Letter from V. I. Lenin to Sidney Hillman

Documents of foreign policy of the USSR. Volume 4. p. 419. Moscow. Gospolitizdat. 1960

October 13, 1921

Comrade Hillman!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help. Thanks to you, it was possible to quickly reach an agreement on the organization of aid to Soviet Russia by the American workers. It is especially important in this connection that the task of organizing this aid is now set also in relation to those workers who are not communists. All over the world, and especially in the most advanced capitalist countries, millions of workers at present do not share the views of the Communists, but nevertheless they are ready to help Soviet Russia, to help and feed the starving, at least some of them, and to help the cause of restoring the national economy of Ross. Social Fed. Owls. Republic. Such workers repeat words with complete conviction - and, more importantly, not only repeat words,

Soviet Russia is exerting all its strength to overcome hunger, ruin and devastation. The financial assistance of the workers of the whole world is infinitely important to us in this respect, along with moral and political assistance. America, naturally, is at the head of states whose workers can help us, are already helping us now, and will help—I am deeply convinced of this—on a much larger scale.

Dedicated, energetic advanced workers of America will go at the head of all workers from a number of industrial countries, bringing to Soviet Russia their technical knowledge, their determination to go to hardships for the sake of helping the workers' and peasants' republic to restore its economy. Of the peaceful means of struggle against the yoke of international finance capital, against international reaction, there is no other means that promises victory so quickly and so surely as help in the restoration of the national economy of Soviet Russia.

With the best regards to all the workers who provide this or that assistance to Soviet Russia.

V.Lenin

Print. according to the text of the Works of V. I. Lenin, ed. 4, vol. 35, pp. 448-449.

* Sydney Hillman - one of the reformist leaders of the US trade union movement; For a long time he headed the United Tailor Workers of America. During the period under review, Hillman, taking into account the mood of American workers, took part in the movement for rendering assistance to Soviet Russia.