Page:Grigory Zinoviev - Report of the Executive Committee of the Communist International (1921).pdf/85

 there are still serious misconceptions, and a great lack of clarity, concerning these decisive questions. If this is not the case, then I can only congratulate the Yugo-Slavian Party, which I have always looked upon as one of the oldest proletarian parties, and which I hope will continue to fight in the foremost ranks of the International.

I cannot refrain from saying a few words concerning one point in Comrade Zetkin's speech, namely—the question of our representatives abroad. She was of the opinion that we have not always been lucky in our choice of them, or, indeed, that we have always been unlucky. It was she who coined the expression: "irresponsible representatives."

Comrades, since the friends whom we sent abroad to the different parties have been abused and decried—designated by Levi as "Turkestaneese"; by Serati as "grey cardinals"; Turati also paid them a few compliments,—I consider it my duty to explain in the name of the Executive that, naturally, we have no infallible representatives at our disposal, just as we, poor sinners, are not quite infallible ourselves. We, as well as our representatives, have all been guilty of blunders and mistakes. But there is no ground to speak of irresponsible representatives, or to use a parliamentary expression, I mean—one ought not to do so. The comrades whom we had sent to the different countries, did all that they could for the Party: they risked all kinds of dangers, and they naturally have acted only according to their conscience as revolutionists. We did not receive a single official protest from any party or group or individual, not even from Comrade Zetkin herself. It is easy to come after the defeat and say: You have acted in an irresponsible way. It is easy to play wiseacres after the event. Naturally the Executive bears the responsibility for the representatives that it sends abroad. It is responsible for them just like the International is responsible for the Executive. We ask all parties