Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-06
SpYPropaqanda
May Spell New
Russian Purge
Bv WILLIAM L. RYAN
AP Foreign News Analyst

Soviet domestic propaganda
once again is turning the Rus
sian publics attention to be Wig
liant against spies and enemy
agents. The patter, old as the
40-year-old U. SIS. r.. denotes
political fireworks in the offing.
When Stain was preparing his
numerous purges and political
lacrobatics. the press pulled out
Jail stops to convince the public
an imperialist enemy was knock
ing at Moscow's gates.
1t was so after Marshal Sta
Inns death. too. A vigilance cam
paign preceded the 1853 purge
Of police boss L. P. Beria. II
popped up late in 1854 before
the remnants Of the Beria group
were executed, and before Georgi
Malenkov fell from the premier
ship in 1855.
King OF Fantasy
Now the campaign is starting
all over again. Soviet military
service papers are running nu-
merous articles reporting cap
ture of shadowy foreign spies
who attempt to penetrate Rus
sian borders by land and sea. 1t
has a ring Of fantasy to Western
ears. but must sound ominous to
world Communists.
Such campaigns usually have
aimed 1t preparing a climate for
Tightening internal controls and
!eXcusing action against persons
in high places.
There is evidence that world
communism feels threatened by
events in Europe. There is also
evidence that the finger of blame
points toward those who de-
Istroyed the Stain legend, led by
Communist boss N. S. Khrush
Ichev and the small group he
heads within the present Soviet
collective leadership.
The Chinese Communists pro-
vide straws in the wind. Last
April hey heartily backed the
| KhrushcLev anti-Stalin line
Now the Chinese Politburo goes
a long vas in the opposite direc-
Ition. The revision was made
said the Politburo, because of
events since April. including the
Hungarian revolt and the "strug-
gle against revisionism.
Accusing Tito
Yugoslavia'S Tito is being ac-
cused of 'revisioniSm, This
means a denial that Moscow is
the center of authority for the
world Communist movement. In
April the Chinese Reds hailed
Mr.. Khrushchev's gestures to
Marshal Tito. Now they say
Marshal Tito ought lot to do
things tending to divide the
movement.
Chinese Premier Chou En-lai
cut short his Asia visit recently
to rush back TO Peiping instead
of proceeding directly to Moscow
as planned. He will be a week
late for his Moscow visit APP
parently he is consulting on a
new close the-ranks line which
seems inspired by anxiety for
insurance against further weak
enlng of the Communist move
ment.
The pattern suggests a re-
alignment in the Kremlin to pre-
vent future mistakes.
High-ranking Yugoslav Com
munists offer this picture:
/ There is a definite split in the
Kremlin. One side of the coll
lective leadership includes MIR.
Khrushchev, A. l. Mikoyan. N. A.
Bulganin and Maxim Saburov.
who only recently suffered a
demotion as an economic plan
ner. On the other are Mr. Malen-
kov, v. NJ Molotov. Mikhail
Suslov. L. NJ. Kaganovich and
Mikhail Pervukhin. all regarded
as Stalinists.
Forced Tito Letter
When Mr.. Malenkov fell. the
Khrushchev group was strong
enough to force some decentraIi-
cation Of power in the Soviet
republics and to travel far and
wide. wooing friends. Mr. Molo-
tov was left out OF all junkets
But he and his group were not
idle. They began rebuilding their
republic party organization It
became strong enough TO force
the dispatch Of the famous letter
Ito the Cominform parties warn
ing them not to take Tito's re-
Mobilization too seriotIslv