Dictated: Dictated over the telephone March 23, 1922
Published:
First published in 1964 in the Fifth Russian Edition of the Collected Work, Vol. 45.
Printed from the secretary’s notes (typewritten copy).
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1971,
Moscow,
Volume 42,
page 410.
Translated: Bernard Isaacs
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala and D. Walters
Copyleft:
V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marxists.org)
© 2004
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With reference to Comrade Chicherin’s motion entitled “Elements of a first speech at the Conference” I propose the following amendments:
1) Lines 7 and 8 down on the first page—I propose that we speak about “systems of property” and not just politico-economic systems.{2}
2) On the same page, lines 8 and 9 up—all mention of “inevitable forcible revolution and the use of sanguinary struggle” must definitely be thrown out; instead we should speak only of the fact that we Communists do not share the views of the pacifists—a fact which is sufficiently well known from communist literature—but having come here as merchants, we positively consider it our duty to give our fullest support to any attempts at a peaceful settlement of outstanding problems.
3) On the same page, 2nd and 3rd lines up—the words stating that our “historic conception includes the use of forcible measures” should definitely be deleted.
4) Page 2, 2nd and 3rd lines down—the words about our historic conception being definitely based on the inevitability of new world wars should be definitely deleted.
Under no circumstance should such frightful words be used, as this would mean playing into the hands of our opponents. We should confine ourselves only to mentioning that the views of the Communists do not coincide with the views of such pacifists as the states we are beginning negotiations with, such statesmen as Henderson, Keynes, etc., but that we consider it our duty, in order to achieve the economic agreement we are desirous of concluding, to do everything in our power for the broadest possible fulfilment of at least a certain part of this pacifist programme.
Lenin
{1} All Lenin’s amendments and remarks to the draft declaration for the Soviet delegation to the Genoa Conference submitted by Chicherin were taken into consideration. This declaration was read out by Chicherin at the first plenary session of the Genoa Conference on April 10, 1922.
{2} Lenin is referring to the following draft speech submitted by Chicherin: “We attach the greatest importance to Point One of the Cannes resolution concerning mutual recognition of the political and economic systems in both camps of the present-day world” (Central Party Archives of the Institute of Marxism- Leninism of the C.C. of the C.P.S.U.). This text in Chicherin’s draft is marked off by Lenin in the margin. The words in Chicherin’s draft referred to in points 2, 3 and 4 of Lenin’s remarks are underlined by Lenin.
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