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Letter to Raymond Molinier and Pierre Frank, July 1, 1940
| Author(s) | Leon Trotsky |
|---|---|
| Written | 1 July 1940 |
Avuncular Advice
Dear Nephews:
I received your letters of the 25th of May on time, but I didn't understand from them the practical purpose of your message, to me, It could be understood that you wish to be reconciled with your father and the whole family. Of course I would be glad to serve as an intermediary in such a case. But you must understand that after my previous attempts which ended so lamentably by your fault, I am ten times more cautious than before. Unfortunately your letter doesn't dissipate my doubts. You say that everybody made his conclusions from the experiences, that these experiences are possibly not the same for all but nothing can hinder all from coming to the same conclusions in the future. It is extremely vague. The family of your father has its traditions, its rules of conduct, and is proud of these traditions and rules. I don't believe your father would be ready to change his conceptions and methods as a price for reconciliation with you. Every member of the family has the right to propose, to express his ideas, and to defend them. Your parents are tolerant enough, but if you wish to live and to act with the family you must be loyal to it, especially now, in the tragic times we live in. If you made this conclusion from the past, seriously and definitely, then a sincere reconciliation wouldn’t present any difficulties, and I would be glad to enter into direct conversations with your father about the matter; but only under these conditions. I hope you will believe that acting so, I am guided exclusively by your interests and those of our family as a whole.
With best wishes,
Your uncle Leon