Evening star., 1953-08-11
MoIenkov and Soviet Policy

Apart from what 1t has to say about how
"the United States has no monopoly In the
production of the hydrogen bomb"-a vague
statement in which there may be much less
than meets the eye-the full text of Premier
Malenkov's Saturday address well deserves
careful reading by anybody interested in trying
to figure out the character Of this man and the
trend OF post-Stalin Soviet policy in both for
eign and domestic affairs
In view of the staging of the address,
staging apparently designed to put the spot
light on him as Russia's chief spokesman-Mr
Malenkov now seems very definitely, even If
perhaps only temporarily to be the top boss
in the Kremlin. Further than that, judging
from the text of his two-hour speech to the
Supreme Soviet, he appears to be strong per-
sonality-a self-confdent man whose language
is lot nvelier, lot clearer, lot less turgid
than that OF the late Josef Stain. Indeed, here
and there, as in the quoting of old proverbs it
is language suggesting that he may have
sense of humor to degree rarely found among
the Red totalitarianS.
However, leaving the man himself to one
side, Mr.. Malenkov's views on foreign affairs
seem every bit as mendacious, hard and un-
compromising as those of the Kremlin in Sta
Inns day. True enough, they are views that
repeatedly emphasize his self-avowed convic-
ton that all outstanding international dis
putes notably American-Soviet disputes-can
be settled peacefully. But at the same time, as
If the Russian dictatorship were as pure as the
new-fallen snow and not the real villain OF the
situation, they are views that yilify the United
States as the instigator and continuer of the
cold war, the practitioner of atomic black
mall" and the power that launched the Korean
aggression in June, 1850
Moreover, while thus turning history upside
down with these and similar hackneyed lies,
Mr.. Malenkov has spared no effort to SOW West
ern disSension and drive wedges between us
and our British, French and other allies. He
has done this rather cleverly, and with it he
has coupled tough talk against ever agreeing
to reunited Germany that will be free to join
the European Defense Community. Beyond
that insisting that Red China must be ad-
mitted into the United Nations, and attacking
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as "the
main threat" to peace, he has given the general
impression that the Soviet Union is prepared
to work out international settlements only on
the basis of its own terms, including NATOs
liquidation. Certainly, all this is much too
reminiscent of the old Stalinist line to nourish
the hope that the free world may be able to
negotiate fruitfully with him and his colleagues.
Actually about the only real novelty in
n04' N0dACAAOVS dOuIeSS Is WIldC ne mas SalQ, IN
implied criticism Of Stalin's rule, regarding the
living standards of the Russian people. Ac-
knowledging that they are bad standards be-
cause heavy industry has been developed at the
expense Of consumer goods and because agri-
culture has been mismanaged, he has prom
ised that urgent" measures will be taken to
improve the lot Of farmers and city dwellerS
with changed policies aimed at producing more
food. ending "acute" housing shortages and in
creasing the output of such things as good
quality smart clothes and elegant footwear
In revealing these domestic shortcomings
Mr.. Malenkov has made a special point of de-
claring that his public discussion of them is
proof that the Soviet Union is tremendously
strong-strong enough for him to speak openly
of its internal weaknesses. That may be, but
his harping on the subject, taken together
with his glowing promises, suggests that he
may be confronted with the problem of ap-
peasing serious home-front discomfort and, re-
belliousness. II so, then his foreign policy
views may yet turn out to be considerably less
incorporating than his text indicates