Khrushchev's Zig-Zag Course Reflects Crisis

Khrushchev’s Zig-Zag Course Reflects Crisis t h e MILITANT By Harry Ring PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE JULY 17 — A series of obviously improvised and Vol. XXI - No. 29 267 NEW YORK, N. Y., MONDAY, JULY 22, 1957 PRICE 10c contradictory moves during the past week marked the drive of Nikita Khrushchev to consolidate his victory over the four bureaucrats whose downfall was announced July 3. unless they can achieve a meas The present zig - zag course ure of popular support. There illuminates the powerful oppos fore concessions must be prom ing pressures underlying the now ised and even granted. The acute crisis of the ruling bureau vanquished bureaucrats must be cracy. made the scapegoats for the Eisenhower Seen Cooking Up After the death of the crimes committed against the “supreme arbiter,” Stalin, the people by the entire bureaucracy. bureaucracy had to rule through The winner is driven to try to the vehicle of “collective leader play both “hard cop” and “ soft ship.” But wracked by the inner cop” at the very same time. conflict of special privileges and TWISTS AND TURNS material interests, the ruling caste is driven along the road of Last week they were trying to Rights Bill Deal with Racists throwing up a single new execute the twists and turns supreme authority. This process demanded by this situation. On is expressed in the uninterrupted July 10 the Moscow radio in Putting the Pressure On Congress power struggles of the rival formed the world that Malenkov, cliques within the bureaucracy. who had been ousted from the Liberals in Senate Seek to Patch Up Party Presidium for “anti-party A NEW STAGE activity,” had been made man The unique feature of this in ager of a hydroelectric plant in ternecine warfare is the context remote East Kazakhstan and that Rotten Compromise with Southerners in which it takes place— the new the other ousted chieftains, stage of the Russian revolution. Molotov, Kaganovich and Sbe- By George I*avan During Stalin’s bloody reign con pilov, had been assigned to other JULY 18 — The self-proclaimed pro-civil rights Democrats and Republicans are unspecified jobs. This was fol flicts within the bureaucracy falling over one another in their eagerness to whittle down the civil rights bill even were settled swiftly and brutally. lowed up the next day by a The Soviet working class had spokesman for the Soviet Fon- before the expected Dixiecrat filibuster has begun. been crushed by the bureaucratic eign Ministry in Prague who The surrender by Northern politicians in both Big Business parties of sections tyrants. W’orkers’ democracy was broadly hinted to Western cor of the bill explains the “good behavior’’ of the Southern Democrats who allowed the respondents that the deposed destroyed and the workers felt bill to reach the Senate floor on July 16. They cculd have prevented this by a filibuster politically weak and isolated. four would not be arrested or I Today the bureaucracy confronts tried. An obvious expert in the | then but they found it more advantageous to accept the concessions offered. Their a huge, culturally advanced and a r t of double talk, he explained; strategy is to weaken the bill even further by accepting more “compromises” and politically recuperated working vaguely: “They were anti-party, then, if anything remains that would hampei Jim Crow rule in the South, to begin not hostile. There’s a difference.” class. I t is a working class that the filibuster. feels the impulses of world During the very same inter The deal for the first big revolutionary trends. This work view, however, it was revealed surrender was heralded by a ing class is seething w ith dis that while the announcement had U. S. Tries to Evade speech of Georgia Senator been beamed to the outer world, content and hatred for the Richard Russell, who pretended it was not made to the Soviet bureaucracy. to discover a sinister wording people. Queried on this, the Each new split in the bureau in the bill enabling the Presi cracy gives further elbow room Prague spokesman cynically re Permanent A-Test Ban dent to enforce the anti-segrega plied, “It is not the custom in to the masses in their demand By Herman Chauka tion section of the law with the Soviet Union to announce for greater democracy and im JULY 15 — A proposal to lim it any suspension of nu federal troops if necessary. the appointment of technicians proved living standards. As the A ctually such power fo r enforc in the press.” clear tests to a ten-month period is now being pressed by rival bureaucrats contend for the ing the “law of the land” has post of lop-dog they face the The real reason for not in United States representatives to the London disarmament been on U.S. lawbooks since stark fact that victory is empty forming the people of the action conference. U.S. spokesmen em 1795. In a number of laws this on Malenkov is th at the public phasize that they will not "neg dei the test ban the better they power is set forth — fo r ex campaign against the deposed otiate” the ten-month proviso, will like it. ample in the civil-rights legisla group is still being carried on which is offered as a substitute The callous indifference to hu tion passed a fte r the Civil W ar. at fu ll pace in the Soviet press, for the Soviet offer of a two to man welfare winch this stand at meetings and over the radio. three-year test suspension. Mean represents is indicated by tne PRETENDED SHOCK A major reason why, for the first time in 80 years, a civil rights bill — though only a This campaign was given signi while the Atomic Energy Com A uV /8 .proposed lescajrcn pro Russell’s “horrible revelation” token one — has a chance in the U.S. Senate this session. These are part of the estimated ficant new impetus July 16 with mission announced July 13 that gram which is motivated by an that the President could enforce 25,000 persons who last May 17 conducted th e first historic march on Washington in behalf a speech in Leningrad by M a r it is planning a five-year pe admitted need to "im in the wide the country’s law with federal of civil rights. shal Zhukov who looms as an riod of research to.-try to. .de gaps of ignorance about atomic police and Marshal, and, if increasingly powerful ally of the termine more fully the effect of radiation.” they were successfully defied, Khrushchev clique. He charged atomic radiation on man. Consistently parroting the U.S. with federal troops, was received th at the four “ were opposed to U.S. delegates to the London line, Bntisn disarmament repre by Eisenhower and by the the exposure of the lawless acts conference are expressing •'op sentatives have endorsed the Northern press with pretended committed. They feared respon A n End to Rule by Purge - timism” about the possibility of ten-iuoinn pian. 'ii.ty ceiiain.y shock, Eisenhower declared it sibility before the party, before forcing the Soviet Union to do not speun. tor tne nmisu peo was unimaginable that he would the people fo r exceeding their ‘ water down” its proposal for ple on this issue. On J my 11 ever enforce Negroes’ civil rights power and committing unlawful a longer suspension period for with troops. The N. Y. Times and actions.” The Transport and Oenerai Let Soviet People Speak! the tests. In standing hard on Workers Union, tne largest other liberal papers called for the elimination of that whole MEAT AND BUTTER the ten-month limit, administra union in Britain adaed its voice An Editorial tion spokesmen have conceded section of the bill. Meanwhile Khrushchev was to those demanding an end to they are flying in the face of busily making meat and butter the tests and abolition ol the This section — Section III — Rank and file members and sympa Trotskyists with being opposed to in is the only part of the bill promises during his visit, along powerful world sentiment to hell-bombs. dealing with civil rights in gen with Bulganin, to Czechoslo thizers of the Communist Party of the dustrialization ! halt the deadly tests. They are A Soviet worker. This wom In this country on July 7 a vakia. On July 13 he told Czech U.S. are once more confronted with the Isn’t it possible that this method, per apparently determined to make eral, that is with “equal protec- an is a member of an in every e ffo rt to resist this popu 'ban-iiie-test petition signed by tion of the law” against segrega workers, “I t is not bad if, in dustrial working class — the gravest questions about what is happen fected during the struggle to crush work prominent individuals, in improving the theory of Marx, lar demand or to make oniy the tion practices declared illegal by second largest in the world ing in the Soviet Union. ducting some top union omeiais, the Constitution. To wipe out one throws in also a piece of ers democx-acy, is a fa c to r in the pi’esent necessary minimum concessions and growing more and more was sent to Eisenhower. Among bacon and a piece of butter.” He The dominant Khrushchev faction in complex power struggles among the to it. Section III thus means wiping conscious of its strength. the unionists woo joined me de then explained: “When you have the “collective leadership” that inherited out what small measure of anti Widespread demands for work bureaucratic chiefs in the Kremlin? MUMlBO-JUMBO mand were Walter Reuther, a hungry stomach it is some segregation protection the bill ers democracy and a better Stalin’s dictatorial power has accused Official arguments in favor of president of the United Auto times very difficult to under- The issue boils down to a very simple promised.

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