Candidate with Three Suits

Of course, he got 90 minutes of free, prime time on TV, and was able to meet the folks in the Kremlin's mighty marble Palace of the Congresses. Otherwise, Nikita Khrushchev's stump speech to his constituents from Moscow's Kalinin district sounded as if he had to run for dear life to get re-elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Republic this week.

Naturally, Nikita claimed success for his own foreign policy. The Communists were winning the cold war. and all that talk about trouble with the Chinese was an "illusion." (Same day, Peking launched a new attack on Moscow's "fierce visage but faint heart.") Then, in his folksiest manner. Khrushchev told the people just how plumb lucky they were to be in Russia and not in the U.S., where elections are actually contested.

"Sort of a show takes place," he said. "Marchers demand votes for the elephant while the other party canvasses votes for the donkey. I really cannot say which of the two animals is cleverer. Political advertising in the U.S. has much the quality of consumer advertising; it is rather loud, even showy, I would say. All sorts of promises are made, of mountains of gold and rivers of milk." Describing a typical U.S. campaign speech, Nikita said that one candidate promised his constituents to "build a new bridge for you" if elected. " 'But we haven't got a river, so what do we need a bridge for?' asked the puzzled voters. 'Never mind,' replied the candidate. 'We'll make a river for you too.' "

No slouch himself when it comes to campaign promises, Khrushchev told the folks that "probably each one of you would like to have a far better suit or dress to wear." Well, said he, "the time will come" when every Soviet citizen will actually have three suits of clothes--one, presumably, for his birthday, one for his wedding and one for his funeral. "Now," added artful Nikita, "if I were to promise you that you'll have three new suits next year, you'd say that I was drunk." To stormy applause, the old pro sat down. In Kalinin, he would probably be the people's choice even if they had one.

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