Bulganin Becomes Soviet Premier
Malenkov Confesses Self Failure
In Agriculture, Government Affairs
By KICHAKD KAHIHCIIKK
Of the Associated Prc*H
MOSCOW (AP) Defense Min
ister Nicolai Bulganin, an army
marshal, replaced Oeorgl M. Mal
enkov aa premier of the Soviet
Union Tuesday.
The change wns coupled with
n atatement of foreign policy
criticising the United Staten aa
an aggreaaor, upholding Commu
nist China's claims to Formosa
and presenting a picture of pos
sible hydrogen bomb warfare
which Communism alone would
survive.
Spotlight: Khrushchev
While Bulganin became pre
mier, the drama that unfolded
before the Supreme Soviet turn
ed the spotlight on Nikita S.
Khrushchev, head of the Soviet
Communist Party. It strongly
underscored Soviet concentration
on heavy Industry arms, produc
tion for which Khrushchev ha*
been the chief advocate.
Malenkov resigned at a morn
ing session of the parliament,
confessing himself a failure In
the field of agriculture and an
Inexperienced hand in the affairs
of government.
Standing Ovation
Bulganin was nominated for
the premiership at the afternoon
session by Khrushchev, who re
ceived a significant standing ova
tion. Shortly thereafter Foreign
Minister V. M Molotov went to
the rostrum in the great Krem
lin palace, and while diplomats
listened in the packed and tense
galleries, grimly outlined the
Soviet idea of what would come
from a hydrogen-bomb war.
Molotov declared the Soviet
Union has developed hydrogen
bombs with "such success that
the United States could appear
backward.”
"Russia Not Weak"
He «aid a comparison of the
true strength of the United
States and the Soviet Union
would show that f’ussia is not
the weaker party. He declared
the Soviet Union wants to com
pete with the United Staler, in
atomic matters only “in using
atomic energy for peaceful
aims.”
He warned:
"In case of eventual war.
civilization will not perish but
what will be destroyed is the
rotten social system with its
blood-saturated imperialism
which is being rejected by op
pressed peoples."
Military Power
In view of the tenor of Molo
tov's remarks qpviously to be
taken as a major statement of
foreign policy Western diplo
mats noted with particular in
terest that a man associated with
the military had become the new
premier.
There was some speculation
here that it .meant a stronger
role for the armed forces in So
viet internal and external af
fairs, even though Bulganin is
not a career military man but an
old Communist administrator.
Military Spending Up
This current session of the Su
preme Soviet approved a new
1955 budget which increased So
viet military spending by 12 per
cent over last year and laid the
heaviest of stress on heavy indus
try production.
Malenkov's confession of fail
ure was read for him by Alexan
der Volkov, chairman of the
Council of the Union, upper
house of the Soviet. The resigna
tion was adopted by a show of
hands.
Malenkov confessed "guilt" for
the failure of agricultural policy
when he wan in charge of It
before the death of Joseph Stal
in In March, 1953.
"Lack of Experience"
He also said hla “lack of ex
perience has had a negative in
fluence on work in the economic
Phoenetics Assist
In Russian Nantes
By THE ASSOCIATED IKES*
How to pronounce the namea
of the three top KumIjuii in
Tuesday's new s:
Nikolai Bulganin — Nee-kol
eye’ Bool-gah'-neen.
tieorgl Malenkov — Hard
“fi’s” and accent on the wr
ond s\ liable Oee-yor’-gce Mal
yen-koff . The accent in the
last name ran also be on the
flr|*t syllable.
Nikita Krushchev— Nl-kee'
ta Hroimh-cheoff.’
aphere." Volkov aaid Malenkov
would take on other dutlcn un
specified and had promised to
"carry them out faithfully."
After Volkov read Malenkov’s
statement, the session adjourned
! until afternoon. This time Malen
kov led the parade to the stage
and was greeted with applause.
But when Khrushchev arose to
make the speech nominating Bul
ganin for the premiership, he rc
:celved a standing ovation—the
biggest applause of the day.
Bulganin Is 59
The white-bearded, handsome
Bulganin at 59 is six years older
than Malenkov, During World
War II he whs the Communist
official directly in charge of the
armed services, immediately be
neath Stalin.
Khrushchev said Bulganin was
the unanimous choice of the
Communist Party Central Com
mittee and the Council of Minis
ters for the premiership. The
Central Committees met Jan. 25.
It was not clear whether Bul
ganin retains the Defense Minis
try,
Dark Horse
Diplomatic quarters regarded
Bulganin as rather a dark horse
in the race for the premiership.
Most (i peculation had centered
around 60-year-old Khntahchev
or Molotov, 6.r>, as Malenkov's
successor. Some speculated that
Bulganin would be a sort of
chairman of the board a co
ordinator- and not a strong per
sonal leader.
There was little question about
the influential role of Khrush
chev, personally identified vCith
all the most important events in
Soviet life In the past. year. He
had charge of the new agricul
tural program with its stress on
mechanization and the exploita
tion of virgin lands of Siberia
and Central Asia. He sparked the
drive for concentration on heavy
industry.
Production Switch
Malenkov had been associated
since August, 1903, with a drive
to increase light industry pro
I duction for consumer goods— a
program which Khrushchev per
sonally discredited before last
I month's Central Committee
! meeting.
Khrushchev Influential
Khi-ushchev's role in foreign
affairs, through the emphasis on
heavy industry, was detected by
observers here in the budget
statement of Finance Minister
Arseny Zverev before parlia
ment. Zverev said emphasis on
money for armament was neces
sary because there had been no
lessening of internal tensions.
Malenkov’s resignation climax
ed months of speculation eon
I cerning his role in the party and
government leadership. Some
Western diplomats say in it the
end of the “collective leader
ship" or committee rule which
took over after Stalin's death.
Strong Ministers
Malenkov's statement said he
saw the necessity of “strength
ening the leadership of the Coun
, cil of Ministers and the need to
have at the post of the chairman
of the Council of Ministers an
other comrade with greater ex
perience in stale work."
"I see particularly clearly my
guilt and responsibility for the
unsatisfactory state of affairs
which has arisen in agriculture,
because for several years past I
have been entrusted with the
duty of controlling and guiding
the work of the central agricul
tural organization.
Stalin's Heirs
Hold Struggle
By Tom Whitney
Associated Press Staff Writer
The struggle among Stalin’s
heirs for Stalin’s power has en
tered its critical and perhaps its
final stage.
Just a little bit more and Nikita
Khrushchev boss of the Soviet
Community Party will be the
new Stalin. But a miss is as good
as a mile as two previous conten
ders, Lavrenty Bcria and cx
Premier Georgi Malenkov, have
found out.
Nevertheless, in the wake of the
| news from Moscow of Premier
Georgi Malenkov’s self-implicat
ing "resignation,” Khrushchev
seems far out in front in the
Kremlin sweepstakes. It looks as
it he had been able to throw out
of office hi* main rival, whom
most Westerners had regarded as
No. 1 man in the U.S.S.R. ever
since Stalin’s death.
Khrushchev must be regarded
as the leading candidate for the
position of “leader and teacher’’ of
| the U.S.S.R.
But it would be a mistake to
; assume that all the return* are in,
that everything from now on is
cut and dried.
The coming weeks likely will
bring a number of developments
i in the U.S.S.R., including import
ant appointments and resigna
tion* in Soviet government posts.
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