At the opening of the congress Lenin delivered an energetic speech, which condemned goals of the Allience, which, as Kerensky showed, was borrowed word for word from the last German radio programm.
Epics always follow after the events they glorify. At present, we are in the midst of great events; consequently, now is the time for drama, and this is likely to go on for some time. It is quite clear, however, that the events taking place today will provide epics for several generations to come.
After tea Kerensky suddenly came by car from the city. He stayed with me for a while. He asked me to send to the investigating committee some papers and letters having relations to internal policies. After my walk and until lunch I helped Korovichenko in an analysis of those papers. During the day he was helped by Kobylinsky. We sawed up the tree trunks in the first place we cut. See more
I have been elected to the Congress of Soviets. I may become a member of the Praesidium. I have a great deal of work, an overwhelming amount in the next few days.. Of course, I am glad of this. We do not have a chance in the Congress. See more
Ilyich addresses the First All-Russia Congress of the Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies. In the hall, full of people, the Bolsheviks were sitting in the back, in a small group. Only the Bolsheviks applauded during Ilyich’s speech, but it was apparent that it created a strong impression. Someone said afterwards that Kerensky, after this address, was unconscious for three hours. I don’t know how close this was to the truth.
At the congress I bumped into Lenin for the first and only time. He showed up surrounded by his general staff in its entirety, including Kamenev, Zinoviev, Lunacharsky, and of course, Trotsky, who, even though he was not yet eager to join the Bolsheviks, did not consider it disgraceful to associate with them openly. See more