The Memories Rankle On

Stepping off the plane at Moscow into the organized cheers that pass for Soviet popular enthusiasm, the Kremlin's traveling twosome kissed ailing old President Kliment Voroshilov, accepted flowers from a covey of little girls, and acclaimed the success of their mission to Britain. But it was soon obvious that their most unforgettable moment was the roughing they got at the ill-starred Labor Party dinner (TIME, May 7). Said Premier Nikolai Bulganin: "However strange it may be, the only organization which tried by its conduct to spoil the atmosphere of our visit was the organization of the Laborites. They were given a well-deserved rebuke."

Nikita Khrushchev seemingly could not stop talking about it. The whole rankling story tumbled out. "Questions about some Social Democrats allegedly imprisoned in our country and in the People's democracies were especially prepared for us and shoved at us." Khrushchev said. "We firmly rejected these questions as provocative. They knew very well that we are doing everything possible to correct past errors in a number of cases, and that people who were condemned innocently have been rehabilitated. Why then, did they drag out this and other heinous questions, so as to gain favor in the eyes of the reactionaries?''

Nikita added hopefully that "we are convinced'' that the leaders "did not have the rank and file of the Labor Party behind them." and tried to repair the damage to the Communists' worldwide drive for a popular front with the Socialists. "We are prepared to rise above personal offense and provocative attacks," said Nikita grandly.

Cat Among Pigeons. Back in Britain, Labor Leader Hugh Gaitskell replied: "It was certainly not our desire to spoil the visit in any way, [but] we are bound to differ on the issue of imprisoned Social Democrats, which we regard as an issue of principle." George Brown, the right-wing trade unionist who is contesting with Nye Bevan for the party treasuryship, had been the most persistent of Khrushchev's hecklers at the dinner. He had been swamped with mail since "I scattered the cat among the pigeons," he said, and proudly added: "Mr. Khrushchev told me he had not met a man like me for 30 or 40 years--since he got rid of theMensheviks."

Just as the Socialists seemed about to take all the credit for standing up to the Russians, the Manchester Guardian published a list of 200 political prisoners which, the paper declared, Prime Minister Anthony Eden had handed to the Russians with a plea for their release. In Commons, Eden was the properly outraged diplomat. He had, he conceded, entered a private plea with the Russians to release religious and political prisoners in the satellite countries, but he had not "handed in this list, or any other list." He added: "I want to get results," and talked as if he still hoped to.

Divided Impression. The fate of the prisoners, and Nikita Khrushchev's thin skin on the subject, seemed to be the most lasting impression of the trip. In the London Star Labor's Elder Statesman Clement Attlee recorded his personal impressions of B. and K. Bulganin he had found "suave, restrained, and very easy to converse with. He gave an impression of reserved strength," but Khrushchev "struck me as a man who was not really very sure of himself, and therefore tried to give the impression of being a strong, rough man." Both Tito and China's Mao Tse-tung had impressed Attlee more with their quiet assurance. "That is perhaps natural for they have far more of actual achievement behind them. It may be that Khrushchev is just a passing figure, destined to be liquidated as so many others have been. There was. at all events, in him nothing to show any real change of attitude to the West."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.