Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-04-29
Position Of MoIofov
Remains Unchanged,
Red Dispatches Show
BY the Associated Press

NEW YORK, April 2s.-Any
doubts about the present posi-
ton of v. M. Molotov in the
Soviet hierarchy were dispelled
yesterday. He is still the top man
under Prime Minister Stain.
This can be reported with as
surance. although the disclosure
comes In an indirect way. 1t also
can be reported:
/. N. A. Voznesensky. deposed
as head of the all-important Cos
plan Estate Planning Commits
sion) and as a deputy prime
minister. also has been removed
from the ruling Politburo. He has
not been replaced and the Polit-
buro now Is made up Of Stain
and II others.
2. Lavrenti p. Beria ranks be-
hind only Stain and Molotov in
Soviet prestige. AS far as is
known In this country, Beria still
Is the man behind the Soviet
secret police.
This information filters through
Moscow censorship in this way:
There has been no off1cial an
nouncement of the present make
up Of the Politburo. the policy
making body which rules the
Soviet Union. However, Moscow
Is getting ready for its annual
May Day celebration, and this
always is revealing.
Moscow Dispatch Cited.
A dispatch from Moscow said
simply this:
Decorations for the May Day
holiday began appearing In Mos
cow yesterday. Red bunting and
portraits of members Of the Polit-
buro. together with portraits Of
Lenin. went up on many buildings.
Stain and Lenin are In the
center, and on either side Of them
are pictures of well-known Of
f1cials."
The dispatch then lists Molotov
first, and after him Beria. Voz-
nesensky's name was not on the
list.
That was all the information
In this dispatch, but it tended to
support previous hints that Voz-
nesensky has been dropped and
that Molotov's stature has been
increased.
Molotov's Duties Changed.
Recently Molotov was relieved OF
his duties as Foreign Minister and
Andrei Y. Vishinsky took his place.
Molotov continued in his post as
q deputy prime minister. The
general impression abroad was
that he had given UP the foreign
Office job to permit himself to
concentrate on more important
tasks-possibly even to prepare
himself for the mantle of the
aging and ailing Stain. It will
be noted that the dispatch on the
portraits of the Soviet leader
places Molotov and Beria on either
side OF Stain. To protocol
minded Russians, this Is highly
significant. -
Beria also has been the subject
Of speculation In the matter of a
successor to Stain. In this re-
Spect 1t was regarded as signifi-
cant recently that the Soviet press
heaped praise upon him on the
occasion of his 50th birthday,
when the Presidium of the Su-
preme Soviet gave him the Order
of Lenin.
Beria Dropped Title.
Beria does not hold the title Of
Minister Of State Security (head
Of the Soviet secret police). He
dropped it in 1916. ostensibly to
devote himself to other duties.
However, there has been little
doubt aboard that he is the power
behind 1t. Beria, like Stain, is
. Georgian. .
VozneSensky had held one of
the most important jobs In the
Soviet Union. Under him was the
vast program OF planning eco
nomic development for the years
to come. Into his Office, from all
parts OF the Soviet Union, poured
the economic data to be related to
the program of charting the needs
OF the country in each successive
five-year period.
So far as Is known to the out
side world, Voznesensky is the first
man to be dropped from the Polit-
buro In more than 10 years.