Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-04
Zhukov's Downfall

OverShadowed as 1t is by the sensa-
tional launching of the Kremlin's new
dog-carrying Sputnik, the ugly story Of
what has happened to Marshal Zhukov
may seem to be relatively inconsequen-
tial. But appearances are often deceiv-
ing. Actually, in this instance, there is
at least some reason to believe that his
sudden fall from grace constitutes an
event whose signif1cance-in terms of
both the Soviet Unions internal strug-
gle for personal power and its policy
toward the rest of the world-may be
every bit as great as, If not greater than,
the latest truly great achievement of
RuSsia'S scientists.
With that said, however, the fact
remains that the world at large still can
do little more than conjecture over the
exact meaning Of the marshal'S down.
fall. Does it portend good things or bad
in the international field? Does it mean
that Nikita Khrushchev really sits firmly
in the saddle Of one-man Soviet power?
With Zhukov out, with Molotov, Malen-
kov and Kaganovich out, has he finally
emerged as the new Stain? Or is it
possible that his may be the head that
will roll next? Is it possible, as the
State Department has suggested, that
what we are seeing here is "a nantes
tation of major STRAINS and stresses"
within the Red hierarchy? Could it be
that the internal struggle is far from
over? Could it be that jealous and re-
Sentful factions in the armed forces will
keep on challenging the authority of the
Communist Party? Could it be, in short,
that rivalries of the deepest kind con-
tinue to exist and may yet lead to vast
CONFUSION inside the USSR?
Apart from mere handful of des-
pots in Moscow, nobody is equipped to
respond authoritatively to questions of
this sort. Everything is sheer guesswork
in that sense. For the Soviet leaders,
each of them perhaps fearful of what
may happen to him tomorrow or the day
after, are playing their cards very close
to their vests. The only thing they have
told us is that Marshal Zhukov has been
fired as Defense Minister, and as mem
Der of the all-powerful 15-man Presi-
dunn, because Of % having established
his own cult of personality" with the
aid of 'sycophants and f1atterers," (2)
having tried to 'liquidate" the leader
ship and control of the Communist Party
over the USSR'S armed forces, and (3)
having been found to be "a politically
unSound person, inclining to adventur-
ISM" And so, with much official double
talk, RuSSia's most popular soldier and
war hero-once President EiSenhowers
friend and comrade in armS-has been
toppled in disgrace. But whether it is
permanent topping, or merely tenn
porary setback in continuing and por-
tentous contest for power, still remains
to be seen.
In such situation, prudence sug-
gests that outsiders ought to take moth
ing for granted, including the general
assumption that Nikita Khrushchev has
attained an interchangeable position on
top of the heap. AS for the interna-
tional implications of Zhukov'S down.
fall, here again we run into sheer Specu-
lation, with much of it gloomy because
Of the feeling-possibly quite unjustified
that he has been moderating infiu-
ence on Soviet foreign policy. In fact,
as far as that goes, about all any of us
can do at the moment is make guesses,
with the hope that the Kremlin'S SEEM
ing governing instability will not lead
to misuse of the immense actual and
potential power symbolized by the new
Sputnik now looping around the world.