Evening star., 1946-09-15
All Is Not Harmony
In the Soviet Union
Numerous Signs Indicate Head.
aches for Communist Leaders
By William II. Harrison.

By William H. Harrison.
Perhaps some persons abroad still
| dream that it would be good thing II
some other party, not the Communist
| party, were to assume the leadership of
our country. To these persons one could
reply with a simple proverb: If ifs and
| 'ands' were pots and pans -. AS for
our people, they have their own opinion
| on the subject. How can it be helped If
the Soviet people have formed bonds Of
close kinship with their Communist
party?"
Foreign Minister " NJ Molotov spoke
these words at political rally in Mos
COW last February, but they are still
worth attention in view of developments
since reported from inside the Soviet
Union. From time to time during the
rule of Hitler, there was a disposition in
the United States and elsewhere to in
terpret certain internal German events
as signs that the Nazis were losing their
grip and might be overthrown. But his
tory proved otherwise, and that fact,
coupled with Mr.. Molotovs proverb,
should be enough to discourage any non-
Russian from being too quick about plac-
ing similar Interpretation on some of
the rather striking news items that have
been leaking out recently from behind
the Kremlins iron curtain"
That said, however, not even Mr. Mol
otov can deny that the news items them
selves tend to cast doubt on the depth
and extent of what he has described as
the close kinship" between the Rus
sian people, who number 100000 900, and
the power that rules them-the Com
munist party, tough, fervent disci-
plined minority of 100000.
Thus, last June, five months after
Mr.. Molctov's talk, Moscow officially
announced that two Soviet republics in
South Russia-Crimea and Chechen-
Ingush-had been deprived of their au-
tonomy and that many of their 800 900
inhabitants had been banished to other
regions of the U. S. S. r. for treacher-
GUS wartime collaboration with the
Nazi invaders. Moreover, since that
announcement, the Kremlin has taken
open punitive action against large
number of factory officials accused of
accepting bribes, falsifying production
figures or being otherwise culpable, and
it has removed many Soviet authorities
from office in sweeping political purges
in the Ukraine and elsewhere.
But probably the most interesting
news items of all have been those deal
ing with MoScoW's sudden drive against
theological backsliders among the in
telligentsia and even among athletes.
There has been a breakdown, for ex-
ample, on certain historians who have
written factually about the independ-
ent, nationalistic Ukrainian spirit, and
a warning has gone out to intellectuals
In general-painters, musicians, writer's.
editors, theatrical producers, etc-to
remove all traces of "decadent art" and
the modern western bourgeois spirit"
from their works and to remember that
their prime function Is to propagandize
for the Soviet state. To make doubly
sure on this score, the Communist high
command has served notice that it in
tends to give everybody fresh guild
ance" in "a merciless fight against
ideallessness, vulgarity. political aloof-
ness and sliding to positions of so-called
pure art"
In other words, there is to be no ar
tistic, nonpolitical objectivity in Russia:
instead, theology and the party line
must be as one with the Muses. in por-
traying the majesty" of the country's
victory in war, 'the pathos of rehabili-
tation and Socialist construction and the
heroic deeds of the Soviet people In
fulfilling and overfulf1lling the new
Stain fve-year plan" AS for athletes,
having been sharply advised that the
idea of sport for sports sake is a
"spiritless, Philistine attitude" harmful
to the aims of the U. S. s. r., they must
henceforth keep in mind the theological
function of their muscular activities.
though 1t has not been made clear to
them precisely how things like a broad
jump or a game of soccer can lend
much support to the Kremlin's foreign
and domestic policies.
If all this seems somewhat reminiscent
OF Germany in Hitler's heyday, it is
significant not so much for that reason
as for the reason that it strongly sug-
gests that the Soviet Unions ruling
party of 100000 Communists-despite
Mr.. Molotov's talk about the bonds of
close kinship'-is not altogether pleased
with the postwar temper and perform
ance of Russia's l90,000,O00 people, in
cluding the upper-crust intelligel.tsia
In this connection, it is not without
interest that the Moscow radio recently
inveighed against traces of capitalistic
thinking among the masses and against
"slackness, breach of labor discipline,
nationalist tendencies" and other
harmful habits and memories" hamper
ing the progress of the u S. S. r. Sim
ilarly, the Bolshevik, a publication of
the Central Committee of the Communist
party, saw flt few weeks ago to warn
its readers not to forget that despite
the increased political consciousness of
collective farmers, there are backward
elements among them in whose con-
sciousness survivals of private ownership
are still strong"
AS the story Of Nazidom shows, of
course, and as Mr. Molotov intimated
last February, 1t would be naive to con-
clude from such evidence as this that
the present leadership of Russia is on
the verge of a downfall. Nevertheless,
it is fact that the Russians-wholly