opy
'THE DOCTORS' PLOT"
Office of Current Intelligence CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Intelligence Agency
Office of Current Intelligence lh3
The attached article, "The Doctors' Plot, is the firsteries of working papers prepared by the staff of Project CAESAR. Project CAESAR vas established by the Director of Central Intelligence to study all available Information on the Members of the Soviettbe olddle ranks as well as tbe higher.
the whole, tbe
oroatlon under scrutiny, like
most categories of information on tbe Soviet Union,nconclusive and frequently contradictory. The work of Project CAESAR has served, however, to stimulate reconstruction of developments and eventsthe Kremlin hierarchy, of which the first to be issued is "The Doctors' Plot". It will be followed by articles dealing with both tbe subsequent and preceding periods.
Tbe views expressed in these articles are those of tbe authors and do not represent official views of tbe Agency.
It ia suggested that recipients retain their copies of thochapters as Issued, for later binding in chronological orderooee-leaf book.
Tbeanuary Pravda article disclosing the doctors' plot oust havehattering effect on the citizens of the USSR. It eat the stage for what was probably anticipated in many quartersepeat pcrformnce of the devastating purge that shook the Soviet Union
Tbe announcement singled out nine doctorsost of then Jewishae parting of spies workinghich ia turn was sponsored by the American and British intelligence organizations. Tbey were accused of murdering bytwo former Soviet leadersA. S. Shcberbakov, who died innd A. A. Zhdanov, who died In. In addition to other leaders, the doctors were farther specifically accused ofto Burder five military figures: Marshals Vasilevnkl, Koner and Govorov, General Shtemenko and Admiral Levchenko.
The "plot" had clearly anti-Semitic overtones. The observation was made at the tine that since no Jews had attended Zhdanov and Shcberbakov, it was necessary to Include among the participants the names of three non-Jews who had. In addition, itew stage in the fierce propaganda vox, the "hate-America"hich Ambassador Kennan had found bo virulent upon his arrival in Moscow. Inter alia, it brought proof of OS hostility directly to the Soviet people by proving that this country had many agents inside the USSR.
The leaders of the US and UK were in effect accused of having assassinated two prominent Soviet government officials and ofto assassinate more, ln particular, these five militaryof the USSR. Shcherbakor's "murder" was committedime when the OS and OK were allied with the USSRar against Germany and were awaiting Soviet participation ln the war against Japan.olonel General, at the time of his death was Chief of tbe Army's Political Administration, Deputy Commissar of Defense,of the Moscow City and Oblast Committees, and alternate member of the Politburo.
The wording of the announcement carried the clear suggestion that the doctors might have succeeded either in murdering others not -opacified in the announcement or at least in reducing their life span. Tegorov, one of tbe accused, had actually been Chief of the Kremlin's medical directorate, and hence had probably treated at one time or another all of tbe Politburo members, including Stalin
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himself. It ia known, for example, that Yegorov treated Kalinin, Dimitrov, and Cholbalaan. The French Communist press had reported that VinogradoT and another of the accused doctors, CrinBtein, bad treated Thorer.
Singled out as the doctors' intermediaries were A. B. Shimele-Tich, last Identified as head doctor at tbe Botkin Hospital in Moscownd Solomon Mlkhoels, Chairman of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee during World War II. Mlkhoels bad died in Byelorussiai'i under Bomevbat mysterious circumstances.
This particular part of the announcement appeared purposefully open-ended. Few people In tho USSR would be ready to accept the fact that only these two relatively minor figures were to be accused of handling the purported plot Inside the country. The last timehad been accused of medical murder in the USSR, the bead of the secret police (Tagoda) had allegedly prompted them and he in turnhad been directedolitburo memberAbel Yenukidza; both had paid with their lives. The stage van set, therefore, for more arrests and more disclosures and by directly censuring the MOB the Pravda article bad suggested tbat history might repeat itaelf.
Abakumov, tbe MSB Chief8 when Zhdanov died, bad already been ousted as Ministerlthough his removal had never been publicly announced. The plot could serveood reason for Justifying this earlier removal if one were needed. His link-up with US "espionage0 could have been veil documented. To take one example. Ambassador Kennan was visited lnear after Aba-kumov's replacement,rovocateur claiming to be Abakumov's son.
Abakumov, however, was not tbe only MSB chief involved. V. H. Merkulov had been bead of tbe Commissariat of State Security9 when Shcberbakov died. At the time of the plot's announcement he was serving ae USSR Minister of State Control. Merkulov bada setback at tbe October Party Congress when he was droppedull to alternate status on the Central Committee. He Is
listedks havinglose associate of
Bar la. unereports tnnx ne was among those who accompanied
Berla to Moscow when he was called by Stalin to take over Yczhov's Job and end the purge. Abakumov also had been associated with Berla and he, of course, did not figure at the Party Congress at all.
Tbe Implication tbat both Abakumov and Merkulov were Involvedhadow on one of the big luminaries Id the Kremlin itself, L. P. Berla. There are other suggestions with, regard to Berla and the purge: Berla bad been universally regarded aa retaining Politburo
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level responsibility for security affairs.
Thereew straws In the wind in the fallhat Berla bad slipped among the ranks of Stalin's favorites. Be was listed as the tilth Politburo member to enter the Ball of Columns at the opening of tbe Party Congress, when previously be had ranked as number four. This lover ranking was later repeated ln the order ln which tbe pictures of the Politburo members were bung on 7the anniversary of the October revolution. (Berla laterhis number four spot onanuary.)
Beria bad been ln charge of tbe Commissariat of Internal Affairs7 3 the Commissariat of State Security had
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been formed out of the Commissariat of Internal Affairs and Merrulov had been given charge of it. All the Commieaarlato vara renamed Min-ietrieB innd Merkulov continued to head tbe Ministry of State Security (NOD) until some time in the middle of that year, vben be vae replaced by Abakumov. Tbe indirect Implication of Beria vas modified by tbe fact that onanuary, tbe evening before tbe an-noucement, Stalin and five of bis biggest lieutenantsKolotov, Malenkov, Beria, Voroshllov andoncert at the Bolshol theatre. There is little doubt that this appearance vas intended to avert the panic vblcb vas expected vita the announcement of tbe doctors' plot the following day.
Beria waa probably not the only Soviet leader concerned about tbe outcome of tha doctors' plot. Certainly the anti-Semitic nature of the affair caused concern among those of Jewish background. L.. Kaganovleh is Jewish and so, too, is tbe wife of V. M.a addition, the Chairman of tbe Presidium of .the Supremo Soviat, H. H. Shvernlk, has been reported to be Jewish.2/
Tbe question which immediately arose with regard to tbeannouncement waa who had started lt and why. Something big had been brewing since Suslov'secember attack on Fedosoyev for daring
l/ The status of Kaganovleh at tbe time of tbe plot was unclear. been identified" Chief of GoesnSb
(Committee for the State Supplies to the Rational Economy) as late as However, when the election lists for the Supreme Soviet were made public at the end of*abanov was listed aa Chairman of Goeanab. One Soviet ' as reported that in Kiev Kaganovich vas referred to aa "our' father" by the Jewish residents there. Several Jews in Kiev were arrested in the wake of the vigilance campaign. Tbe American Jewish Tearbook for theewish writer from VIloo as stating that the coat I. Fefer and the theatre director S. Mikhoels interceded5 with Kaganovich who in turn interceded with Zhdanov toa Yiddish dally paper in the USSR. The license was refused (refer, incidentally, had toured tbe OS with Mikhoels) Fefer vas arrested8 but Soviet authorities never gave any reason for this action.
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to write about Stalin's opus without previously confessing to the sins of Voznesenskylsm. This ln turn bad been followed by the mass recantation of economistsanuary. Yet the timing^of tbeon as well as its perpetrators were difficult tot wasto go back to the October Party Congress to find anythingand even then the evidence was slight. What evidence there was pointed to Malenkov, Khrushchev, Suslov, and Poakrebychev.s/
Malenkovaragraph of his report toh Party Congress had referred to "the enemies of the Soviet State who are workingto smuggle their agents into our country" and bad warned against "the remnants of bourgeois ideology and relics of private property, mentality and morality" still prevalent in the Party's ranks. Suslov hadittle more along this line. Sovietpropaganda following the Congress, however, had echoed Soviet strength and was characterizedone of confidence and assurance as was exemplified, for example, in Pervukhin's speechovember, Thus, there had been no real effort after the Congress to prepare the people for tbe doctors' plot or tbe heightened vigilance campaign set off by its announcement.
One of the few harbingers was seen in theotebook, which attacked Zionismreactionary nationalist current of the Jewish bourgeoisie." Thin vac in contrast to tbe line of Moscow radio which during the Slansky trial in November had
l/ Some of the principals ln tbe plot were apparently still free men as late asven though theanuary announcement had indicated that the plot had been uncovered "some timenctober on institute of the Academy of Science in theSSR congratulated Vinogradov, one of the nine doctorsonhbirthday, indicating that he had probably not been arrestedey that date. audatory article on Vinogradov appeared In Evening Moscow.
ost of the principal lines which were utilized by Sovietmedia during the vigilance campaign were mentioned in Party Congress speeches by Malenkov, Khrushchev, Moskatov, Suslov, Fadeyev, and Poskrebycbov. Curiously, Stalin, Molotov, Berla, and Kaganovich did not mention any of these lines. For example, while Malenkov, Khrushchev, Suslov, snd Poskrebycbev spoke of tbeof "capitalist encirclement" and admitted the existence of "hostile elements" within the USSR, neither of the points wasby Stalin, Molotov, Berla, or Kaganovich.
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played down the Zionism issue. Something may have happened in the period between October and January to cause the "doctors' plot" deci-
or affect its timing, surface.
whatever ft.was it remained under the
probable clue vas the curiously belated announcement onctober that Marshal Govorov had been elected an alternate member of the Central Committee of the Party at the Congress, but bad been erroneously left off the lists. Obviously something very strange was going on and great pressure must have been exerted to get Govorov on the Central Committee. It has been speculated that Kalehkov, whodominated the October Congress, bad for one reason or another begun to have trouble with tbe Central Committee and that somein it were rebelling against him.
Govorov was one of the military men allegedly marked for death by the doctors. This was of some interest because Govorov had links with Zhdanov. He bad served with blm In Leningrad and had delivered one of the eulogies at his funeral.ravda articleovorov had praised Zhdanov for his role in the defense of Leningrad. Here again the reasons why precisely these fiveasi-levsky, Konev, Govorov, Shtemenko, and Levcbenkowere singled out for notoriety and other military leaders, such as Zhukov, Sokolovsfcy, and Timoshenko were not, Is unknown. Another curious note regarding the selection of the five military leaders was that they did notan Air Force representative.
In addition, amid the mass of speculation regarding tbe purpose of the doctors' plot no clear reason for the inclusion of the five military figures stood out. Speculation at tbe time ranged from (a) an effort to bolster morale of the military by putting them on tbe aid* of the vigilantes, toarning to precisely these five and other* of their Ilk to renatn passive in tbe events which wore to transpire. It seems hard to visualize the military, with theofs still in their minds, aa looking with favor on any purge. It seems reasonable to assume, however, that tbe announce' ment was intendedarninga warning against individualsroup of Individuals unknown to the west, who were contesting the status quo. This opposition may have been real or lt may havo been imagined- The Govorov appointment to the Central Committee suggested that it was real.
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TPS IHTEB3IFIKD VIGILAKCE CAMPAIGH
At any rate, once the original announcement of the plot vas made there vas little time lost in building on the symbolism of the purges ofB- An article ln the lk January issue of Kommunlst linked tbe "Kostova, Rajke, and Slanskys" with the "Trotskyltee and Bukharin-ites" ofe and the timing suggested that all would be linked to the doctors' plot. The magazine also charged that many Party cards hod been acquired by "alien enemy elements" in Leningrad. This effort toituation- allegedly existent at tbe time of the Kirov assassination* appeared to be on obvious attempt tothat earlier situation with the present.
In addition, the Pravda editorial which accompanied thehad referred to "right wing opportunists who held an anti-Marxist position regarding the extinguishing of the classherebyine which had run through the previous trials in theand which had been levied against Pauker in Rumania and Gomulka in Poland. The fact that representatives of the accusedagency "Joint" were still present in Hungary indicated that the Satellites were not to be spared farther purging.
In connection with bis statements regarding "capitalistand tbe existence of "hostile elements" in tbe USSR, Malenkov in his speech at tbe Congresa had also mentioned the purges ofs. The purge of "all kinds of enemies of Marxism-Leninism,egenerates, against capitulators and traitors who endeavored to lead tbe earty off the correct path and to split the unity of itsaid Malenkov made it possible for tbe USSR to be sure there were no internal traitors when the Germans attacked it. In this connection, some observers have inferred that one of the purposes of the vigilance campaign was to root out all potential forms of opposition within the USSR in expectationax with the United States.
Onanuary Izvestlaead article entitled, "Increase Politicalhich did not mention the plot but appeared to associate Malenkov with the general Idea of it. The American Embassy In Moscow noted at the time that the article presented an unusual example of quoting from Malenkov in asength as from Stalin. This pattern was to be followed throughout the remainder of thecampaign. Malenkov was to be the only Soviet leader other than Stalin cited In the vigilance literature, although these citationsusually with reference to his speech at the Party Congress.
As mentionedurvey of major themes ln Soviet broadcasts betweenh Party Congress and tbe subsequent reversal
of the doctors' plot Indicated that there was no effort to prepare the Soviet people for the doctors' plot and the vigilance campaign. The broadcasts during this period did not appear to be based on the directives set forth by Halenkov in hla report to tbe Congress. tho surrey noted that the announcement of the doctors' plot set off an extremely Intense "vigilanceith the mainon eliminating "tbe remnants of bourgeois ideology, relics of private-property mentality and morality" which Halenkov had warned the Party against In his speech toh Party Congress.
Later material in the "vigilance campaign" stressed the need, to "end tbe self-satisfaction, infatuation with achievements, smug complacency, and Ina ttent Irene ss" in the ranks of the Party. Again, the elimination of these "evils" had been cited by Halenkov, In his report tob Party Congress, as one of the basic tasks of the
Party.
Other socond flight soviet leaders took an active part in the campaign. ebruary Vyshlnsky excoriated loaders of Soviet lav for their "serious mistakes." In his speech at the Congress Pookro-byshev had specifically singled out the jurists as needing some self-crltlclsm and he had done bo in roughly the same language novby Vyshlnsky. He called on Soviet Jurists to direct their attention to exploding "bourgeois principles" of International lav* that served the American and English "war mongers." Baglrov, Kelnl-kov, Hlkballov, Patollcbev, Tudln, and Alexandrov vera all publicly associated with tbe campaign. Halenkov was also quoted withto the "capitalist encirclement" idea which waa to accompany tbe vigilanceheme which bad not been dominant in Soviet propaganda for some time but one which bad been stressed by Halenkov, Khrushchev, Suslov, and Poskrebysbev at the Congress.
Since both Stalin and Halenkov were employed as oracles of the "vigilance campaign" in the days following tbe "doctors plot"and since Halenkov had been linked in Soviet propaganda with the hard line on "class-warfare" {he bad been quoted by Ulbricht" to this effectecembert is most probable that both were closely connected with its origins. In retrospect the those would seem particularly adapted to tbe picture of an aged Stalin verging on senility, mistrustful of his doctors andew administration in Washington. His lieutenants of the earlier days of purgingMalcnkov, PoBkrebyflhev and Shfclryatov _vere atlll with blm and perhaps it was one of them who had planted the seed. Vyshlnsky too vas still In the foregound. In thiscertain Items are worthy of note:
1. Ambassador Kennan has stated bis view that Malenkov1 bad succeeded In ne curing predominant Influence over Stalin, had misinformed Stalin about Western Intentions, and was In fact largely responsible for preventing Kennan from seeing Stalin during his Moscow tour. Mr. Kennan also Identifies Malenkov with the hate-America line.
ke:
t Poskrebyshev kely. We believe but that
2. The view and Stnlin ran the
whole show seems most that Poskrebyshev was probably Intimately involved, so too was Malenkov. i
k. There was later to be one rather carious statementforeign Communist explicitly associating Stalin with theplot. The Indian Communist Party's parliamentaryK. Gopalan,ress conference in Hew Delhieturning from Moscow and declared tbat Stalin, asthe time, must have shared in the responsibility for theof the accused doctors. This statement broughtfrom other top Indian Communists at tbeie the only known statement of this sort
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Tbe doctors' plot announcement vas shortly followedajor campaign for the Intensification of security measures. ravda demanded increased vigilance from Soviet scientists and members of the Intelligensla. Yuri Zhdanov, Chief of the Science Section of the Party Central Committee and son of tbe late Andrei Zhdanov,umber of scientists who were guilty of snbjectlv--istic distortions. This, of course, reminded observers of8 after his. father's decline and shortly before his father's death, when Yuri had to grovel before Lyeenko.
At the same time certain leading Soviet historians, Including Maisky, the former Ambassador to Oreat Britain, were criticized for their "bourgeois" thinking, while Kiev radio attacked individuals in tbe Ukraine who had not been sufficiently vigilant, particularly in light industry and tbe meat and dairy, food and timber industries. The next day Trud reached new heights of invective in an attack on "American and British war-mongers and their weaponZionism," Onewspaper in tbe Lithuanian USSR admitted that somethere bad been penetrated by "bourgeois nationalists" and Jewish Zionists, while Red fleet charged that Western powers were utilizing diplomatic representatives and newspaper correspondents for "undermining" the USSR. Papers in the Ukrainian and Latvian SSR's accused specific individuals, mostly Jaws, of criminal activities.
On tbe eve oft, tbe Lenin day address was given by N. A. MlkhalloT, the ex-Komsomol chief, who had beenecretary of tbe Central Committee at the Party Congress. Be stressed Partyin the class struggle and denounced complacency in Party ranksccr-revolutionary". Stalin was quoted as holding that "suchre turncoats or hypocrites who should be chased out of our Party." CariousLy enough, this quote as well as most of the others attributed to Stalin during the campaign were taken from bis writings of an earlier period. He bad said nothing at the Congress usable for these purposes.
Onanuary Hew Times appearedtrong attack on Zionism and on Israeli government officials who were called the executorsS State Department spy ring In tbe USSR. Israel was attacked for racial bigotry. As waa the case, in the doctors' plot, most of tbecited afteranuary in the vigilance campaign as being harmful to Soviet security bore Jewish names.
Tbe vigilance drive was also vigorously pushed In the European Satellites. In Hungary, Jews vere arrested for their association with "Joint." In Rumania the party press warned that the deviation exemplified by former Finance Minister Luca had not been eliminated and that it would be "dangerous opportunism" to say that lt bad. In Bulgaria, tan members of an "espionage and plotting" organization guided by tbe "American intelligence in Turkey" vere arrested, tried, and convicted betveenndanuary. In East Germany Georg Der-tinger, tbe CDU Foreign Minister, waa arrested oo charges of treason and the anti-ZlonlBt campaign which developed there resulted in the flight of numerous Jews to West Berlin, vho vere apparently under no illusion as to vhat the future would bold for them. In Poland the government continued its campaign against alleged US espionage andanuaryote to the US protesting such activities.
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In Austria, the Communist Partyurge related to the Slansky trial. It van in Austria, also,oviet-sponsored broadcast suggested that the principal reason for the Satellite trials vas to be found in the policy of Secretary of State Dulles, who sought separation of the Satellites fron tbe Soviet Union.
Elsewhere throughout the world, the various Communist parties were attempting with sone difficulty to hew to the new line, partlcu-lnrly In France and in Italy where the damaging effect was noticeable.
Within the USSR, the campaign continued ln full swing. ebruary Pravda announced the arrest of four persons on espionage charges. ebruary Izvcstla stated that Soviet security agents hadest of American spies established7ormer US assistant naval attache in Vladivostok. The Americanln Moscow observed at that time tbat the Prarda articleebruary had gone beyond previous press statements ln itsof disputes over theory and in its citation of names and details of alleged espionage. The article had stated that "certain rotten theories" were still in existence among which were the beliefs that capitalist encirclement no longer existed and tbat the capitalist world would renounce its attempts to harm the Increasingly stable Soviet Union. The class struggle was said to remain one betweenand socialism, and hence the capitalists would continue their attempts to overthrow the USSR.
In the face of thisoviet foreign policy was described as "firm" and one which "admits of no concessions or littleto tbe imperialist aggressors." Stalin bad not touched on capitalist encirclement ln either his Bolshevik article or his short speech at tbe close of tbe Congress. His point In Economic Probleas of Socialism that wars between the capitalist states were more likely than wars against the Soviet Union was not ln keeping with the propaganda line. Louis Fisher, viewing this part of Stalin's articleension-relaxing device, has pointed out that the Soviet people may have taken it too seriously and hence provided anothercause for the vigilance campaign. Pravda's admission that "hostile elements" existed in the USSR Indicated that the purge would definitely continue.
A new height In Invective was reachedebruary when an IzvcBtla book review attempted to rewrite history to put tb> United States on the German rather than the Soviet side during World War II. The article accused the United States and American espionage of"to facilitate military actions of the Hitlerite Army against the
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8oviet Union." The vigilance theme remained the moat dominant topic in broadcasts to the Russian people, aad while the US and UK were cited as tbe chief external enemies, much emphasis vas given toenemies as well. Two types of crimes were emphasized:and economic. Specific accusations were cade against theclass and petty Parly and government officials. Most of the managers charged with security violations were in charge of consumer goods enterprises. Tbe charges against Party officials emphasized malfeasance in the selection of cadres.
let tbe world waa never to learn just who bad been marked for purging. If indeed the Soviet leaders themselves knew. Most of tbe actual cases cited vere small ones; most of the crimes were petty. The biggest official implicated was one S. M.eputyof Non-ferrous Metallurgy, who vas said to haveumber of secret documents through negligence and laxness. Tbe provincial areas seemed to be waiting for the final word from Moscow. Yetin the scramble to predetermine the party line, hackneyed cases, some of which bad been aired before, were once more dragged into the open. This same pattern seemed to be aired by the Moscow propaganda media also. All the old standard cases against tbe Vest werebut few new ones were created. This dearth of major culpritB also appeared to enhance tbe theory that the initial announcement had been intendedarning ratherirect accusation.
yUKT3EH IKPICATI0K5 OF TENSION
Meanwhile, another event bad transpired which proved to be of more than marginal interest. Onanuary the candidate lists for the approaching elections to tbe local Moscow Soviets were published in tbe Moscow Pravda. Several members of the Council of Ministers were given no place on this list, which isho's Who for the City of Moscow, numbering as it does more than fifteen hundred leaders.
Among those not listed were I. A. Benedlktov, Minister ofU.Yu. Yusnpov, Minister of Cotton Growing; D. G. Zhimerin, Minister of Electric Power Stations; I. K. Slvolap, Minister of Food Industry; I. A. Bovin, Minister of Forest Economy; P. A. Zakharov, Minister of Geology; Ye. I. Smirnov, Minister of Health; K. S. Kazakov, Minister of Heavy Machine Building Industry; P. I. Parehln, Minister of Machine and Instrument Industry; N. V. Novikov, Minister ofFleet; P. F. Lomako, Minister of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy; I. Ye. Voronov, Minister of Paper and Wood Processing Industry; N. A. Skvortsov, Minister of State Farms; V. S. Abakumov, Minister of State Security; S. A. Stepanov, Minister of Agricultural Machine Building.
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The fate of these men van later to be reflected in the March decrees consolidating the Soviet Governmcnt, indicating that at least some of the changes wrought by the decrees had been underconsideration during the period between the October Congress and Stalin's death. Another Interesting development was theof S. D. Ignatievroup of Moscow workers of the MGB. This was the first time that he had been publicly identified with the MGB. Evidently, now that the doctors* plot had broken, the time wasripe to reveal Abakumov's replacement and explain whybad been accorded high honors at the October Party Congress, where he had beenember of the Party's Presidium.
Also significant was the fact that the name of A. A. Andreev appeared. He vas listedeputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. This was the first indication since October that Andreev, who had been left off tho Party's Presidium, vas still relAtively prominent. Smlmov, tbe Minister of Health, who had been directly censored In the original announcement of tbe doctors' plot, failed to make an appearance on the list. It had been rumored in Moscow that he disappeared about six weeks before tbe announcement. Smir-nov'a fall, however, had been presaged at the October Party Congress, where he was not listedember of the Central Committee in spite of the fact that tbe Minister of Health In the RSFSR was named. This suggested that the doctors'plot vas under consultation at that time.
A farther significant fact noted in tbe lists vas the position of P. N. Poepelov, who vas listed as deputy editor of Pravda. He had been removed onanuary from his position as Director of the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute and bad failed for the first time in five years to give the annual Lenin anniversary address onanuary, which was delivered by Mikhallov. This indicated that Pospelov was notin disfavor, although he had definitelyoss of prestige. It vas thought significanthe time of tbe October Congress that Pospelov bad not been named to one of the leading Party organs in spite of the fact tbat other Party theoreticians, such as Mltln, Xudln, and Chesnokov, had been. Interest in Pospelov's case was heightened by tbe fact tbat he had been reliably reported to be Jewish.
The vigilance campaign tapered off somewhat near the end of February, which was marked by very few significant events. Reverthe-less, there were certain noteworthy events during the month. Three foreigners had Interviews with Stalinon tbe 7th, the Argentine Ambassador, and onh, both the Indian Ambassador and aof tbe T'ttHaT' peace movement, Kitchlew, who hadtalin prize. In his interview with tbe Argentine Ambassador, Stalintrade in political terms. This was in keeping with the remarks
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In his Economic Problems of Socialism, where he had indicated that the Soviet Union would sooner or later move into an offensive economic policy of competing with tbe West for markets in underdeveloped areas. This was in contrast to the defensive policy of the post-war period which was directed primarily at the acquisition of critically needed goods from Western countries. 1/
Two other events suggested that all was not well within the Soviet Union. Cmebruary the death of L. Z. Mekhlls once more' gave evidence of the tension that vas in the Moscow air. Mekhllseading Soviet official who had retired from Soviet life in ly5Q. when V. S. MerkuloT replaced him as Minister of State Control. I
this retirement vas due to ill health;
nio Central Committee of the Party in October
aiiiio woo eicviw w
nd had appeared on the lists of candidates to tbe Moscow Soviets published onanuary. He vasew. Soviet propagandaof his death strongly suggested that It was necessary to taper the anti-Semitic aspects of the internal security drive, lest the death of Mekhlls be taken as another example of murder perpetratedew group of "doctor-wreckers."
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Although Mekhlls had been an important Soviet official in earlier years, his death announcement was madeorm usually reserved for only the very highest Soviet leaders; condolences were received from tbe various top Soviet organizations as well as Party and State leaders.
0 haa Deen one or tbe accusedaoc
A relatively detailed medical report on Mekblle attributed hla death to heart failure, due to general arteriosclerosis affecting primarily tbe heart and brain. The fact that Soviet authorities took such pains to describe precisely how Mekhlis died was anof their fear that the Soviet people as well as tbe rest of the world would assume that this prominent Jew bad been murdered. Tbe signatures of the medical report identified I. I, Kuperln as tbe new Chief of tbe Kremlin medical directorate. J
Onebruary, Izvestia carried another curious deaththat of General Kosyukln of tbe Kremlin guard. It noted tbat the death bad occurred two days earlier and had been "sudden". This
The only other occasion of note ln Pebruary was the annual Red Army day ceremonies on thewhen tbe usual line that the Soviet Army was defensive in nature was replaced by one stressing its role as one of liberation.
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Original document.
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