REVIEW OF AND COMMENTS ON (SANITIZED) PP MEMORANDUM REGARDING 'SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY REFUTATION OF CHINESE COMMUNIST CLAIMS TH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-00915R000700090008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 31, 2012
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: February 13, 1957
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP78-00915R000700090008-7
13 February 1957
STAT
SUBJECT: Review of and comments onl
Memorandum regarding "Soviet Communist Party
Refutation of Chinese Communist Claims That
Elimination of Capitalism in China is Peaceful. ?t
make the following observations which are based on a rapid review of
the article and which are tentative in nature. These comments are
submitted in response to your instructions.
2. One of the main aims of CPSU appears to be to show that there
is but one road to Socialism -- the Soviet road -- and that CP China has
dully taken that road, via the dictatorship of the proletariat and class
struggle against the bourgeoisie. It appears that the CPSU recognizes
that the Chinese transformation (not 'tgrowthtt) of the economy is more
peaceful than that of the USSR was, and that CPSU wants the relative
nature of this "peacefulness, !' and its reasons (causes), to be correctly
understood, thus avoiding a comparison between CP China and CPSU
which would be unfavorable to the latter.
3. It also-appears that this article is designed to convey and clarify
on the national ne, the Soviet meaning of "peace," ('t)eaceful") which is
reflected on the in rnational scene, in "peaceful coexistence, " i. e. ,
the relative absence of open violent (military) struggle, but continuation
and intensification of militant class struggle to overthrow the very same
government with which the Soviet State ttpeacefully" coexists. After
Geneva (July 1955), the Soviets had to clarify the "peaceful" element.
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP78-00915R000700090008-7
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP78-00915R000700090008-7
of their policy for the benefit of their membership lest they soften
up entirely; following the 20th Congress with its formulation on
"peaceful means, " the danger of similar confusion on the part of the
membership was present.
4. I note also that CPSU was anxious to emphasize the point that
USSR assistance to CP China facilitated the employment of more peaceful
methods. Furthermore, that CPSU appeared to be desirous of making
the point that the fact that CP China gained power by violence facilitated
the employment of more peaceful means. It also appears that in its
emphasis on the intensification of the class struggle until Socialism
is established, CPSU may be endeavoring:
A. To counteract, misconceptions based on its criticism of
Stalin's "erroneous" theory of intensification of the class
struggle beyond a due point.
B. To justify his brutal repression, at least prior to 1936,
as necessary violence in the historic conditions of the
USSR at the time. (Another point which struck me, was
that the article's stress on the essential need for the
dictatorship of the proletariat in one or another form, and
its general hard line, may have influenced, and may even
have been partially causal with respect to, the major
CP China article published 28 December 1956.)
5. With respect to the earlier comment on "peaceful methods"
(para. 4 above), I would like to add that it appears to me that throughout
the article CPSU stressed the difference and opposition between peaceful
growth, and relatively peaceful transformation. With respect to growth,
CPSU is opposing a spontaneous, hands-off, economic naturalism. With
respect to transformation, emphasis is on the point that, with state
power securely grasped by the Communist Party and assured by
constant vigilance (and selective violence) it is possible to employ the
state capitalist method of undermining the capitalist system. In this
way it is possible to "destroy and annihilate" the system, without the
necessity of shooting as many capitalists as, was necessary in the
USSR, in the course of building Socialism.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP78-00915R000700090008-7
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP78-00915R000700090008-7
6. It is suggested that it may be desirable to include in the
exploitation of the Kommunist article of October 1956 evidence that
CPSU and CP China have the same old, cynical, specifically Stalinist,
view of "voluntary" submission and concessions on the part of
capitalists. In this connection, the attention of the
is called to Stalin's statement:
"Of course, in the remote future, if the proletariat is
victorious in the most important capitalist countries, and if the
present capitalist encirclement is replaced by a Socialist
encirclement, a 'peaceful-' path of development is quite
possible for certain capitalist countries, whose capitalists,
in view of the 'unfavourable' international situation, will
consider it expedient 'voluntarily' to make substantial
concessions to the proletariat. ...'r
J. Stalin, "Foundations of Leninism, " in Problems of
Leninism, page 45, para. 4. (Moscow: Foreign Languages
Publishing House, 1947.)
(12 February 1957)
Distribution:
Orig. & 1 - Addressee
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 : CIA-RDP78-00915R000700090008-7