The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-13
By George Chicherin

al repetition of the words Of Lord
Curzon when we met in Lausanne.
When / asked him what possibilities
he saw of improving our relations, he
replied that no better relations were
possible, so long as we did not cease
our propaganda l then asked him:
What is propaganda? We have
government which has an official ap-
paratus and employees at its disposal
The government and its whole appar-
atus pledges not to carry on any prop
uganda. The government, however,
cannot accept responsibility for what
any private citizen may say. II q
private citizen infringes the laws or
the treaties, then he will be made re-
sponsible. We cannot however COM
pei the Communist Party to cease to
be a Communist Party We cannot
compel the members OF the Commun-
list Party to refrain from acting as
Communists"
And Curzon replied to me:
II it means that it is here a ques-
ton, not Of a 100 per cent, but Of a 50
per cent propaganda being conducted
then the government Of his majesty
cannot negotiate in this respect.
The same idea is to be seen in the
declaration Of Chamberlain: Cease
conducting propaganda"
WHAT is propaganda We stand
/ W before the main question Of our
foreign political relations. Our gev--
eminent is prepared to accept, and 40
cepts all the obligations bound up
with international relations. Hakhe
English government proves thatW
are misusing our diplomatic connec-
tions, then we are prepared to agree
to everything demanded Of US In this
respect.
If, however, we are told that all
propaganda must cease in the Soviet
Unions, this is tantamount to demand
ing that the Communist Party shall
cease to be Communist Party. Here
it is a question of whether we shall
continue to exist or not It concerns
the main question Of our relations
with the capitalist world by which
we are surrounded.
II Chamberlain says to us: "All
propaganda must cease, the Commun-
list Party shall cease to be a Commun-
list Party" then we must answer:
''Faites lie, citoyen Chamberlain" do
it, Citizen Chamberlain"
VOU have already attempted it. but
L you did not succeed. What do
you really want? War? You do not
want war. You cannot want war A
fresh Intervention? You have already
tried that. What then do you want?
You must understand that between
England and ourselves, between the
capitalist states and our state. mo-
dus vivendi must be created But in
order to create a modus vivendi, the
English government must adopt its
former standpoint, that is TO say, reg
ulate the relations from government
to government. The English govern
ment must abandon its present stand
point which consists In demanding
that the Communist Party shall cease
to be Communist Party. Everything
that is possible with regard to the
governments policy. with regard to
agreements, obligations of the govern
ment as regards the official apparatus,
our government is prepared to under
take and will undertake.
On this basis concrete demands can
be discussed and definite agreements
arrived at. We may mention that
when, in 1921. we concluded tenn
porary treaty with England, which to-
day is the only valid treaty between
us and England, we proposed to
England that 1t shourd not limit her
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