5e 1530 iiccerding to the Financial Times KEremlinologist, there are indications of a political crisis developing in the leadership of the Russian CP, Whilst not wishing to subordinate our own views to his, it is perhaps worth considering the evidence that he misters, and analysing the situation on this basis,
"The first indication in the West of ao possible crisis was given in a despatch from Moscow published in the usually well-informed Italian CP paper L'Unita last Sunday. Without mentioning Khrushchev personally, the report spoke of Moscow 'going through a delicate political period'. It spoke of difficulties in foreign policy and in agriculture,.and industry at home. Non-Communist newspapors followed this up with an assertion that Khrushschev had been pushed into a minority in the Presidium of the Commimist Party Central Committee by Mikhail Suslov, the ‘ideas man' generally thought to stand for a '"harder' line in domestic and particularly in foreign affairs. The other Italian Communist Paper, I1 Paese, yesterday oompared all these rumours with others which proved unfounded in the past. But it found it worthwhile tompeat them all at length, which puts its unbelief in doubt. Besides economic difficulties, it mentioned alleged dissatisfaction among Soviet military leaders over the fact that Mr. Khrushchey has not heen able to achieve awU.5S miclear tests ban. figs evidence that nothing is amiss in Soivet politics, Il Pease quoted an Izvestia report on Monday to the effect that Mr. Khrushchev was in Gagra on the Black Sea, where he had received a delegation of Somali Parliamentarians, Meanwhile Sunday's edition of the Soviet official newspaper Pravda reached London yesterday (Tued;, ) Its front page carries a large report of the Gosplan (State Planning Commission) which took place on March 29th. All the top economic plannors are reperted as having been presontescssseceeess lit, Khrushchev's absence is particularly surprising in view of the fact that current Soviet planning methods were subjected to severe criticism,
"The trend of the meeting clearly follows the ideas insistently advanced by economists over the past six months, and only cautiously welcomed by Mr, Khrushchey. The only timo that he is know for certain to have had a majority against him in the Central Committee Presidium was in