The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-08-08
J rotsky Trour1ces Eastman

! q W. u
was settled unanimously at the same
sitting, and all the members Of the
Politibureau and the Orgbureau pres
emit signed an address to the party's
saying, inter ALA: With
out entering, in this parely informa-
tive letter, into a discussion Of pos
sible historical dangers, of which the
question has been rightly raised by
COmrade Lenin in his article, the
members of the Orgbureau and the
Politibureau deem it necessary, with
a view to avoiding possible misunder-
standings, to declare with complete
unanimity that there are in the in
ternal work of the Central Committee
absolutely no data which could in any
way suggest the danger of a split"
This document, not only has, with
ten others, my signature, but its very
text was written by myself on Janu-
airy q, 1923.
AS this letter, expressing the unanl-
nous attitude Of the Central Com
mittee towards Lenin's proposal about
the Workers and Peasants Inspec-
ton, also has at bottom the signature
of Comrade Kuibyshev, another men
dacious statement of Eastman's is ipso
facto refuted, viz, that at the head of
the Inspection was placed Comrade
Kuibyshev as an opponent of Lenin's
scheme of organization.
Another Falsehood.
EQUALLY false and based obviously
~ upon fantastical rumors is the
statement by Eastman that the Cen
trial Committee had eonhscated or kept
back In one way, or another my
pamphlets or articles in 1928 or in
1924 or at any other time.
1t is equally false to assert as East
man does that Lenin offered me the
post of President Of the Councils
Commissars and the Council of Labor
and Defence.
| learn this piece Of news for the
first time from Eastman's pamphlet.
ONE could not doubt, when atten-
~ lively reading the pamphlet, point
out number of other mistaken state
ments or preversions and distortions.
One hardly, however, needs doing this.
When making use of Eastman's Gin
formation" and quoting his statements,
the capitalist and, more particularly,
the menshevist press have invariably
underlined his near relations to me as
the author Of my biography, his al
legged friendship" with me-thus try
ing in an indirect way.to lend his ar
guments weight which in themselves
they have not and cannot have. l am,
therefore, obligd to speak also on this
subject.
Trotsky's Relations with Eastman.
DERHAPS the nature Of my real re-
! lations with Eastman will best be
seen from a business letter which
wrote at the time when there was as
yet no thought about his book "Since
Lenin Died"
At the time Of my stay at Sukhum,
| received from one Of my other COM
rades in Moscow, who had to do with
the publication Of my books, a manu-
script by Eastman under the title,
Leo Trotsky: A Portrait of His
Youth"
The accompanying letter from my
comrade informed me that the manu-
script which had been sent by the
author to our State Publishing House,
for publication in the Russian lam
guage. was making a strange and, to
us, unfamiliar impression by its SEN
timental tone.
Ireplied to this letter by one dated
April 3. 1925: Even without reading
Eastman's manuscript entirely agree
with you that 1t would be mistake
to publish 1t. Tho you have kindly
sent the manuscript to me, | have
neither appetite nor desire to read it.