SOVIET UNION EASTERN EUROPE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00865A000300240001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 2006
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: February 11, 1975
• Content Type: NOTES

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Top Secret
~~QC~~ a04[~
Soviet Union
Eastern Europe
State Department review completed
On file Department of Agriculture
release instructions apply.
Top Secret
~,
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Februar 11 1975
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CONTENTS
February 11, 1975
Ilichev to Return to Peking. . 1
Moscow Announces Plans for the
30th Anniversary of World War II 3
Pravda Has Kind Words
for Armenian Efforts 5
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Tlichev to Return. 'to Peking
According to the Agence France Presse, the
chief Soviet negotiator at the Sino-Soviet border
talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Leonid 2lichev, will
return to Peking on February 12. The negotiations
have been suspended since last-August when Tlichev
left. Tn mid-November Ambassador Stoessel was told
that Ilichev would be going to Peking at some time
in the future to show Soviet good faith.
Tlichev returns to Peking after a period during
which both China and the USSR have forcibly restated
their positions on the issues that. have stalled ne-
gotiations since their inception in 1969. Recent
Chinese statements, including Premier Chou En-tai's
major speech last month, have insisted upon condi-
tions Moscow has consistently found unacceptable.
It is unlikely, under these circumstances, that any
movement will appear on either side if, indeed, an-
other round of border talks begins.
Ilichev's reported arrival comes two days before
the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of
Friendship, This treaty has been ignored by both
sides in public in recent years, but the Soviets may
intend to mark this anniversary with publicity pro-
claiming their desire to improve Sino-Soviet rela-
tions. They could point to Ilichev's presencee i~
Peking as evidence of their aood intentions.
February 11, 1975
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Moscow Announces Plans for
the 30th Anniversary of World War II
The Soviets are preparing to make the 30th an-
niversary of victory in Europe a major domestic prop-
aganda event and are trying to generate extensive in-
ternational participation as well. A CPSU Central
Committee announcement on February 9 outlines plans
for the celebration. Nationwide activities are con-
centrated in a five-day period ending May 9, with
party, government, and mass organizations being called
upon to organize and carry out activities at all levels
of society in celebration of the victory. Highlights
are to be a joint armed forces - workers meeting in
the Kremlin palace of congresses on February 8, and an
'?a11 people's" holiday on the 9th. A military parade
may be held on the final day of the festivities.
The main themes of the celebration will be the
leading role the CPSU played in the war, the unity of
party and people, the pre-eminent contribution of the
Soviet armed forces to the defeat of Germany and Japan,
and the military might of the Soviet state. World War
II will be portrayed, as usual, as a conflict between
imperialism-and socialism. Other themes will be the
importance of national. resistance movements in occupied
territory, the need for improved ideological work in
the armed forces (the subject of an ongoing campaign)
and military preparedness.
While the lengthy announcement is basically an
"anti-imperialist" diatribe, the contribution of the
"anti-Hitler coalition" to the war effort and present-
day detente both received brief but positive treatment.
The allied effort during the war is cited as an example
of the possibility of cooperation between states with
differing social systems. Detente, which the announce-
ment alleges had its genesis in the peace proposals of
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the 24th party congress, is described as a positive
step, but the document cautions that the forces of
reaction and aggression are still active and that
continued vigilance is mandatory.
The Soviets have attempted to enlist governments
of the other allied powers in large-scale joint cere-
monies commemorating the victory, but sc far have not
made much headway. Some minor activities, on the
scale of previous annual celebrations, are planned in
various West European countries--excluding- Germany.
There is little indication so far as to how the
Soviets will handle the touchy role of Stalin during
the war. He was not mentioned in the Central Committee
document, and the emphasis placed on the party--rather
than on any individual--suggests that Stalin's contri-
bution will be treated circumspectly. Gne new Soviet
movie depicts St~.lin as confused and indecisive after
the Nazi invasion, but as developing into a strong
leader as the war progressed. Such attempts at real-
ism may become standard in handling this problem.
Brezhnev"s position is also being treated some-
what ambiguously. He is mentioned only once--in pro
forma fashion--in the Central Committee announcement.
His wartime role has received some favorable press pub-
licity recently, although his name was cor_spicuously
omitted from at least one Pravda account of the activi-
ties of his unit during the conflict. They above omis-
sion may indicate possible uncertainty about the future
of Brezhnev's role in the collective when he resumes
his duties.
Febr-uary 11, :1975
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Pravda Has Kind Words
or Armenian Efforts
Pravda reported on February 4 that a recent
plenum of the Armenian party Central Committee had
pointed out major shortcomings in economic and cul-
tural programs in the republic, as well as omissions
in ideological and educational work there. Pravda
also said that the plenum participants had expressed
"profound gratitude" to the CPSU Central Committee
for its "constant great concern" for the develop-
ment of the republic's economy and culture. The
report ended with a prediction that communists and
all working people in Armenia "would not stint their
strength and energy" in their struggle to fulfill
the targets for 19x5 and for the five-year plan as
a whole.
This is the most positive assessment of the
situation in Armenia to appear in Pravda since K. S.
Demirchyan replaced A. Ye. Kochinyan as republic
party boss there last November. It may be another
sign that the authorities in Moscow are confident
that Demirchyan is well on his way toward putting
Armenia's house in order. Republic premier A. G.
Arzumanyan had given a similar hint in a KomosomoZ-
skaya Pravda article on January 7. Responding to
the annual CPSU Central Committee appeal for ful-
fillment of the economic plans, Arzumanyan empha-
sized the steps being taken in the republic to put
an end to the shortcomings that had been exposed at
the November plenum there, when Demirchyan replaced
Kochinyan.
A somewhat negative note was struck, however,
by the Komsomol Central Committee Bureau resolution,
published in KomsomoZskaya Pravda on February 5, on
the work of Armenian Komsomol units in preparing for
the exchange of Komsomol documents scheduled to begin
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next month. Although the resolution contains some
praise for the Armenian Komsomol, the shortcomings
that are mentioned reflect unfavorably upon the
republic party organization's supervision of the
local Komsomol units. These shortcomings are hardly
unique to the Armenian organization, but it may have
been singled out for public criticism to keep the
pressure on Demirchyan to continue with his house-
cleaning.
February 11, 1975
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Podgorny Trip A.gairi P~ost~ioned
Soviet President Podgorny's visit t.o Tanzania
has apparently again been bost~soned.
Podgorny reportedly was scheduled to go to
Tanzania last December, but that visit was canceled
at the last minute. No ex lanation was iyen for
either ost onem
February 11, 1975
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CHRONOLOGY
February 4 Tass denies report that the i7SSR
requested use of Portu uese ports
for its fishing boats.
Foreign Minister Gromyko ar~d Egyptian
President Sadat meet for four hours
in Cairo.
Three of the USSR s leadinc; ;;pace
officials visit Cape Canaveral, the
first official Soviet tour of that
facility.
an overnight visit.
Romanian chief of staff Conaan concludes
a visit to Sudan and flies. to Italy for
to India.
Politburo candidate-member R~~shidov
returns to the USSR after a ~Tisit
US Export-Import Bank announc=es that
a credit of a little more than $1.3
million has been extended to Poland.
:February 5 Pravda prints an authoritati~re
"I. Aleksandrov" critique of the
new Chinese constitution.
from late February to early April.
will postpone his visit to ttie US5R
French Socialist leader Mitterrand
announces that, at Soviet request, he
:February 11, 1975
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Radio and television officials of the
USSR and seven other CEMA member-states
complete a two~day meeting in Moscow,
three-day visit to Egypt.
Foreign Minister Gromyko concludes a
February 6 U5SR formally protests to the three
Western powers the establishment of
the EC's vocational center in West
Berlin.
officials.
Soviet dissident artist Rabin tells
the US that plans for another exhibit
by Moscow's abstract artists have been
approved "in principle" by municipal
on possible exchanges of art.
the USSR will bu the same amount of
corn.
Politburo candidate-member Demichev
confers with Armand Hammer of the U5
U5 Department of Agriculture confirms
that the USSR has canceled orders for
200,000 metric tons of US wheat: Soviet
officials in Moscow say, however, that
Committee in Tashkent.
Politburo candidate-member Rashidov
addresses a plenum of the Uzbek Central
February 7 Representatives of CEMA and the EC
conclude three days of apparently
unproductive talks in Moscow.
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Politburo member Kirilenko heads the
list of Soviet officials meeting with
exiled Chilean Socialists in Moscow.
Romanian President Ceausescu addresses
the final session of a three-day agri-
cludes a three-day visit to China.
Romanian Deputy Premier Radulescu con-
a three-day visit to East Germany.
UN Secretary General Waldheim commences
Council of Ministers convenes in Moscow
to discuss "the results of the fulfill-
ment of the state plan for the develop-
ment of the national econom of the
USSR for 1974."
New Zealand Prime Minister Row ling
leaves on an extended trip that will
include visits to Romania and Yugoslavia.
February 8 Soviet cosmonauts slated for the joint
venture into space in Jul arrive at
Cape Canaveral.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionita con-
cludes a three-day visit to Yugoslavia.
Polish Foreign Minister Olszowski con-
cludes a three-day visit to Huncrarv _
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Hungary and Jamaica establish dip-
Pravda announces the completion. of
a two-year exchan e o~ art cards far
CPSU members.
February 9 The two Soyuz-17 cosmonauts return to
earth in the Kazakh SSR after a 30-day
mission aboard Salyut-4.
February 10 US and USSR resume in Moscow their
talks on handling peaceful nuclear
explosion devices in a threshold test
ban treaty.
Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs
official registers oral complaints
to the US over Radio Liberty broad-
casts and an article on Solzhenitsyn
in "Dialogue"--an English language
publication distributed in Moscow by
the US embassy.
February 11 Romanian President Ceausescu addresses
a meeting of his ambassadors and trade
officials in Bucharest.
February 13 UK Prime Minister Wilson and Foreign
Secretary Callaghan to be in a five-
day visit to the USSR.
February Secretary of State Kissinger and
16-17 Foreign Minister Gromyko to meet in
Geneva.
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February 17 Ministerial-level Egyptian economic
delegation to visit the USSR.
February 18 Yugoslav Central Committee. to convene
for a plenum session.
February 22 Defense Minister
or 23 visit to India.
February 24 US and USSR to resume in Washington
their talks on an agreement to curb
efforts to modify the environment to
gain military advant-ages.
:February 26
early March
French Foreign Minister Sauvagnargues
to be in a three-day visit to Poland.
to visit the USSR.
French parliamentary delegation led by
former foreign minister Couve de Murville
March 4 26-nation Geneva disarmament conference,
co-chaired b the US and the USSR, to
convene.
March 11 Romanian chief of staff Coman to
begin a nine-day visit to the US, the
first by such a high-ranking officer
of a Warsaw Pact member-state.
March 16 Swedish Prime Minister Palme to
commence a three-day visit to Yugosla~Tia.
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March 17 Hungarian Communist Party Congress to
open.
March ~~
Yugoslav Premier Bijedic ex acted to
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state visit to Yugoslavia?
early April Romanian President Ceausescu to make
a state visit to Jordan, the first visit
there by the chief of state of a Com-
munist bloc nation.
Februaxy 11, 1975
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Top Secret
Top Secret
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