"My Dear—The day of my departure comes near...."

This letter is undated but it is numbered "1". It was written after Russell's return from Russia on 30 June 1920. The date used here comes from a transcription.

It is printed in the Autobiography as part of a chapter, rather than at the end of a chapter, which was the usual practice, and appears as number 1. There are four letters in all printed in the Autobiography's Russia chapter. Before them Russell wrote: "After I returned to England I endeavoured to express my changing moods, before starting and while in Russia, in the shape of antedated letters to Colette...."

There are four transcriptions:

(ribbon copy), document .200648, record 19653, date of 24 April 1920 added in Colette's hand (carbon copy);
document .052462, record 99948, date of April 1920 added in BR's hand;
document .052454, record 99930, date of 24 April is typed;
Autobiography chapter "Russia", document .007050f2, pp. 148-9, record 116388, date of April 1920 is typed.

Note that the published version uses the more specific date of 24 April.