International Workingmen’s Association 1865

Notes Concerning the Conflict in the Paris Section [255]


Source: MECW, Volume 20, p. 329;
Written: by Karl Marx on about March 4, 1865;
First published: in Russian, in Generalny Sovet Pervogo Internatsionala. 1864-1866, 1961


21 Febr. (Tuesday). Central Council resolves to send Le Lubez over there. Leaves.

Wednesday. 22 Febr. (Evening.) Lubez leaves.

Paris. 23 Febr. Invitation to a meeting with Lefort at Fribourg’s, etc. (See Letter of Fribourg.) Lefort’s reply in Schily’s letter (p. 2).

24 Febr.[233] Evening. Meeting Fribourg, etc.

25 Febr. Morning. Lefort and Lubez visit Schily.

Leaving Lefort in the vicinity for the time being, Schily then goes to Fribourg’s, Where they found different friends, amongst others a friend of Leforts. All were decidedly against his intrusion. Schily — then went away to fetch him, and did not conceal from him that he considered his claim such as formulated by him untenable (p. 2). Lefort was deceived on this occasion (l.c.). [234] Steps taken to meet Lefort halfway (2, 3).

25 (!) Febr. Evening. meeting Le Lubez absent; went to Lefort’s soirée (3, 4).

Description of this meeting of 25 Febr. (pp. 4, 5, 6).


Notes from MECW

233 Marx made a slip of the pen here: — February 24” instead of “February 23”. Hence the events of February 24, in particular the Council’s evening meeting, were erroneously attributed to February 25. An exclamation mark suggests that Marx himself was puzzled by this date.

234 It is evident from Schily’s letter to Marx that in the morning of February 24 Lefort expressed his apprehension that the Paris Administration might be “deceived by Bonapartists”. A guarantee against this, he believed, was his appointment as “literary defender” of the International Working Men’s Association in Paris.