964 in Collected Works, Fifth (Russian) Ed., Vol. 48. Sent from Poronin to Paris. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1977, Moscow, Volume 43, pages 344b-345a.
Keywords : Letter, Lev Kamenev

Dear L. B.,

I am forwarding you Troyanovsky’s letter.[1]

In my opinion, that scoundrel Semkovsky (Grigory is sending you Kampf) deserves an answer in a full voice only, not like that given to Steklov in Neue Zeit.

Write briefly but firmly and strongly about the traitors to both socialism and democracy, about the blacklegging newspaper Luck, about the bulk of the workers who are following the lead of Pravda. If the opportunist Austrians refuse to print it, we shall publish it in the report to the Vienna congress of 1914[2] I am strongly against any writing “keyed to the meanness” of the opportunists of Neue Zeit or Kampf.

What is your opinion?

Yours,

Lenin

I am for writing to Kampf apart from Ryazanov. That “honest broker” will mess the thing up, complicate it by outward courtesy and inward meanness. Better go direct and get a direct reply. If Ryazanov wants to “help” (h’m, h’m), let him do so on the side....[3]

  1. ↑ Troyanovsky, in his letter of May 15 (N. S.), 1913, asked Kamenev to write an answer to the article by the Menshevik liquidator S. Semkovsky (S. Y. Bronstein) “Die Wiederbelebung des russischen Proletariats” (The Rebirth of the Russian Proletariat) published in the journal Der Kampf No. 8, May 1, 1913. He promised the support of D. B. Ryazanov in getting the article published in Der Kampf.
  2. ↑ This refers to the international congress of the Second International which was to have been held in Vienna in August 1914. Owing to the outbreak of the imperialist world war the congress was not held.
  3. ↑ Manuscript partly damaged. Several words illegible.—Ed.
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