--- Title: Marx to Wilhelm Liebknecht, [London,] 21 November 1865 Description: Marx explains his silence, urges Liebknecht to bring German societies into the International before the Geneva Congress, and tells him of Lothar Bucher's offer to write for the Prussian official gazette. Author: Karl Marx Date: 1865-11-21 URL: https://marxismo.school/archivo/marx-engels/cartas/originales/1865-11-21%20Marx%20to%20Wilhelm%20Liebknecht --- *Letter from Karl Marx («A. Williams») to Wilhelm Liebknecht («Miller») in Berlin, [London,] 21 November 1865, with one sentence in German. Manuscript kept at the IISG, Amsterdam (Karl Marx / Friedrich Engels Papers, inv. C 497-521, images 16-17), transcribed from the digital facsimile by the Escuela de marxismo, 2026 (double reading and collation with the image). Diplomatic transcription: spelling and punctuation of the manuscript; underlinings in italics; deletions as ~~text~~; [?] after an uncertain reading, [ilegible] for what cannot be read. [Traducción al español](https://marxismo.school/archivo/marx-engels/cartas/1865-11-21%20Marx%20a%20Wilhelm%20Liebknecht)* 21 Nov. 1865. My dear Miller. Since the conference held at this place I fell again very sick. Afterwards, I had to leave London for family affairs. Hence my protracted silence. As to your report, I could *not* lay it before the conference, because I was too personally introduced in it. As to your Berlin speech, there were some very disagreeable blunders in it which could only emanate from yourself, because they alluded to facts only known to you[^1], but half forgotten and wrongly reproduced by you. But this is a thing of the past. I have received the Berlin letter, and I shall answer to ~~you[?]~~ it[^2]. I have at present neither the *time* nor the means to go to Berlin. Even if I could, you know very well that all and every sort of agitation would be out of the question. The Prussian government has not in vain ~~[ilegible]~~ declared that the amnisty, as far as I was concerned, still excluded me from Prussia, and only ~~[ilegible]~~ gave me leave to travel as a Foreigner through the Bismarckian world. The „*Workman's Advocate*" I shall send you one of these days some numbers of. You can write to it on *every* subject you please (social or political. Till now it is a paper of good will, but very mediocre still. Of course, myself had and have not yet the time to contribute to it, although I am one of its Directors. (By my continual relapses into damned ~~[ilegible]~~ ill health I was, forced to interrupt the finishing of my book and must now apply to it all my time, part of which is, withall that, absorbed by the Intern. Assoc.) Engels has promised to contribute, but not yet done so. And the same is the case with other people. The Conference has resolved that a *Public Congress* is to take place on the end of May, at Geneva. A programme of questions to be there[^3] debated, has been resolved upon. But nobody can assist who does not belong to a society connected with us, and being sent as a delegate of such society. I now call upon you *very seriously* [I shall do the same at Ma[ilegible] through Stumpf, and shall write to the Berliners on it] to enter the Association with some men, few or many, we do not care. I shall send you *cards* which I have prepaid, so that you can *give them away*. But now mark! Every *society* (whatever its number) can embody itself by paying 5 sh. in the block[^4] The *cards*, on the contrary, which cost each 1 sh., give the right of *individual* membership, which is important for all workingmen going to foreign countries. But treat this money matter as[^5] quite secondary. The principal thing is to get up members, individual or societies, in Germany. On the congress, *Solingen* was the only place represented. ~~from[?] it[?]~~ (they had given power of delegation to our old friend Becker, whom you are very mistaken in if you consider him as a tool of Megära Hatzfeldt.) The programme (of questions to be laid before Congress)[^6] I shall send you in my next letter. All the Paris liberal and republican papers have made great fuss about our Association. ~~[ilegible]~~ *Henri Martin*, the well known historian, had a most enthusiastic leader about it in the *Siècle*! I have heard nothing of *Quenstedt*. A thing which will rather surprise you, is this: Shortly before the arrival of the workingmen's letter from Berlin, I received from that very same place — „centre et foyer des lumières" of course — a letter on the part of — *Lothar Bucher*, inviting me to become the London money article writer of the „*Preussische Staats-* *anzeiger*", and giving me to understand that everybody. der noch bei Lebzeiten im Staat wirken will „sich um die Regierung ralliiren" muss. I have answered him by a few lines which he is not likely to exhibit. Of course, you must not *publish* in the papers this affair, but you can communicate it, under the seal of discretion, to your friends. Freiligrath's London shop — viz. the London branch of the Bank of Switzerland — will be shut up; never to be opened again, before 1866. Give my best compliments to Madame and Alice. Yours truly A. Williams. Some curious letters, written long time since during his stay at London, by Bernhard Becker to Dr Rode, have ~~been[?]~~ fallen into my hands. [^1]: “to you”: added above the line. [^2]: “it”: added above the line. [^3]: “there”: added above the line. [^4]: “in the block”: added above the line. [^5]: “as”: added above the line. [^6]: “(of questions to be laid before Congress)”: added above the line.