Written: Written February 7, 1917
Published:
First published in 1964 in Collected Works, Fifth (Russian) Ed., Vol. 49.
Sent from Zurich to Clarens.
Printed from the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
[1977],
Moscow,
Volume 43,
pages 609-610a.
Translated: Martin Parker and Bernard Isaacs
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive
(2005).
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Text
• README
Dear Friend,
I haven’t had a single line from you for a long time. You promised almost a week ago to write “tomorrow”—and not a sound. Has there been anything special to prevent it? Drop me at least a line, if you aren’t in a writing mood, otherwise I feel worried.
Re 1.II, I wrote you briefly, if I am not mistaken.
On 3.II there was a meeting (strictly private) between Grimm and his friends+Nobs and Platten. (Münzenberg and Bronski were invited, but refused to go to these Zentrumsleute, and a good thing too.) Nobs and Platten are weak-willed men (if not worse), and are dead “afraid” of Grimm.
They adopted some amendments to the resolution (of course, Grimm “tricked” Nobs and Platten). I haven’t seen these amendments yet. They should be published tomorrow (Thursday).[2] On the whole, the Lefts here, I must say, are super-trash.
Yesterday there was a meeting (meetings tire me; nerves no good at all; headaches; left before the end)—a general meeting. Re-elected the executive of the whole Zurich organisation. Elected Bronski too. And would you believe it—the social-patriot scoundrels (with Baumann at the head) got up and walked out.[1] We don’t want to work with Bronski!!
And Nobs+Platten swallowed the pill and put through a postponement!! What a disgrace!! And these are Lefts!! And the Young are “afraid” of Nobs and Platten!!
I hear that Humbert-Droz has lectured already in Geneva and is seducing the young people with his idiotic pacifism. It would be a good thing if you gave him a number of public battles, politely but firmly pointed out to him the whole infamy of pacifism, its whole staggering banality, and put forward a revolutionary programme!
All the very best,
Yours,
Lenin
[1] See present edition, Vol. 23, p. 285.—Ed.
[2] This refers to “Abänderungsanträge zu der Resolution der Mehrheit der Militärkommission” (Proposed Amendments to the Resolution by the Majority of the Commission on the War Issue) published in Volksrecht, February 9, 1917 (No. 34). This document was signed, among others, by Grimm, Nobs and Platten. The original draft of the majority, rejecting “defence of the fatherland”, was published in Volksrecht, January 9, 1917 (No. 7) over the signatures of Affolter, Graber, Name, Nobs and Schmid.
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