Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-12
Red Congress May Give
Clue to Soviet S Future
By EARL L. PACKER

By EARL L. PACKER
When the goth Congress Of the
Communist Party Of the Soviet
Union (CPSU opens In Moscow
next Tuesday valentines Day..
foreign observers will be watching
the proceedings for evidence Of de-
velopments along four major lines:
. The intra-party struggle for
power.
Q The buildup Of military po-
tential.
o The direction Of the inter-
national revolutionary movement.
Q The cold war.
How will evidence on these points
become available? Through the
Kremlin-controlled press and radio.
It would be departure from all
past precedent were there to be
live radio and TV broadcasts in any
way resembling those the American
people will hear and see when the
Republican and Democratic conven-
lions meet later this year.
The Party Struggle
With regard to the intra-party
rivalry, there are two items on the
agenda Of the Congress under which
disclosures Of interest may be made.
The first is the report of the Gen.
trail Committee, to be delivered by
the party's first secretary, Nikita
KhruShchev. The second is the
elections of the Central Committee
and It's Presidium (the former
Politburo).
II the power struggle has al
ready been temporarily settled
through q stalemate which will re-
suit in the continuation of the
present so-called collective leader
ship" presumably Khruschev's re-
port, explicitly or implicitly. and the
elections will probably result in top
leadership being reelected.
II. on the other hand, as the
result Of the elimination Of some Of
the contenders for supreme power.
q semipermanent or long Lived
settlement Of the power struggle
has been reached. or is to be
reached at the Congress, Khrush-
chev's report. the debates" with
reference to 1t and the elections
should make clear who are the
losers and who the victors.
Khrushchev may well show UP as
the winner. He already appears to
be practically at the tape. Georgi
Malenkov. Stains first successor
as Premier. and Foreign Minister
Vyacheslav Molotov may be among
the losers.
As q part Of the struggle for
power, the recent dismissal of
Sergei Kruglov. Lavrenti Beria's
successor as Minister Of the In
terror. under whom the secret police
operate-at the moment less os-
tensihly than previously-mayl have
served to strengthen Khrushchev's
hand. Some light may be cast on
this development.
The MiIitory BuiIdup
With regard to the military build
up, both Khrushchev's report and
that to be delivered by Premier
Bulganin on the sixth flve-year
plan-as q separate point on the
Congress agenda--presumably viii
indicate that the present policy Of
more guns. little butter" viii be
continued. The draft "directives"
relating to the plan. which have
already been published and which
are likely to be confirmed without
important change. indicate that
military potential remains the pri-
mary consideration Of the plan.
international Aspects
With regard to the international
Red movement, any information
published regarding the identity
Of foreign Communists present at
the Congress will be examined with
interest. Forty-five "fraternal
Communist and Workers parties"
sent a total of 119 foreign dele
gates to the 10th Party Congress In
1852.
The published data indicated
that no member of the Communist
Party Of the United States was
present. Should information now
become available that American
Communists are attending the