Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-12-11
BY EARL h. VOSS
star Staff Writer

Deen IOTceQ 70 SET Oack some OF
his most important targets in
definitely.
The 1858 target for annual
chemical fertilizer production
for 1865 was IS million tons.
With five Of the seven years
behind him. Premier Khru-
shchev finds production at only
20 million tons in 1868. Chemi-
cal fertilizers remain one key
to agricultural abundance,
which has eluded communism's
most intensive efforts.
Other Targets Missed
In plastics, the seven-year
plan target was 2 million tons
q year, but only 100000 tons
are being produced in 1858.
In fibers, the 1865 goal was
666, 900 tons but the 1868 out
put is estimated at $4,000
tons.
The mass of the dustbowl in
the Virgin lands" Of Siberia,
where Mr.. Khrushchev hoped
to open up important areas for
cultivation, is the symbol of So
Wet agricultural failure. ex-
perts here believe.
These difficulties are Great
ing strains and problems inside
the Soviet leadership which
most authorities have can only
guess at. but there Is little
doubt they exist and are being
discussed at some length In the
Communist Party Central Com
mittee meeting in Moscow this
week.
The Soviet Unions problems
are expected to occupy its lead
ership in the months ahead
lust as President johnson may
find his major problems to be
largely domestic, particularly
taxes and civil rights.
Important Issues
From the State Departments
view these two domestic issues
are of great Importance to
United States foreign policy
detectives.
Secretary Of State Rusk has
said that segregationist practi-
ces in this country hamper the
United States in the cold war
competition with Russia.
without tax relief to keep
the economy booming, the
Democratic administration be-
lieves 1t could not pursue its
foreign policy detectives with
confidence and vitality.
Serious deterioration Of the
Soviet position does give Amer
lean policy-makers hope. how
ever, that q long-range trend
away from military adventure
may be setting in In the Krem-
lin.
Forty per cent Of the SO bill
lion a year for the Soviet I'm
ions chemical fertilizer pro-
gram will have to come from
abroad, 1t is estimated here.
That alone can cause q serious
drain on the relatively scarce
foreign exchange and gold re-
sources of the Soviet Union.
Is Per Cent Waste
Even If the ambitious chemi-
cal fertilizer production pro-
gram were a success, however,
American experts do not be-
lieve it would provide the sole
solution to Moscow's food
problem. In the past, for in
stance, about Is per cent Of the
fertilizer used by Soviet peas
ants has been wastefully ap-
piled.
Some authorities here specu-
late that the agricultural crisis
is so acute that the Soviet
leadership must either greatly
enlarge individual peasant
holdings, which would fly In
the face of strong Soviet ideo-
logical commitment to the coll
lectivization theory, or switch
from a collective farm program
to State-run farms where more
individual peasant initiative
could be permitted.
The hope here is that the
pressure of internal economic
problems will result in heavier
ALLEGATIONS to peaceful projects
and some lessening Of military
programs.
So far there is no concrete
evidence of this. Soviet military
leaders continue to claim
they're pursuing advanced mill
tary programs at full speed.
u. S. Credits Studied
Official Washington has
been studying for some time
the wisdom Of extending long
term credits to the Soviet IN
ion for its peaceful develop
ment.
According to one theory, this
would divert Soviet attention to
domestic problems and away
from foreign expansion.