Evening star., 1953-03-05
A Bell Tolls in Moscow

The critical, and prospectively fatal, illness
OF Prime Minister Stain is turning point of
truly epochal Importance in the postwar his
tory of the world.
For this man, born a simple Caucasus
Georgian peasant in 1879, and whose revolution
hardened spirit led him to become master not
only of his native Russia but of all the Com
munist peoples of the globe, has been symbol
for nearly eight years past of divided and
uneasy world. No other individual on either
side Of the theological ramparts has commanded
the attention given the stocky dictator Of the
Kremlin; his every word and every action have
been Scrutinized searchingly for an answer as
to whether or when the world again would be
cast into the flames of total war. Literally
deif1ed through the apparatus of a tyranny
that has been more ruthless and of broader
impact than that of any other oppression in
history, he has been the spiritual father to
hundreds of millions of people, To perhaps
greater number, he has been an impersonator
of the Antichrst, the supreme architect of evil.
For years past there has been speculation,
probably within Russia as well as outside, on
the identity of Stalin's successor. AS he lies on
his death bed, it is still an unanswered ques-
tion-at least to the world at large. Even the
method of choosing successor is not known
with certainty. Stains hand on a mans
most reliable clue, but the hand has moved
several times in recent years. triumvirate
OF cynical men, vying with each other in their
dogmatic antagoniSm toward the free world in
general and the Western nations in particular,
stands in the forefront today. A political will
of succession may have been written by Stain
and may may not be adhered to by those
who are left to execute it, The Communist
Party or its ruling presidium may make what
purportS to be an Independent selection. Less
likely alternatives are that one of the "big
three" or some other, may simply seize power
or that chaotic struggle may Immediately
engulf this seat of world communism. Stalin'S
own succession to power in 1924 was accom-
pliShed through control of party machinery
that is not currently held by any of his probable
successors. No other modern power dictator
ship has been transferred from one hand to
another. Those of Hitler and Mussolini ended
with them, in military defeat by outside powers.
To the free nations, the most important
question is not who will succeed Stain but
rather what the policies and preoccupationS of
a new regime will be- There is no reason to
anticipate basic change in the Communist
objective Of world conquest, or its strategy of
fomenting turmoil and disorder. There may be-,
however, under pressure of struggle for power
within the Kremlin, change in tactics from
the steady but relatively cautious offensive
against the free world to a more reckless ad-
venture or, temporarily at least, to a more
conciliatory plan of action
Aside from the crosscurrentS certain to be
flowing within the Kremlin, even if there is an
outwardly smooth transition of authority,
new regime will face major problems inside
the Soviet Union and in some of its satellites.
The very deif1cation which has been accorded
to Stalin-and given in no measure as yet to
any of the aSpirants for his place-will have a
bearing. It has long been believed that there
are soft spots" within the Soviet Union, areas
where disaffected peoples have remained sub
servient to Communist tyranny because a
whole generation has been brought UP to revere
Papa" Stain, or because his methods of in
Suring SubServience have been developed eff
fectivey out of long experience. There are
satellite states too, where unrest has been so
open as to be acknowledged by Moscow. And
the partnership with Communist China and
its own strong man, Mao Tse-tung, has often
been suspected of weakness.
It would be surrender to wiShful thinking
to feel confident that any or all of these poten-
tial troubles might result in an overthrow of
Moscow's authority. It is not unreasonable,
however, to believe that they may force a
change in Moscow's tactics vis-a-vis the free
world. Whether such a change will be more
of threat to world peace, or less, only time
can tell.
Korean 'Sitdown'