Lenin CW-Vol. 23.pdf - From Marx to Mao

367FAREWELL LETTER TO THE SWISS WORKERS 159Comrades, Swiss workers,Leaving Switzerland for Russia, to continue revolutionary-internationalistactivity in our country, we, membersof the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party unitedunder the Central Committee (as distinct from anotherparty bearing the same name, but united under the OrganisingCommittee), wish to convey to you our fraternal greetingsand expression of our profound comradely gratitude foryour comradely treatment of the political émigrés.If the avowed social-patriots and opportunists, the SwissGrütlians who, like the social-patriots of all countries, havedeserted the camp of the proletariat for the camp of thebourgeoisie; if these people have openly called upon you tofight the harmful influence of foreigners upon the Swisslabour movement; if the disguised social-patriots and opportunistswho constitute a majority among the leaders ofthe Swiss Socialist Party 160 have been pursuing similartactics under cover, we consider it our duty to state that onthe part of the revolutionary, internationalist socialistworkers of Switzerland we have met with warm sympathy,and have greatly benefited from comradely relations withthem.We have always been particularly careful in dealing withquestions, acquaintance with which requires prolongedparticipation in the Swiss movement. But those of us—andthere were hardly more than 10 or 15—who have been membersof the Swiss Socialist Party have considered it our dutysteadfastly to maintain our point of view, the point of viewof the Zimmerwald Left, on general and fundamental questionsof the international socialist movement. We considered