PROTEST ANY MOVE TO -REBABIDITATE STALIN
On the eve of the twenty-third congress of the Communist party of the Soviet Union, considerable uneasiness was reported among intellectuals over the possible partial rehabilitation of Stalin.
_ One of the signs was a collective letter sent by twenty-seven prominent intellectuals to the Central Committee of the party asking that no. ‘such move be made at the congress. ;
The signers of the letter have been regarded up to now as being part of the Kremlin's "establishment." Among them appeared such well- known names as Nobel’ Prize winner Igor Tamm, the physicist Peter Kapitsa,’ the writers Nekrassov, Simonov and Tvardovski, the ballet dancer’™ Plissetskaya and the poet Alexander ‘Surkov, secretary of the Writers Union. : : Cok
These figures were disturbed by recent articles in the Soviet press that have featured Stalin's "role" in favorable terms not heard since the days of the notorious "cult of the personality. "
The collective letter argued that rehabilitation of Stalin would ‘create great confusion in the USSR, particularly among the youth who have been drilled on Stalin's injurious rote, and:that abroad it. would greatly complicate relations with sister parties.at a time when the difficulties with Peking require maximum unity with the East European parties, who long ago condemned the cult of the personality. Finally, the rehabilitation of Stalin would endanger the policy of "coexistence," damage: the prestige of the Soviet Union in the | third, world" and isolate the country. Lo
: . Henri Pierre, the Moscow correspondent of Le Monde, reports [March 19] that another reason for the uneasiness of the intellectuals, even those not associated with the most. progressive .circles and. the-"turbulent" groups of poets and: writers is: foreboding over a ; return to his methods: "Even if Stalin. is not rehabilitated --:and ... everything indicates that he will not be -- is it not to be feared that his methods, after a period of eclipse,’ will be restored? Under pretext of rewriting history in an objective way so as to restore Stalin to‘the place he merits in thé national heritage, will not. justification be offered for his style of government which ait was thought ‘had been definitively condemned?"
Another sign: of uneasiness ‘over the possibility that ‘Stalin might be rehabilitated was the demonstration which. former. inmates of: the concentration camps sought to organize in-Moscow's Red Square. on March 5. [This was erroneously reported in the March 25 World | Outlook as March 4.] They invited a number of survivors of Stalin's terror to assemble in the: square to protest any move to rehabilitate hea et The oceasion. was the thirteenth. anniversary of Stalin! Ss death.
According to a: > March 21 Associated- Press dispatch, ‘many of those who were invited,: “fearing they’ might be victims of.a police. provocation, did not show up at Red Square."
Those’ who did;. continues the dispatch,.."found themselves facing an imposing: deployment: of police, both uniformed and in plain clothes. Some of them were taken to police headquarters and then released,..it is said."
TE BELL