Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-14
THE WORLD SCENE

Arotund and gregarious UKRAINE
ian of SO named Nikita Sergeie-
vich Khrushchev visited Prague.
Czechoslovakia's capital city, last
week and had no trouble making
headlines all over the world.
Mr.. Khrushchev, who combines
joviality with an icy tenacity. a
sparkling wit with an often crude
sarcasm, a keen perception of
diplomatic niceties with a ruthless
realism. cajolery with merciless
despotism, was making his first
appearance on the world stage as
the proved Number One man in
the hierarchy Of the Soviet Union
and thus Of world communism.
The visit to Prague was note
worthy in itself for it put the
world on notice that Mr.. Khru-
shchev felt completely secure in
his position in the Kremlin. and
also demonstrated his lively in
terest in Russia's satellites. It also
amounted to an invasion Of a ma
ton ruled by Communists Of the
hard-core "Stalinist" persuasion
whose theological colleagues,
Messrs. Molotov, Malenkov and
Kaganovich. had just been ousted
In disgrace by Mr.. Khrushchev
from the ruling Presidium of the
Soviet COMMUNIST Party. If there
was any Czech resentment over
this turn of events it wasn't EVIL
dent. however.
The pudgy boss of Soviet COM
munism was at his best. He let
60 blasts of bitter criticism-of
President Eisenhower, of capital
ism, of Marshal Tito.
In the same talk he praised Mr.
Eisenhower as a man Of peace
("I know him. :. he is q sincere
man Of great talent and great
principles) and labeled the Pres
ident's hope for "clean" hydro
gen bomb Zone with a minimum
of radioactive fallout) as stupid.
IL am sorry to use that word.
but how can you have a clean
bomb to do dirty things?" (The
White House quickly voiced
"amazement" at the Khrushchev
remark. The American effort to
control nuclear fallout was based
on q concern for mankind, the
statement said)
Rapping capitalism time and
again, he told his Czech audience.
in the presence of newsmen of
many nations, that the West was
insincere in the London disarma-
ment talks because the ''imperialist
monopolies" were eager for more
arms profits.
His comments on Yugoslavia's
Marshal Tito were so blunt that
Belgrade's official morale, glowing
since the firing of the Stalinists
from the Moscow inner councils,
took q nose dive. But a second look
was less dismaying, for he later
included Yugoslavia in the so
cialist camp" of the world.
Serious theological difficulties."
said Mr.. Khrushchev, "exists with'
Yugoslavia although relations are
improved we are all learning
from mistakes and we are steadily
marching forward. We want to
broaden the Socialist front and
include Yugoslavia, but on one
condition. Let us not argue who is
smarter and who is more stupid"
In this barbed comment, Mr..
Khrushchev was referring to the
effort of Marshal Tito to convince
the Russians that his workers
council scheme, in which the
factory workers share in the
management Of Yugoslav indus
try. was a good Marxist practice.
In the Soviet Union. such pro-
letarian nonsense is unheard Of.
There, picked executives are
charged by the central govern
ment with the responsibility for
factory management; the workers
take no part in the job.
Such councils might be all
right, said the new top man of
world communism, ION condition
that you get American meat and
American wheat. But we (the
Russians) built Socialism in a
poor backward country that did
not have a single trade union.
and now. forty years later, we
have developed into great power.
Could we have done that with
aid from capitalists"