99
TO A. A. JOFFE. MARCH 17, 1921
The Congress of the Communist Party has taken so much
of my time and forces that I am very tired and ill. Will
you kindly excuse me if I am unable to have an interview
with you just now. I will beg Comrade Chicherin to speak
with you shortly.
Wishing you much success I remain.
Yours truly,
Wl. Oulianoff (Lenin)
First published in 1 9 3 2
Printed from the original
in Lenin Miscellany XX
Written in English
93
TO A. A. JOFFE
17.III.1921
Dear Comrade Joffe:
I was highly distressed to read your deeply perturbed
letter of 15/III.
84
I see that you have the most legitimate
grounds for dissatisfaction and even indignation, but I
assure you that you are wrong in seeking the causes of it.
First, you are wrong in saying (repeatedly) that “I am
the C.C.”. This could have been written only in a state
of great nervous irritation and overwork. The old C.C.
(1919-1920) defeated me on one of the vastly important
questions, as you must know from the discussion.
85
I cannot
say how many times I have been in a minority on organisa-
tional and personal matters. You must have seen this for
yourself on many occasions as a member of the C.C.
You should not allow yourself to be so nervous as to
write such an absolutely impossible, absolutely impossible
thing that I am the C.C. This is overwork.
Second, I do not feel the slightest dissatisfaction with
you or mistrust of you in any way. Nor do the members
of the C.C., as far as I know them, have spoken to them
and seen their attitude towards you.
V. I. L E N I N
100
What then is the explanation of the matter? It is that
you have been tossed about by fate. I have seen this happen
to many workers. Take Stalin, as an example. You must
know that he would have stood up for himself, in any case.
But “fate” did not allow him, a single time in three and
a half years, to be either People’s Commissar for the Work-
ers’ and Peasants’ Inspection, or People’s Commissar for
Nationalities. That is a fact.
You, like rather many other leading workers, have been
tossed about by fate. You are one of our first and best di-
plomatists. Our diplomacy has been working on and off.
In the intervals, you have been “tried out” (W.P.I.), without
giving you time to
finish things. It is the fault (the mis-
fortune?) of the whole C.C., which has tossed about many
people in this way. If you give this some cool thought,
you will see that this is true.
Failure to be elected to the All-Russia Central Executive
Committee? Ask anyone, Trotsky, for instance, how often
the C.C. has hesitated in its views of the principle and its
decisions on this! This has happened many times! We were
forced to make maximum renewals for considerations of
“democracy”.
(The new C.C. was constituted only yesterday and will
take some time to “gear up”.
86
)
My personal opinion, which is quite frank, is: (1) you
must have a good rest. It is harmful to fray oneself. We are
badly in need of experienced, veteran, tested workers.
Have a good rest. Perhaps, you will decide that it is better
to go to a sanatorium, abroad. It is bad over here. Your
health must be completely restored. (2) You have been and
remain one of our leading and best diplomatists and poli-
ticians. Take Turkey? Turkestan? Can we do without you?
Rumania? I’m afraid we cannot. I think we cannot.
Have a rest. Then come to Moscow, we shall have a talk.
With best wishes,
Yours,
Lenin
First published in 1 9 5 9
Printed from the original
in Lenin Miscellany XXXVI
101
CERTIFICATE TO A. R. SHAPOSHNIKOV. OCTOBER 22, 1921
94
TO THE R.C.P.(
B.)
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
87
Fully in favour.
Lenin
Authorise Chicherin to draw up a draft message and put
it through at this very session of the All-Russia Central
Executive Committee.
Lenin
Written on March 1 8 or 1 9 ,
1 9 2 1
First published in 1 9 6 1
Printed from the original
in the book, Leninskiye idei
zhivut i pobezhdayut
(Lenin’s Ideas Are Alive
and Triumphant), Moscow
95
TELEGRAM TO L. B. KRASIN
*
Code
Krasin
The Party Congress has approved the line I advocated
on concessions in Grozny and in Baku.
88
Speed up negotia-
tions on these as on all other concessions. Send informa-
tion more often.
Lenin
**
Written on March 1 9 , 1 9 2 1
First published in 1 9 4 5
Printed from the original
in Lenin Miscellany XXXV
96
CERTIFICATE TO A. R. SHAPOSHNIKOV
This is to certify that Alexei Romanovich Shaposhni-
kov, peasant of Beketovo Village, Bulgakovo Volost, Ufa
Uyezd, Ufa Gubernia, was summoned by me to Moscow
*
At the top Lenin added: “Comrade Chicherin: Please send
in code, today if possible. 19/III.
Lenin.”—
Ed.
**
The telegram is also signed by G. V. Chicherin.—Ed.