Written: Written November 11, 1902
Published:
First published in part in 1920.
First published in full in 1928.
Sent from London to St. Petersburg.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1974,
Moscow,
Volume 34,
pages 118-119.
Translated: Clemens Dutt
Transcription\Markup:
D. Moros
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive
(2005).
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
Archive” as your source.
• README
Dear friend,
I cannot find my notes on our meeting here.[2] In any case they are not needed. The meeting was of a consultative nature and you two,[3] of course, remember what happened better than I do. I cannot reconstruct officially what took place, and I could not do so even if I had the jottings made exclusively for myself, sometimes not in words but by signs. If there is anything important that needs to be settled, write a definite proposal, send in an official inquiry to us (to the editorial board) and we shall answer at once. But if there is no occasion for it yet—well, we have reached full agreement on general tactics.
I was very, very glad to learn that you have rapidly gone forward in the matter of the O.C.[4] and set it up with six members. I am surprised only that you have co-opted others before the formal constitution, before the invitation of the Bund? Just the opposite was planned, wasn’t it? Incidentally, this is not so important if you are sure that it will cause no inconvenience.
Be stricter with the Bund! Be stricter, too, in writing to the Bund and Rabocheye Dyelo abroad, reducing their function to such a minimum that in any case it cannot be of importance. You can entrust technical arrangements of the Congress to special delegates from you or to your special agents; don’t hand over this matter to anyone and don’t forget that the people abroad are weak in secrecy techniques.
Outline the congress ordre du jour only in general terms. Send us an enquiry asking to be informed of our (editorial) ordre du jour, who are our reporters and how many delegates there may be from us (from the editorial board). Speed things up with the Congress as much as you can.
Try to provide mandates for those who have fled from Russia; that will economise expenses.
Be sure to inform us exactly of each and every official step taken by the Organising Committee. And one thing more: Rabocheye Dyelo is dying and it would be very valuable If you (on behalf of the Organising Committee) were to send them an exhortation, in serious but not abusive terms, on the importance of uniting, on the value of conciliation, and so forth.
And so, make haste! In case of need, we shall raise a little money.
[1] Krasikov, Pyotr Ananievich (1870-1939)—professional revolutionary, Bolshevik. Started his revolutionary activities in 1892 and joined the Iskra organisation in 1900. At the Pskov meeting of the Organising Committee for convening the Second Congress of the R.S.D.L.P. (November 1902) he was elected a member of the O.C. At the Second Congress (1903) joined the Bolsheviks. After the Congress took an active part in the fight against the Mensheviks. In August 1904 attended the meeting of the 22 Bolsheviks in Geneva. Took an active part in the revolution of 1905-07. p. 118
[2] This refers to the meeting of the Iskra editorial board with representatives of the St. Petersburg Committee of the R.S.D.L.P., the Iskra organisation in Russia and the Northern League of the R.S.D.L.P. held on August 15, 1902. At this meeting an Iskrist nucleus of the Organising Committee for convening the Second Congress of the Party was set up.
[3] Meaning Krasnukha and Krasikov.
[4] The Organising Committee (O.G.) for convening the Second Congress of the R.S.D.L.P. was set up on Lenin’s initiative at a meeting of S.D. committees in Pskov on November 2-3, 1902. The Iskrists formed a preponderant majority on the new committee. P. A. Krasikov, F. V. Lengnik, P. N. Lepeshinsky and G. M. Krzhizhanovsky, were co-opted to the O.C. on behalf of the Iskra organisation in Russia, and A. M. Stopani on behalf of the Northern League of the R.S.D.L.P.
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