The book contains Trotsky’s correspondence with supporters of the Left Opposition around the world as they fought to defend the continuity of the Russian Revolution and its leadership, against the bureaucratic counterrevolution led by Joseph Stalin. It is part of a 14-volume series of Trotsky’s writings covering the period 1929-40.

Several references may be unfamiliar to readers. The CLA was the Communist League of America, the U.S. organization founded by leaders of the Communist Party expelled for defending the Left Opposition. When Trotsky writes about the “party” he is referring to the Communist Party. Unser Wort and La Verite were the newspapers of the Left Opposition groups in Germany and France, respectively.

Copyright © 1979 by Pathfinder Press, reprinted by permission.
 

Dear Comrade Gerard:

No news from you. We rejoice here each week on receiving La Verite. The general impression that it gives, which is inevitable at first, is that the paper is still rather distant from the masses, too journalistic, not sufficiently proletarian and political. The first thing is to know what is going on in the working class, in the unions, and above all in the party. It is necessary at all costs to find or create links with party circles. I think the lack of contact or information can be explained by a certain tradition in the Opposition which consisted not only of denigrating, but also of ignoring, of not interesting oneself in what was happening in the party or around it. Thus “The Week in Politics,” which is well done journalistically, would profit greatly if its first item each week were devoted to some episode or event in the life of the workers or the party….

October 31, 1929

La Verite is improving visibly. We see that the articles are for the most part written with care and attention.

November 21, 1929

Dear Comrade Gerard:

Yesterday I received your letter of November 5 with the electoral statistics [for legislative and municipal elections from 1924-1929]. I thank you very warmly. Now I am armed….

In the article on the English movement, there is a theoretical mistake. The author says: “The capitalists who sell the wage earners their products take back with the left hand what they offered with the right. Under these conditions profit is impossible….”

It follows from this that profit is not created in production, but in commerce. Even if society were composed of nothing by capitalists and workers, without foreign trade, profit would exist.  
 
The weekly comes first
Feb. 10, 1932

To the National Committee, CLA

Dear Comrades,

I notice from your decision that you are planning to make a theoretical organ a reality. In order to eliminate possible misunderstandings, I consider it necessary to state that you should not at all consider yourselves bound in this question, because at the time when I wrote you about a subsidy for a theoretical organ, we did not yet have the terrible crisis and the existence of The Militant was not yet threatened. Please dispose of the sum as you yourselves see fit. It would be very regrettable to establish a theoretical organ at the cost of the weekly Militant.  
 
We must have a discussion on Germany
April 3, 1933

The question of Unser Wort should be decided as soon as possible. A letter from Held arrived yesterday. He complains that there is not one bit of news from Berlin, and that he had to put together an entire issue from my articles. This will not do of course. First of all, one should provide the publication with good political correspondents, broad information, and on-the-spot exposes.  
 
Tasks of the coming plenum
April 12, 1933

Dear Friend:

I think it is absolutely wrong to send money to Germany from outside. Such small amounts can accomplish nothing; they should try to raise funds there themselves. Money raised abroad should be used entirely for a newspaper, to insure that it comes out in eight pages or, at least, regularly with six pages. This is now the central question. A newspaper will now become not only the political leader but also the organizer of the Left Opposition in Germany. The role of an émigré paper is absolutely unique: it would be a timely thing now to read over Lenin’s What Is to Be Done?—where he talks precisely about an émigré paper under conditions of illegal work inside a country.…  
 
Tact, caution, and flexibility
May 8, 1933

Dear Friend,

I am happy that we agree on the question of the German paper. This is a very important question. We can and must make the paper rise to the occasion. Circumstances are such that we must set ourselves the goal of converting it into a weekly paper. To be sure, the paper must be reinforced financially, by means of a correct organization of distribution.  
 
 
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