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LetterfromLenintoGorky

Secret
Sept.15,1919
DearAlekseiMaksimovich[Gorky]!
IsawTankov,andevenbeforehisvisitandyourletter,we
haddecidedintheCentralCommittee[TSeka]toappointKamenev
andBukharintoreviewandconfirmthearrestsofthebourgeois
intellectualsofthequasiConstitutionalDemocrat[Kadet]stripe
andtofreeeveryonepossible.Foritiscleartousthathere
indeedmistakesweremade.
Itisalsoclearthat,ingeneral,thearrestoftheKadets
andquasiKadetswasthenecessaryandcorrectmeasuretotake.
WhenIreadyourfrankopiniononthissubject,Irecalla
phraseyouusedduringourconversationsinLondon,Capri,and
elsewherethatmadeadeepimpressiononme:
"Weartistsareirresponsiblepeople."
Justso!Whatgivesyoucausetosaytheseimprobablyangry
words?Thiscause,thatdozensorevenhundredsoftheseKadet
andquasiKadetlittlegentlemenwillspendseveraldaysin
prisoninordertopreventconspiraciessimilartothe
surrenderingoftheKrasnaiaGorkaFort,conspiraciesthat
threatenthelivesofthousandsofworkersandpeasants!
Whatatragedy,you'rethinking!Whataninjustice!
Intellectualsinprisonforseveraldaysorevenweeksjustto
preventthemassacreoftensofthousandsofworkersand
peasants!
"Artistsareirresponsiblepeople."
...RecentlyIreadhis[Korolenko's]War,Motherland,and
Mankind,apamphletwritteninAugust1917.Korolenko,youknow,
isthebestofthe"quasiKadets,"almostaMenshevik.Butwhat
avile,despicable,rottendefenseoftheimperialistwar,
dressedupwithsugarcoatedphrases!Apitifulpettybourgeois
captivatedbybourgeoisprejudices!Forsuchgentlemen,
10,000,000menkilledduringanimperialistwarisamatter
deservingsupport(bydeeds,whilemouthingsugarcoatedphrases
"against"thewar),butthedeathofhundredsofthousandsina
justcivilwaragainstlandlordsandcapitalistsevokesonly
aahs,oohs,sighs,andhysteria.
No.Itisn'tasintojailsuch"menoftalent"forshort
periodsifthat'swhatittakestopreventplots(suchastheone
atKrasnaiaGorka)andthedeathsoftensofthousands.We
uncoveredtheconspiraciesoftheKadetsandquasiKadets.And
weknowthatquasiKadetprofessorsaregivingassistanceheart
andsoultotheconspirators.Thatisafact.

Theintellectualforcesoftheworkersandpeasantsare
growingandgettingstrongerintheirfighttooverthrowthe
bourgeoisieandtheiraccomplices,theeducatedclasses,the
lackeysofcapital,whoconsiderthemselvesthebrainsofthe
nation.Infacttheyarenotitsbrainsbutitsshit.
Wepayaboveaveragesalariestothose"intellectualforces"
whowanttobringlearningtothepeople(ratherthantoadyingto
capital).Thatisafact.Wecherishthem.Thatisafact.
TensofthousandsofofficersareservingintheRedArmyandare
winninginspiteofhundredsoftraitors.Thatisafact.
Regardingyourframeofmind,Iknowhowto"understand"it
(onceyouaskedwhetherIwouldunderstandyou).Severaltimes,
onCapriandelsewhere,Itoldyou,"Youletyourselfbe
surroundedbytheworstelementsofthebourgeoisintelligentsia
,andyougiveintotheirwhining.Youhearandlistentothe
wailofhundredsofintellectualsabouttheir"terrible"
incarcerationlastingseveralweeks,butyoudonothearor
listentothevoicesofthemasses,ofmillionsworkersand
peasantswhoarethreatenedbyDenikin,Kolchak,Lianozov,
Rodzianko,theKrasnaiaGorka(andotherKadet)conspirators.I
quite,quiteunderstandthatthisishowyoucanendyourletter
withthestatementthatthese"Redsarejustasmuchenemiesof
thepeopleastheWhites"(fightersfortheoverthrowof
capitalistsandlandlordsarejustasmuchenemiesofthepeople
asarethecapitalistsandthelandlords),orevenendup
believinginatindivinityorin"ourfatherthetsar."Iquite
understand.
Reallyandtrulyyouwilldie*ifyoudon'tbreakawayfrom
thissituationwiththebourgeoisintelligentsia.Withallmy
heartIwishthatyouwouldbreakawayassoonaspossible.
Bestregards
[signed]Yours,Lenin.

*Butyou'renotwriting!Towasteyourselfonthewhiningof
decayingintellectualsandnottowriteisthatnotdeathfor
anartist,isthatnotashame?

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