PALLBEARERS CARRYING STALIN'S BODY IN 1953* Khrushchev: Showdown in the Kremlin shals, including Georgy Zhukov, who OR sheer drama, few periods in mod- murdered by his physicians. Western ex- perts have explained the plot as a cal- was later to become Khrushchev's De- F ern history can match the years just fense Minister. "In those days all mil- before and after the death of Joseph Sta- culated effort by Stalin to destroy Beria, whose security men would presumably itary personnel were required to check lin. It was a time of Byzantine intrigues, their weapons when coming into the some engineered by the old dictator, oth- have to be part of the scheme. In any case, Stalin ordered many doctors, par- Kremlin, so Bulganin was instructed to ers conceived and carried out behind his see that the marshals and generals were back. It was a time of brutal purges and ticularly those who were treating Krem- lin officials, arrested and mercilessly in- allowed to bring their guns with them," bitter battles within the Kremlin hierar- says Khrushchev. "We arranged for chy that led to Nikita Khrushchev's star- terrogated. Two were tortured to death, and the number would surely have ris- Moskalenko's group to wait for a sum- tling "destalinization" speech at the 20th mons in a separate room." On the ap- Party Congress in 1956. This week the en had Stalin lived. But on March 1, 1953, Stalin suffered a massive stroke. pointed day, the conspirators and their former Soviet Premier, who emerged allies assembled for the fateful session from those years as the Kremlin's new He lingered for two days, during which members his "inner Presidium" of the Central Committee Presidiun:. 66S8; provides the only first-person ac- the "I requested the floor took turns watching over him—in pairs. Secret Button. count of those fateful struggles ever re- and proposed that we discuss the mat- corded. His reminiscences, excerpted Before Stalin's death was announced, Khrushchev a meeting was held to carve up his pow- ter of Beria," says Khrushchev. "Beria from the forthcoming book, was sitting on my right. He gave a LIFE and er. As Khrushchev feared, "Beria imme- Remembers, are appearing in start, grabbed me by the hand, looked 19 publications abroad. diately proposed Malenkov for [Pre- mier]. Malenkov proposed that Beria be at me with a startled expression, and Khrushchev wastes no sympathy on said, 'What's going on, Nikita?' I said, Lavrenty Beria, the rival he deposed appointed his first deputy." Khrushchev, who was made in effect First Party Sec- 'Just pay attention.' " Khrushchev then and destroyed. He pictures Stalin's se- delivered a speech denouncing Beria. cret-police chief as a cruel and cynical retary on the Central Committee, had far higher ambitions. But he and his main He concluded by saying: "I have formed man whose favorite remark was "Lis- the impression that he is no Communist. ten, let me have him for one night, and ally, Minister of Defense Nikolai Bulga- nin, had to bide their time. "If Bulganin He is a careerist who has wormed his I'll have him confessing he's the King way into the party for self-seeking rea- of England." In later years, says Khru- and I had objected, we would have been accused of starting a fight before the sons." Khrushchev formally moved that shchev, even Stalin grew to fear his fel- Beria be stripped of his titles. low Georgian and the power he wield- corpse was cold." It was not long, however, before Khru- "Malenkov was still in a state of ed as absolute master of the vast Cheka, panic," Khrushchev continues. "As I re- or secret-police, organization. The shchev began lining up other allies for a showdown. He took Malenkov aside call, he didn't even put my motion to a sweeping postwar purge of the Len- vote. He pressed a secret button which ingrad party, Khrushchev believes, was and told him: "We're heading for di- saster. Beria is sharpening his knives." gave the signal to the generals who part of a scheme masterminded by Be- were waiting in the next room. Zhukov ria and his "battering ram," former Pre- When Malenkov asked what could be done, Khrushchev replied, "The time was the first to appear. Then Moskalenko mier Georgy Malenkov; the object was and the others came in. Malenkov said to wreck the careers of a troika of prom- has come to ,resist." What followed was a bold and secret in a faint voice to Comrade Zhukov, ising young men whom they regarded 'As Chairman of the Council of Min- as a threat to their own eventual as- plan to arrest Beria within the very walls of the Kremlin. The most sen- isters of the U.S.S.R., I request that cendancy. Two of those men, N.A. Voz- you take Beria into custody.' Hands nesensky and A.A. Kuznetsov, were ar- sitive problem was finding a way of hold- ing Beria once he was under arrest. up!' Zhukov commanded Beria." The po- rested and shot. The third, says Khru- lice boss seemed to be reaching for his shchev, "was hanging by a thread. I Explains Khrushchev: "The Presidium bodyguard was obedient to him. His briefcase, says Khrushchev. "I seized simply can't explain how he was saved his arm to prevent him from grabbing from being exterminated." His name: Chekists would be sitting in the next room, and Beria could easily order them a weapon in the briefcase." When Aleksei Kosygin, now Soviet Premier. searched, however, Beria proved to be Doctors' Plot. Stalin's growing de- to arrest us all. We would have been rangement resulted in the "cruel and quite helpless." contemptible" affair called the Doctors' Khrushchev enlisted the support of * From right: Lavrenty Beria, Georgy Malen- Plot. Khrushchev traces its beginning General K.S. Moskalenko, the air-de- kov, Stalin's son Vassily, Vyacheslav Molotov, to a letter charging that Andrei Zhda- fense commander. He was soon joined Nikolai Bulganin, Lazar Kaganovich, Nikolai Shvernik. nov, the Leningrad party boss, had been in the plot by ten other generals and mar- TIME, DECEMBER 14, 1970 38 and mixing with the even greater num- unarmed. Six months later, after sum- SOUTH VIET NAM ber of G.I.s who are still on active mary proceedings, he and about half a duty but prefer spending nights here, dozen subordinates were shot. Among Soul Alley Just after the 1 a.m. curfew one away from the drabness of their bar- the charges against Beria was the rape racks. There were roughly 65,000 cases of more than 100 women and girls, day last week, 300 heavily armed Amer- ican and Vietnamese MPs, civilian po- of AWOL last year, and the Army es- one a seventh-grade student. "He had timates that about 1.000 soldiers will be- used the same routine on all of them," lice and militiamen, supported by 100 armored cars, trucks and Jeeps, swooped come deserters this year (no racial break- says Khrushchev. "He gave them some downs are available). dinner and offered them wine with a down on a narrow dirt alley in Sai- gon and sealed it off. As their house-to- Whites who venture into Soul Alley sleeping potion in it." do so at their own risk, as two military Ask Mr. Dulles. After three years, house search began, G.I.s groggy with sleep and drugs scampered in every di- policemen learned a month ago. Five Khrushchev had not yet gained complete minutes after they drove in at mid- supremacy over Malenkov. In a bold rection, a few over rooftops, trying to escape. Their women followed, some morning in their Jeep, they walked back gamble, he delivered a sensational out—minus the vehicle and their weap- 20,000-word speech before the Party stark naked, some wearing only pa- jama bottoms, as spotlights from two ons. The Army has known about Soul Congress denouncing Stalin and his Alley and its deserters ever since the methods in mordant detail. Other mem- helicopters above played on the bi- zarre scene. When the roundup ended haven sprang up three years ago, and bers of the Presidium were opposed to MPs have frequently staged minor raids Khrushchev's move. Fearfully they four hours later, 56 girls and 110 G.I.s, including 30 deserters, were hauled and roundups. The incident with the asked him, "What will we be able to say Jeep sparked the biggest raid yet. But about our own roles under Stalin?" off into custody. Known as Soul Alley, this 200-yd. even if the brass cleaned up Soul Al- Khrushchev went ahead anyway. When ley, its residents, rather like the Viet he...rose- to. speak, he recalls, "it was so back street is located just one mile Cong, would soon drift back or re- quiet in the huge hall you could hear a from U.S. military headquarters for locate in another, similar spot. fly buzzing. You must try to imagine how Viet Nam. At first glance, it is like any other Saigon alley: mama-sans ped- Easy Living. For many Soul Alley shocked people were by the revelations the living is easy. Explained of the atrocities to which party members dle Winston cigarettes and Gillette AWOLS, one: "You get up late, you smoke a had been subjected." In preparing for the Foam Shaves from pushcarts, and the few joints, you get on your Honda and speech, says Khrushchev, he asked the bronzed, bony drivers of three-wheeled ride around to the PX, buy a few items state prosecutor to investigate whether cycles sip lukewarm beer at corner the purge trials of the 1930s were found- food stalls as children play tag near you can sell on the black market, come back, blow some more grass, and that's ed on actual crimes. The reply he re- their feet. A closer look, however, it for the day." Rent for the second ceived: "From the standpoint of judicial shows that Soul Alley is a very spe- norms, there was no evidence for con- cial place. The children being bounced floor of a brick house rarely runs to demning or even trying these men." on their mothers' hips have unmistakably more than $40 or $50 a month, in- The speech was never publicly con- Afro-Asian features. A sign in the cluding laundry and housekeeping ser- trustling, is the narveof the game., . fitmelLbut it was later circulated ,to local barbershop WE-Ai= THE NATIL,R-„... party committees throughout the Soviet AL LOOK HAS ARRIVED. Green Army fa- here. This gives everyone plenty of mon- ey for anything from soul food at a res- Union and deliberately leaked to the tigues hang from balcony railings to Western press. Says Khrushchev, wryly dry in the sun. Black G.I.s talk and taurant called Nam's to hi-fi equipment, television sets or even heroin. Here is referring to the man who directed the laugh, their arms around slight young how the system works: CIA at the time: "I remember when jour- Asian girls. No Whites Allowed. Soul Alley is From an army of papa-san forgers, nalists would ask me, 'What can you gets his phony ID and ra- tell us about this speech?' I used to say home for somewhere between 300 and the AWOL they'd have to direct their questions to 500 black AWOLS and deserters. They es- tion cards. He goes to the PX, buys an ex- Mr. [Allen] Dulles." cape arrest by using forged ID cards pensive item, such as a refrigerator, for RUSTY BROWN

VIETNAMESE MOTHER & AFRO-ASIAN SON

SAIGON HAVEN FOR BLACK G.I.s

Always a hustle or a hassle.

TIME, DECEMBER 14, 1970