Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 26 - From Marx to Mao

578 NOTES183184Lomov, Uritsky and Krestinsky abstained, and only Ioffe votedagainst. Thus the proposal was adopted by a majority. p. 520The evening sitting of the Central Committee on February 18,1918, was held in a highly tense atmosphere. It was called in viewof the fact that the Germans had launched an offensive that dayand had taken Dvinsk in their headlong advance. The Left Communistsonce again opposed Lenin’s proposals, but Trotsky proposedthat inquiries should be sent to Berlin and Vienna aboutthe German Government’s demands, without informing it of theconsent to conclude a peace. Sverdlov, Stalin and Zinoviev favouredthe dispatch of a telegram to the German Government informingit of readiness to resume the talks. It was at this sitting thatLenin first succeeded, after a bitter struggle, to secure a majorityin favour of concluding a peace: his proposal for an immediatemessage to the German Government offering to conclude peacewas adopted by 7 votes to 6. p. 522The wireless message to the Government of the German Reichwas sent to Berlin on the morning of February 19 on behalf of theCouncil of People’s Commissars. But the German Government’sreply, containing even harsher peace terms, was handed to theSoviet courier only on February 22 and was received in Petrogradon the morning of February 23; it demanded that the newpeace terms should be studied within 48 hours. The Germans,while delaying their own reply, continued their offensive, andin those few days covered a great deal of territory; they occupieda number of towns and came within striking distance of Petrograd.p. 525