Written: September 8, 1920
First Published:Pravda No. 202 and Izvestia No. 202, September 12, 1920; Published according to
the manuscript
Source: Lenin’s Collected Works, 4th English Edition, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1965, Volume 31, pages 273-274
Translated: Julius Katzer
Transcription\HTML Markup:
David Walters &
R. Cymbala
Copyleft: V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marx.org) 2002. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
With reference to your telegraphic inquiry of September 3, 1920,[1] I would like to inform you that the attacks on Bolshevism on the part of the German Independents’ Right wing, by people like Dittmann, for instance, do not surprise me. In my speech at the Comintern Congress in Moscow, I showed that Crispien’s ideas are quite Kautskian. Kautskians like Crispien and Dittmann are, of course, dissatisfied with Bolshevism. It would be deplorable if such people were satisfied with us. It is quite natural that, in the decisive struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, petty-bourgeois democrats like Dittmann, who is very similar to our Mensheviks, are often to be found on the side of the bourgeoisie. Dittmann is Indignant at the shootings, but it is natural that, in such cases, Mensheviks are shot at by revolutionary workers, which cannot be altogether to Dittmann’s liking. The Third, Communist International would not be worth much if it admitted into its ranks Dittmanns of the German, French or any other variety.
If, however, you consider that the reports by the French, the German and the British workers’ delegations have done more harm to Bolshevism than the entire antiBolshevik propaganda has done, I willingly accept the conclusion that logically follows.
Let the two of us reach an understanding-you on behalf of the anti-Bolshevik bourgeoisie of all countries, and I on behalf of the Russian Soviet Republic. Accordingly, let delegations consisting of workers and small peasants (i.e., of working people, those whose labour creates profit on capital) be sent to Russia from all countries, each delegation to stay here for about two months. If these delegations’ reports are useful to the cause of anti-Bolshevik propaganda, the entire cost of their visit shall be borne by the international bourgeoisie. However, as the bourgeoisie is very weak and poor in all countries in the world, while we in Russia are rich and strong, I agree to secure the consent of the Soviet Government to defray three-quarters of the expenses, a more quarter to be borne by the millionaires of all lands.
I hope that you, who in your telegram call yourself an honest journalist, will not refuse always and everywhere to publicise this understanding between the Soviet Republic and the international bourgeoisie—of course, in the interests of anti-Bolshevik propaganda.
Lenin
September 8, 1920
[1] The radio message of the correspondent of the London Daily News Mr. Segrue was published in Pravda No. 202, September 12, 1920, along with Lenin’s reply. In his message, Segrue pointed out that some socialists who had visited Soviet Russia had published anti-Soviet articles, and asked Lenin to comment on this.