Leon
Trotsky: Letter to Walter Held
January
9, 1939
[Writing
of Leon Trotsky, Vol. 14, New York 1979, p 821 f., “What the Youth
Do to Our Principles”]
Dear
Comrade Held:
I
now reply briefly to your letter of December 19. Simultaneously I am
writing to the comrades in the States about your case. I hope that
they will do everything they can.
Here
the situation in connection with the visas becomes more and more
difficult. I was able to obtain visas for Otto [Schuessler] and Julik
only as my personal collaborators who will live in my house and for
whom I am responsible in every respect. Our attempts to procure visas
for the Czechoslovakian comrades, beginning with Solze, are not very
hopeful.
The
door is too small and the pressure from all parts of Europe is too
great.
I
cannot agree with you on the youth question. To dissolve the youth
into the adult organization signifies the repulse and loss of the
youth. That the youth “dilutes” our principles (or more often
transforms them into sharp quintessence) is the most important reason
for the necessity for a youth organization and not against it. It is
the only non-bureaucratic conception of the question.
Also,
I can’t follow you on the question of the March 1921 crisis in
Germany. Our position on this question was absolutely clear and
uncompromising; but we did not forget that we had not only to do with
principles and ideas, but with a living, mass organization which
needs time for a transition from one attitude to another. Paul Levi
was a qualified “Literat” and no more. That in his writings you
can find some happy formulations which you can interpret now as
prophetic, cannot change my appreciation of his personality and his
role one iota. I am a bit afraid that you are considering the
question too much‘ from a literary point of view and not enough
from a political one.
I
hope by the time this letter reaches you that you will have become a
father and so have left the “youth” officially. Natalia and I
warmly embrace Synnove and yourself.
With
best comradely greetings.
Yours,
Leon
Trotsky
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