PATTERN BEGINS TO EMERGE FROM COMMUNIST PARLEY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01065A000300060003-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 20, 2000
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: December 13, 1952
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2000/08/30 : CIA-RDP80-01065A000300060003-6
The most important singe re-
Pattern Beains to Emerffe
From Communist 1"---:ley
c?$'?01-
. By Paul Wohl
3 .)ccb W ri Mel& The Christian Science Monitor
Now that fairly complete in-
formation on the recent 19th
Congress of the Soviet Commu-
nist Party is available and the
first non-Communist eyewit-
nesses have returned from Mos-
cow, it is possible to appraise the
event and summarize its main
features as follows:
1. The party occupies a place
outside and above the people and
the state. Its congress met in the
hermetically sealed-off Kremlin
behind high walls and closed
doors. No outsider was admitted
nor did the delegates address
outside audiences as in the past.
The barrier between party and
people-WEIS complete. There was
not the slightest evidence of pop-
ular interest in the proceedings
despite an unending stream of
press and radio propaganda
which would have allowed pas-
sers-by to stop and listen to the
major speeches as they came.
pouring out of ,the loud-speakers.
2. The party has become a
self-perpetuating organization of
privileged executives. The men
who stepped out of the many
hundred well-kept and comfort-
able cars parked at the Kremlin
gates looked like prosperous, en-
ergetic businessmen, bankers, of-
ficers, and engineers. Only 14 of
the more than 1,200 delegates had
joined the party before the revo-
lution.
Stalin Uncontested
?
3. Prime Minister Joseph Sta-
lin's supremacy is uncontested.
Deputy Prime Minister and Party
Secretary Georgi Malenkov was
permitted to read the report of
the central committee, but
throughout the congress his re-
port was referred to without any
of the adorning epithets re-
served for the writings or state-
ments of "The Boss." Only play-
wright Alexander Korneichuk of
the Ukraine, politically a lame
duck, eulogized the report of the
man who was supposed to be the
Red Czarevich. It als,o is be-
lieved significant that Mr. Mal-
enkov was not chosen to speak
on the 35th anniversary of the
revolution. He remains one of
the top leaders under Stalin but
he still is only one of the major
cogs in the machine.
4. The party has emerged as a
superstate. State administration
and party now are almost sym-
metrically organized. But com-
parison of the party presidium
and of that of the Supreme Sov-
iet shows clearly which is on
top. The presidium of the party's
central committee is headed by
Stalin, that of the supreme soviet
by the colorless Nikolai Shernilc.
The party presidium has among
its members 11 out of .15 deputy
premiers; the Soviet presidium
suit of the congress is that the
party machine, far from dissolv-
ing into the :;',Eue administration,
has emerged as a superstate of
privileged executives under a
modern boss-tyrant-despot-high
priest all rolled in one, but with
a sufficiently broad institutional
base to carry on after he is gone.
This is an unprecedented two-
toy used to be conii-ec?ted With the I rule system under which the
People's Commissariat a Work- party-state, governed by its own
era' and Peasants' Inspection. His i hierarchy in accordance with its
appointment indicates that the I own bylaws, is superimposed
new committee with its broader upon the legal Soviet state ad-
jurisdiction will become for the
party what the "secret-political
administration" of the Ministry of
State Security is for the Soviet
state.
6. The new "supreme party 1.
organs" are merely a facade for
Stalin's persona k dictatorship.
While. the 12-man Politburo still
could be. considered a policy-
making institution, the new pre-
sidium which Is supposed to have
taken its place is much too large
for that purpose. Several of its
members are stationed more than
a thousand miles from Moscow.
The new secretariat, on the other
hand, cannot be a policy-making
body because most of its members
are of secondary importance. This
leaves Stalin free to choose his
advisers, as it suits him, irre-
spective of the "supreme party
organs." The future will show
whether the small nucleus of in-
dispensable advisers will be es-
tablished formally as the bureau
, of the presidium, as some stu-
dents of Soviet affairs believe, or
!whether it will be an ad hoc com-
mittee chosen by the chairman
from among the members of the
presidium as he sees fit, In any
- case, it will not be a firmly estab-
lished institution as the politburo,
ministration with its convention-
al constitution and its Supreme
Soviet or parliament rem,....meaing
the entire people.
Post-Stalin Provisions
7. Stalin has taken precau-
tions to. secure the continuity of
the party-state after his passing.
Instead of designating a succes-
sor, he has set up two new insti-
tution? Which include every lead-
ing personality of the U.S.S.R.:
the new central committee of 235
members (125 full members and
110 alternates without vote), and
the presidium. Although neither
is suited to govern, their weight
is much greater than that of the
Politburo or that of the former
central committee. It has become
so great, in fact, that it may act
as a counterpoise against the kind
of crude rivalry among two or
three top leaders which in the
case of Stalin's passing, might
assert itself in the Politburo. By
giving every major agency of
party and state a representation
on the central committee the
Prime Minister-Chairman-Gen-
eralissimo may hope to establish
a balance of power within the
party after his demist.
8. The men at the ton have
changed very little, if at all. With
the exception of A. A. Andreyev
who has been demoted to an or-
dinary member of the central
committee, all members of the
Politburo are included in the
Includes only one Deputy Pre- ? presidium. Alexei N. Kosygin's
mier. The 36-man party presi- ' appointment as an alternate
dium contains the top executives
and officials: that of the Supreme
Soviet mainly figureheads with-
out weight or real responsibility;
Only six of its 31 members also
belong to the party presidium:
all of them politically of second
or third rank. A ten-man sec-
retariat consisting of department
heads gives the party all the ear-
marks of a state administration.
Party Purge Looms
5. The party now also has its
own police and seems to be head-
ed for an extensive, although pos-
sibly undramatic purge. The
cleanup job has been entrusted
member is only a minor setback
because both members and alter-
nates attend meetings, and voting
under Stalin is a matter of form!
Missing Faces
The personnel of the old cen-
tral committee also has been
taken over. Almost all its sur-
viving members and alternates
belong to the new central com-
mittee. Notable exceptions are
Messrs. Manuilsky, Voznessen-
sky, and Lozovsky.
Dmitri Z. Manuilsky has been
in eclipse since 1949. It was un-
der his leadership in the Comin-
tern that the Tito, Slansky, Go-
to a reorganized party cpntrol
mulka, and other "traitors" be-
committee headed by Stalin's cane prominent. This now is be-
contemporary, Maivei F. Shkiry- lieved to be held against him.
atov,? one of the few remaining Salomon 'A. Lozovsky, an old
prerevolutionary genuine work- trade-union man, was last in evi-
er-Bolsheviks. Already before the
congress Mr. Shkiryatov had Idence as a Foreign Office spokes-
man during the war. His ciisap-
quietly taken the place of A. A.
Andreyev as chairman of the
nearance is said to have some-
former party control committee.
Plenipotentiary inspectors of the
new comm -eto be placed
in strategic positions throughout
the party machine. Mr. Shkirya-
- ? ? -
thing to do with his wartime as-
sociation with Jewish groups.
Nikolai A. Vgznesse.uaky's dis-
appearance as a full member of
the Politburo and head of Gos-
plan remains a mystery.
Approved For Release 2000/08/30 : CIA-RDP80-01065A000300060003-6
Approved For Release 2000/08/30 : CIA-RDP80-01065A000300060003-6
-r---BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN
Moscow Is a Ciroi Pilgrimage
For World Reds,- Stalin Idolized
As God by Nation of Atheists
Likeness of Dictator in All Public Places
Indicates Baseness of Nation's System,
Dwarfs Its People ? Propaganda Had
Invaded Field of Art.
Ry GERARD F1LION kso rba,L, '
Editor of Le . Devoir ? of Montreal '
4.? . ssi. I EciD7rft. 1952.
H1090111 l' F A sEntpi,,-4-4' 412' '
, . 'oinfMON.LnEAL..
14 ?1.?,p.C.OW is a city,- of '.pilgrimage.. The .city' e large hOliels, the
,Sp'Ylet, the Netional, the Metropole, the ?Savoy, where Intourifst
,- .puts up k foreignerii, eir,41,11ed to cakiteiti?ipt, all . Hines with
elegates from . ail.''patts i of-',:ifie worldssAnfelleettiale?,eeotentists,
;Men 'leaders, ? olfticians and-run-of-themialetigitators; otPasbnd oil
the, iteetimpliiliinenta? orlsiarxist
? 1", ;lens; i -
al)' ? ..- Yr e,',1
votion,41,Win comessbefore ar-
tistic concerns.. :',IT) ..
Stalin it man-made gall There
ii not a public places-whether :it
be railway station, hotel. lob ,
post office, theater, movie house
or underground station, which
does n'ot display the public veil,.
eration of Comrade . Stalin. .It
may be a bust, painting, statue pr
photograph; ? in bronze, marble,
plaster or papier machos; stand-
ing, sitting, in mufti or in uni-
form; at the age of 30, N or 70;
with Lenin, Maxim Gorky, etc.
A Mask of Baseness. .
I .have no objection to honor
bestowed by a country on its
great men, but such a display is
iii. bettor taste after death. I haye
no objection to Russian monu-
ments to Karl Marx, Friedrich
Engels or Nicolai Lenin, but this
toadyism to a Jiving man detracts
from Stalin's stature and dwads
the Russian people. Beyond :a
certain measure, veneration tor, a
living person IS not an indication
of respect, but a mark of base-
ness.
I shall not easily forgets '.a
mbsaic on the wall of an undfir-
ground station, which shows sa
Russian woman holding her child
at arma' length as ah offering to
the god Stalin in an inset per
-
frith. This scene is the full
measure ,of the degradation of. a
nation, which, as a result of its
official atheism, has invented ;a
god af flash and blood. Idolatry
face ? of thb earth..
On board the plane ,which
brought us back to Moscow a
conversation had been struck up
with tWo Russian geologists. One
of ohr group, a fanatical Algerian
Communist, questi ed them at
,
length on t e ninete th congress
mverge on Mo cow to julinire
vilization.
A strange phenomenon struck
e during my brief Stay. ,
The Communists for whom the
on Curtain is lifted return from
teir visit more Communistic than
,er. The non-Communists re-
am as anti-Communists.
A case in point was an Arab
ompanion on our trip. An AI-
Irian nationalist, a lawyer and a
an of culture, he had left for
eiping favorably disposed. He
turned deeply anti-Communist.
hose who were Communists be-
re the trip returned 'home. with
,newed faith. ?
I don't know What is. shown
rangers who spend several
eeks in Russia, but I do know
iat much is made of public
orks?projects either completed
? under way. The Don-Volga
mai, which allows navigation
ont the Black sea to the Cas-
:an sea, is high on the list of
iowpieces.
Museums Are Show Places.
Those who spend only a short
hile in Moscow are shown the
ty's best neighborhoods and
irticularly the museums.
The civic museum is typical.
he guide explains the city's evo-
ition through the ages. When
s gets to the Soviet era, his me-
wed speech becomes lyrical.
he tour ends with an expose of
iture Plans for the city.
Visitors are seated before a
age map and, for a good ? 2G)
mutes, the guide defteribes what
Le city will look JIM when it is
Impletely reeonsfrueted. The
wary and they are legion
nong visitors ? leave with the
mression tint all this is already
!complished,
The Stalin museum is worth
eing. It houses all the gifts
ist to Rtissia's dictator on his
ventieth birthday. The array
dudes the unlikeliest testimo-
els as well as the most touch-
ttalin's disciples go to the
.eatest lengths to ,send- offerings
mbolizing their faith in Com-
unism. Priceless works of art,
we been relegated to attic rooms
make way for theaesatelfirDe-
of the Communist party which
was closing that same day.
' "Will there be a great public
meeting to wind up the meet-
ing?" he asked naively.
Both men burst out latigliiri
saying' to themselves, "Where
does this fellow come from?" -..
"No. There will be no great'
public meeting," replied one df
them.
Xoinrade Stalin is a very dis-
tant and inaccessible comrade.
Cloistered in the Kremlin, he
appears only rarely in public aint
on very important occasions:
Comrade ... and Guns.
In our "capitalist dictatorships,r
the head of the government is i
man like anyone else. One mOti",
him on the street on his way
work, often on foot, who shakes
hands with people he meets. In
"popular democracies," the chief
of state is a comrade? but a com-
rade well protected by machine
guns.
Propaganda has gone far . bee
yond the publie Places; it 'ha,
penetrated into the, field of est: 1
ese1t) marionette 'glib% in Pra ' q
and Moscow. In both cases, 4'1
villain is a turit 6t/flg, Whil , .
drinking, skitt-ChagAg. eanithl
ilie? pockets,beIgni selth doligt ..
HappilyILl)eld,letri),1) bat. is t9
..0. sqs)
the Commtipssto a ;WS wittenitte
the end..
In Moscow I spent a robino'Al,'11
afternoon in a 'merionette theater
for ehildeert.'IThe' audience con-
sisted of'allinff 'VW Childi'enrtib ?r:i
aging 15 year e of age.' i e?13 ''d
not seem Iduiffnet the '
particularly tithigings Th
either too bored or fluntni ,e
at the sight of a poor child befit
splattered under the wheel's of 'a
capitalist's limousine to give vent
to their emotions.
During intermissions the fun
and horseplay was no different
from the games enjoyed by el=
dr4.101ro
en everywhere.
The movies have .
the sante
heavy propaganda brush. If s?
gangster is portrayed, lie invari-
ably is an American.
I ? doubt 'that people can be
dupes of such heavy-handed aird.
Inartistic trietho s. If they are;
propaganda ha. surely killeS f
every ounce o their artisti
. &,.
judgment.
Soviet Poet Jibes Wilcy
On YuletiLe Orlameitts
t.te'eti
ig/fArLty the A5sOdated ets ir
MOSCOW, Dec. 5.?Pravda
loosed a poetic blast at 'United
States Senator Wiley today, charg-
ing that the Wisconsin Republican
wants to keep Communist-made
Christmas ornaments out of the
United States to protect the mar-
ket for American yuletide items?
"everything down the line -from
children's bombs to children's
cannons."
The . verse comment on Senator
Wiley's remarks earlier this week
was made in the Communist
Party organ by Sergei Mikhalkov,
the Soviet Union's leading versi-
fier for Children. .
Senator ? Wiley, who is slated to
be 'chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee in the com-
ing Republican Congress, said in
his weekly ?newsletter to Wiscon-
sin constittients that the Iron
Curtain countries are flooding the
United States with Red-made
Christmas t.re4 ornaments. He
termed it one the Communists'
"most diabolic ) conspiracies" to
get dollar exchange i'' piclersell-
ing American proilimer with dec-
orations subsidized by f !)r, Soviet
government.
Approved For Release 2000/08/30 : CIA-RDP80-01065A000300060003-6