Leon Trotsky: Letter to Valentin Olberg

March 24, 1930

[Writing of Leon Trotsky, Vol. 2, 1930, New York 1975, p. 212 f., title: “Six Letters to Olberg”]

Comrade Olberg

Dear Comrade,

Attached to this I am sending you a copy of my open letter to the members of the Soviet Communist Party. The letter was more or less timed to coincide with the forthcoming Sixteenth Congress (if Stalin convenes it at all).

In this letter I tried to answer in a condensed form the most critical questions in the life of the Communist Party and the Comintern. I am extremely interested in getting this letter to the Soviet republic and also to the neighboring countries — Latvia, Estonia, and so forth — as soon as possible. At the same time as I send this I am sending one copy each to Grylewicz and Mueller. One copy will be enough for the translation into German. Two other copies should be immediately sent on with the request that they be duplicated and distributed.

If you have addresses to which several copies can be sent, copies of the letter could be made in Berlin. I would, of course, cover the necessary expenses.

It is most important not to lose any time, but to act quickly and try by every available means to hasten the letter's passage to the USSR.

Do you have my Permanent Revolution in Russian? It came out about two weeks ago. If you do not, you may obtain it through the kind assistance of A. I. Pfemfert by showing her this letter from me.

I shake your hand and wish you the best.