RUSSIA: Purge of the Purger

By Monday, Jul. 20, 1953

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(9 of 9)

In all the millions of words of speculation about Beria's fall, some of the most cautious and sensible were to be found in a British intelligence appraisal prepared for Prime Minister Churchill. Its conclusion: the rule of oligarchy in Russia (i.e., "collective leadership") is disintegrating; the struggle for power is between bosses, not between clear-cut factions like the party and the police. The police apparatus, which survived the destruction of previous bosses, is now in Malenkov's hands.

In India, a Hindu politico put it more vividly: "Whenever a great Mogul ascended to the throne in ancient India, he killed all his brothers and cousins because of fear that they might challenge his position. Russia's rulers are only following this bloody custom. Malenkov has begun the massacre of all Stalin's potential heirs."

^{*And thereby won the U.S. Legion of Merit and the Order of
the British Empire.}