us" at the same time, as he is engaged in this sort of intrigue,
associated with one Furstenberg in shipping drugs into Russia and food from
Russia into Germany.[86] According to Grumbach,[87] he sought to induce
prominent Norwegian Socialists to act as intermediaries to inform certain
Norwegian syndicates that Germany would grant them a monopoly of coal
consignments if the Norwegian Social Democratic press would adopt a more
friendly attitude toward Germany and the Social Democratic members in the
Norwegian parliament would urge the stoppage or the limitation of fish
exports to England.

During this period "Parvus" was bitterly denounced by Plechanov, by
Alexinsky and other Russian Socialists as an agent of the Central Powers.
He was denounced also by Lenine and Trotzky and by _Pravda_. Lenine
described him as "the vilest of bandits and betrayers." It was therefore
somewhat astonishing for those familiar with these facts to read the
following communication, which appeared in the German Socialist press on
November 30, 1917, and, later, in the British Socialist organ, _Justice_:

STOCKHOLM, November 20.--The Foreign Relations Committee
of the Bolsheviki makes the following communication: "The German
comrade, 'Parvus,' has brought to the Bolshevik Committee at
Stockholm the congratulations of the _Parteivorstand_ of the
Majority Social Democrats, who declare their solidarity with the
struggles of the Russian proletariat and with its request to begin
pourparlers immediately on the basis of a democratic peace without
annexations and indemnities. The Foreign Relations Committee of
the Bolsheviki has transmitted these declarations to the Central
Committee at Petrograd, as well as to the Soviets."

When Hugo Hasse questioned Philipp Scheidemann about the negotiations which
were going on through "Parvus," Scheidemann replied that it was the
Bolsheviki themselves who had invited "Parvus" to come to Stockholm for the
purpose of opening up negotiations. This statement was denounced as a lie
by Karl Radek in _Pravda_. Some day, doubtless, the truth will be known;
for the present it is enough to note the fact that as early as November the
Bolsheviki were negotiating through such a discredited agent of the Central
Powers as Dr. Alexander Helfandt, otherwise "Parvus," the well-known
Marxist! Such facts as this, added to those previously noticed, tended
inevitably to strengthen the conviction th