Sunday, June 24, 2007

help wanted

I keep coming across this prophetic-sounding quote on the internet, sometimes in rather kooky places. I would love to have a proper source for it. Does anyone reading this have access to a good library of Russian political texts?

"War ...is inevitable. Today, of course, we are not strong enough to attack. Our time will come in 20 to 30 years. To win, we shall need the element of surprise. The bourgeoisie will have to be put to sleep. So we shall begin by launching the most spectacular peace movement on record. There will be electrifying overtures and unheard-of concessions. The capitalist countries , stupid and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate in their own destruction. They will leap at another chance to be friends. As soon as their guard is down, we shall smash them with our clenched fist." Dmitri Manuilski , Lenin School of Political Warfare

Many thanks

3 comments:

Russophile said...

Very kooky places indeed!

That quote will be difficult to verify. Plus, even if it is true, it seems to come from the 1930's which would never validate any current master plan for world domination espoused by someone like Golitsyn, which is where it commonly appears.

The Soviets had trouble with making a decent five year plan. Forget a 90 year plan.

I did find one page on the web that mentioned that Morris Kominsky's book The Hoaxers might cover the quote, but I have no verification that it does.

Sean Hanley said...

Edward

The SSEES Library in Taviton has three works by this author all dating from 1932-5 (See UCL Library catalogue online for details).

dmitriy said...

Similar text in Russian may be found here:
http://evartist.narod.ru/text11/30.htm

«Война между капитализмом и коммунизмом неизбежна. Пока нам не хватает сил для решительного наступления, но наш час пробьет через 20–30 лет. Для победы нужен фактор внезапности, поэтому следует усыпить бдительность буржуазии. Мы должны развернуть небывалую кампанию борьбы за мир во всем мире, а как только наши враги расслабятся, нанесем по ним мощный удар».

But it is a translation of anticommunist leaflet published in Panama. So it doesn't clarify anything.

International peace movement and USSR is very intresting topic. World Peace Council, World Federation of Democratic Youth, Women's International Democratic Federation Collection ...