V. I.   Lenin

414

To:   G. Y. ZINOVIEV


Written: Written after July 26, 1915
Published: First published in 1964 in Collected Works, Fifth (Russian) Ed., Vol. 49. Sent from Sörenberg to Hertenstein. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, [1977], Moscow, Volume 43, pages 471b-472a.
Translated: Martin Parker and Bernard Isaacs
Transcription\Markup: R. Cymbala
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


(Return Wijnkoop: isn’t he a fine fellow!)

I shall send the Russian books (the list).

As regards the French, I am uncertain: most could be obtained by asking one of the Berne people to order them from the Geneva and Neuch&ahat;tel libraries (lots of rubbish: I have seen some of them in Paris). Money matters—in connection with the following.

Yuri’s enclosed letter (return it). is a sample of insolent, stupid kulak mentality. It was formally decided here to publish Golay and Varin.[2] The Publishing Committee is bound to carry out this decision. It’s just stupid wilfulness!! “It’s my purse and I do as I like.” Clearly, we can’t work like this. Let them go, damn ’em. Publishing (if they want) will have to be done here, and with the kulaks out of the way, it will be easier for us.

It was formally decided here that they give 1/2 for transport and write us within a week about the instalment dates.

Not a word! It’s sheer mockery!

Bukharin’s letter (return it!) shows that it is impossible for us to go under such difficulties (with a strange passport? They will uncover us and arrest us to oblige the tsar!).[1] Money is dwindling: most of the remaining thousand will be spent on two issues of the C.O.+the pamphlet. And the fare? And the high cost of living in Stockholm? And conditions for work there (library) are worse.

We must think it over again and again.

Wouldn’t it be better to let these kulak-minded stupid-heads take an airing?

Send Golay to the C.O. (Golay must be published). I don’t feel like answering Yuri: that foolish, insolent letter of his is insufferable. Where is the limit? Promises, formal decisions—and “I’m the boss, I’m not going to pay”!! No, there’s a limit to everything! This is sheer barefaced lying!

My regards to everybody,
Yours,
Lenin

We haven’t got that No. of Rech. Maybe Yuri has it?


Notes

[1] A reference to the plan for transferring the Editorial Board of Sotsial-Demokrat to Stockholm.—Ed.

[2] This refers to the publication in the journal Kommunist of Lenin’s article “The Voice of an Honest French Socialist” (see present edition, Vol. 24, pp. 349–57) and Varin’s article “Our Base in the Troops”. Owing to lack of space the latter was not published.


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