Please inform Comrade Lenin in reply to his telegram, the harshness of which is incomprehensible to me. I see no reason why you are not authorizing a trip acknowledged by everyone as unquestionably necessary. On my personal behalf, I request that the decision be reversed. I think satisfying this request will do no harm to the work in Berlin and will greatly facilitate my future cooperation with you in Moscow as well. I value your personal authority too highly not to submit to your decision, but I assure you that you are mistaken and later you yourself will regret it if Ioffe's trip does not materialize. I will wait for your decision no later than half an hour from now, since it is time to board the train.

I add that in recent days Ioffe himself was also against the trip and I personally, along with the other comrades, am bringing him to Moscow almost by force. I await Lenin's decision.

If you so insist, the matter falls to your responsibility. We agree to Ioffe's trip.