CHRONOLOGY OF RECENT EVENTS IN THE SOVIET ORBIT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A000100060024-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 7, 2003
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: July 14, 1953
• Content Type: NOTES

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
14 July 1953
CHRONOLOGY OF RECENT EVENTS IN THE SOVIET ORBIT
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27 June L. P. Beria failed to attend the opera performance
at the Bolshoi Theatre with other Presidium members.
Also absent were M. D. A. Bagirov, who is an al-
ternate member of the Presidium and Chairman of
the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR,
and L. G. Melnikov, who was last listed as an al-
ternate member of the Presidium and who was
expelled from the Ukrainian Communist Party on
13 June.
27 June Several Soviet tanks seen proceeding along Moscow
streets.
Czech government instituted installment buying plan
for workers.
27-28 June Hungarian Workers Party reorganized at top. Com-
parable to streamlining of Soviet Communist Party
following Stalin's death. May presage similar
moves in other Satellites. Politburo greatly re-
duced. Old Secretariat replaced by three-man
group. Premier Rakosi on both. Personnel changes
has brought to top a younger, stronger, more co-
hesive group of men.
Soviet Minister of Finance Zverev denied in Pravda
that there was any basis for rumors of a new
currency reform.
relations reportedly completed i.n Sofia, `) 25X1
9R June Negotiations for resumption of Soviet-Israeli
State Department review completed
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Hungarian editorial severely criticized officials
responsible for harsh 1952 crop collection quotas,
29 June Byelorussian Minister of Internal Affairs, M,, I.
Baskakov, replaced by M. F. Dechka,
29 June Molotov reportedly affirmed Moscow's willingness
to settle outstanding differences with Iran,
29 June Rumania agreed with Yugoslavia to the establish-
ment of mixed commissions to solve frontier inci-
dents,
29 June Polish students reportedly staged anti-regime
demonstrations and textile workers were on sit-down
strike; both incidents in Lodz,
29 June Hungarian propaganda broadcast was devoted to
questions of and need for renewed stress on in-
ternal vigilance which must be redoubled. Tied
in with events in East Germany.
30 June Soviet ambassadors to the US and UK, Zarubin and
Malik, both alternate members to the Central
Committee (CPSU) suddenly left their posts for
Moscow.
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Communists unofficially rejected General Clark's
29 June proposal, Pyongyang radio stating that
Clark gave "no guarantee" as to Rhee's future
conduct and reaffirming the demand for recovery of
the prisoners,
30 June Hungarian press reported foreign plane dropped
anti-regime leaflets,
30 June Hungarian government announced price reduction
of certain articles of clothing by as much as one
third,
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Molotov rebuffed Austrian overtures to discuss the
return of Soviet-held factories and to explore
the prospects of a state treaty,
June-July Satellite propaganda continued to be anti-US,
June-July Minor incidents continued along Satellite frontiers
with Yugoslavia,
June-July Many high ranking Soviet diplomats in USSR.
Early July Rumanian Premier Gheorghiu-Dej believed to have
left for Moscow,
Early July West German-Soviet trade talks scheduled to begin
in Bern.
1 July USSR dropped its efforts to modify existing
1 July
2 July
corridors to Berlin.
Czech government decreed harsh measures to halt
absenteeism.
USSR-Argentine trade negotiations reportedly con-
cluded,
4 July Hungarian government reorganization and announce-
ment of significant relaxation in socialization
program,
4 July Vyshinsky told Ambassador Bohlen that an armistice
in Korea was of the greatest importance and ex-
pressed his conviction that the US would be able
to overcome its difficulties with the South Korean
government.
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4 July Soviet ambassador to India Benediktov, who is a
full member of the Central Committee, presented
his credentials in New Delhi.
5 July Announcement of release of foodstuffs in Rumania.
5 July Ukrainian Central Committee issued report on
measures to increase production and improve quality
of consumer goods and public servicing.
6 July Czech government reversed 1 July measures to halt
absenteeism,
6 July
USSR proposed top-ranking Soviet diplomat
(Lavrentiev) as ambassador to Iran,
6 July US embassy in Warsaw denied unrest and martial
law in Poland,
8 July
Pravda announced existence of additional reserves
of billion rubles in excess of the envisaged
annual plan for consumer goods turnover,
8 July In their reply to General Clark's 29 June letter,
the Communists agreed to a meeting of truce
delegations "to discuss the question of implementa-
tion of the armistice agreement and the various
preparations prior to the signing of the armistice,"
They demanded that the UN Command take "effective
steps" regarding the observance by the South Korean
government and Army of the armistice agreement and
all other related agreements,
9 July USSR ended travel restrictions imposed after riots
in Berlin, despite previous refusal to do so
until West gave guarantees to prevent further
entry of "provocateurs,"
9 July East German government announced that the vast
majority of rioters arrested in East Germany had
been freed, (Apparently in answer to strikers de-
mands,)
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10 July Announcement of Beria's arrest. Charged with:
1) attempt to undermine Soviet state in interests
of foreign capital. 2) attempts to seize power by
using MVD organs. 3) appointing MVD personnel on
the basis of loyalty to himself. 4) impeding
decisions pertaining to agricultural problems and
the liquidation of arbitrary actions. 5) attempt-
ing to change the party's policy to a ''capitulatory
policy" which would have brought about the restora-
tion of capitalism. 6) undermining friendship of
USSR peoples.
10 July Pravda editorial reporting Beria's arrest and the
decisions of the Central Committee and the Pre-
sidium for his demotion, again pointed out that
the Soviet government has "stated more than once
that all unsolved international questions under
dispute can be solved by negotiations between the
interested countries," and that "the new peaceful
initiative demonstrated by the Soviet government
has brought about the further strengthening of
the international position of the Soviet Union and
the growth of the authority of our country,"
10 July Czech President Zapotocky, deputy prime minister
Dolansky and defense minister Cepicka were rumored
to be in Moscow.
Bulgaria and Greece reportedly signed agreement
on boundary disputes.
Rakosi delivered a speech reaffirming Hungarian
concessions of 4 July.
Rumanian government announced cancellation of
some agricultural debts charged to the peasants.
Izvestia commented on Washington Foreign Ministers
meeting by criticizing US preliminary conditions
for high-level negotiations and citing differences
between the US and its allies. This line is
similar to the 24 May Pravda editorial answering
Prime Minister Churchill's call for a four-power
conference and criticizing plans for the Bermuda
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conference. The only specific reference to East-
West negotiations was Izvestia's claim that
Washington politicians " a] edo weaken in the
West European countries the movement for the settle-
ment of controversial international problems on
the basis of negotiations with the Soviet Union."
11 July Moscow censors passed a despatch reporting that
"foreign observers here thought on the basis of
the Pravda and Izvestia editorials that Soviet
domesTicand foreign olicy as conducted since
the formation of the Malenkov government would
continue unchanged and argued that Beria's
activities as outlined in Pravda consisted pre-
cisely of sabotaging these pries."
11 July USSR and East German governments rejected the
American offer to give $15,000,000 in foodstuffs
to relieve shortage in East Germany.
11 July
12 July Soviet newspapers report reception at Embassy
Mongolian People's Republic attended by Molotov,
Mikoyan, Marshall Zhukov and V. V. Kuznetsov.
Presence of Zhukov indicates rumors his arrest un-
founded.
13 July The American Embassy in Moscow reports that
army
eluding General n ov, thief of the Moscow
Garrison, and General Artemev, Commanding General
of the Moscow Military District are under arrest.
14 July Article in Moscow paper regarding a mass meeting
of ministry personnel called to denounce Beria
revealed the replacement of the Minister of Trans-
port and Heavy Industry, V. A. Malyshev by
I. Nosenko.
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