Evening star., 1953-07-10
BY the Associated Press

| By the Associated Press
LONDON. July 10.-European
diplomats today viewed the purg-
ing of Lavrenti Beria as the be-
ginning of an all-out struggle for
power inside the Kremlin with
prospects of a showdown next
between Premier Georgi Malen-
kov and Foreign Minister v. M.
Molotov.
Beria, 81, the gimlet-eyed boss
of the secret police, was fired
from his job, booted out of the
Communist Party and con-
demned as a traitor. He was
f1ayed as a malignant enemy of
Soviet people" and his case
turned over to the Soviet Su-
preme Court.
His succeSsor-in title but
probably not in power-is Sergei
N. Kruglov, a veteran police Of
fetal who has been given high
Soviet recognition for his admin
istration of the many camps
housing millions of slave laborers.
British sources said Sir Alvary
Gascoigne, the British Ambas-
sador to Moscow, has been CIV
ing the nod to Molotov as the
eventual big boss in the Krem-
lin. But United States officials
were of the opinion that Beria's
purging meant Malenkov was
acting swiftly and ruthlessly to
consolidate his position as Sta
Inns successor.
No Indication of Weakening.
There was a general tendency,
however, against speculation
that Beria's removal meant the
Soviet regime was weakening
or that it would lead to any
immediate change in policy at
home or abroad.
Malenkov. Beria and Molotov
were regarded by the West as
a triumvirate heading the gov
ernment since Stalin's death in
March. Beria and Molotov were
first" deputy premiers and Beria
was Minister of Internal Affairs.
British officials felt the break
up of the Kremlin's triumvirate
would strengthen American op-
position to any high level parley
between the East and West
sought, by Prime Minister
Churchill. The development gave
new urgency to the meeting to-
day in Washington of the Big
| Three foreign ministers who
will consider the advisability of
four-power meeting with the
Soviet Union.
British officials who felt there
would be no changes in Soviet
foreign policy said Beria had
been in the doghouse for at least
two weeks and the Soviet trend
during this period was still
toward conciliation with the
West.
Communists Glum.
Maurice Faure. vice chairman
of the French National Assem-
bly's foreign affairs committee.
said in Paris the Moscow move
simply proves that the Com
munist system can function
only under one-man dictator
ship and he asked: What is to
become of Molotov?"
Adlai Stevenson, the 1852
Democratic presidential candi-
date now on world tour, said in
Vienna the fall of Beria and
other developments in Moscow
have made it appear the time
was not yet ripe for a Big Four
meeting.
Communists were glum. A
spokesman at the French Com
munist Party headquarters in
Paris said the decision concerns
only the Communist Party of
the Soviet Union.
Jacob Malik, the Soviet Am
bassador to London, arrived here
by plane after a visit to Moscow.
Reporters peppered him for three
minutes with questions about
Beria. The stony-faced Malik
| didn't say a single word.
Many Western observers spec
ulated that >Malenkov's hold on
the government stillmay be far
from completely secure.
ScapegOat for Unrest.
Beria apparently will be made
the scapegoat for the unrest now
sweeping the Soviet Unions East
European satellites. AS police
chief he had the job of keeping
these nations under the heel.
Perhaps significantly, Moscow
cenSors permitted Associated
Press Correspondent Thomas P.
Whitney to message that the
charge that Beria acted as a
foreign agent was viewed in the
Soviet capital as clearly a refer
ence" to the recent East Berlin
riots and South Korean Presi-
dent Syngman Rhee's release of
North Korean prisoners of war.
The Soviet press has charged
and Western officials have de-
MED Strenuously - that both
events resulted from a co-ordi-
mated Western plan.
Beria also headed the Soviet