Something

There was more news from Russia last week--or at least what passes for news in Moscow--than there had been in months. Item: for the first time since before the war, Stalin called a Communist Party Congress. Item: the leaders of 464 million Chinese were in Moscow, talking (about something) to the leaders of 207 million Russians. Item: the Kremlin sent another note designed to prevent West Germany's joining the West. The outside world was sure that something was up--but what?

There were two major possibilities, not mutually exclusive:

P: The stirrings may be caused largely by internal Russian necessity, i.e., a tightening of the party organization, in preparation for a smooth succession in case of Stalin's death. In that case, the Chinese visit might appear to be a relatively routine affair concerned with the immediate problems raised by the Korean stalemate.

P: Russia may be clearing the decks for action. There is much evidence to support this theory. It has become more or less accepted doctrine in the West that "time works for the Russians," in the sense that if they only sit back, let the Communist parties abroad conspire away, and rely on the West's usual quota of blunders, they will eventually get what they want. This is a half-truth, at best. In the past year the U.S. and its allies have shown dangerous weakness and confusion, and the Russians have made some gains, but the Kremlin may feel that they are not big enough to warrant the economic, political and military expenditures made. Russia, in fact, faces a kind of international deadlock. The area in which it can now move ahead much farther without risking an all-out war has grown relatively small. But, as General Eisenhower said last week (see NATIONAL AFFAIRS) : "Tyranny must feed on new conquests--or wither." Stalin therefore may want to do something to break the deadlock. There was a rash of speculation about just what that something might be. Main guesses last week: war in the near future (considered improbable by U.S. military experts), a new peace offensive (possible, but it would definitely require a new gimmick, as past peace offensives have flopped), reinforced cold war (very possible).

The best the West could do last week was to keep on guessing and study the clues that Russia allowed the world 'to glimpse (see below).

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