KGB HEAD ANDROPOV WINS PROMOTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100170055-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: May 25, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100170055-4
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE ZIL,
THE WASHINGTON POST
25 May 1982
KGB He~dAndr~piv. Wins
' ' Woihtngton Poet Focelgn servke ;
MOSCOW, May 24-Yuri Andro-
pov, chief of the KGB security police
for the past 15 years, 'was elected to
the powerful Soviet Centraj Commit-i
tee Secretariat today in one of the
most significant shifts in the Krem-
lin leadership in recent years.
The choice of the 67-year-old pol-
itician to fill a post vacated by the'
recent death of chief Kremlin ide
ologist Mikhail Suslov clearly:.wid
?ened Andropov's responsibilities and
strengthened his position has a- pos
sible successor to ?: Soviet " .leade
Leonid Brezhnev.
The elevation of Andropov came
at the end of a one-day meeting of
the Central Committee, which unan-
imously approved Brezhnev's special
food program for the 1980s. -; ' '
In his speech at the session,
Brezhnev talked about "big losses" of
harvested crops and meat and milk
products due to low efficiency, inad-
equate storage facilities, "an insuf-
ficient level of all-round mechaniza-
tion" and "poor exploitation and tow)
'quality of many types of -agricultural
machinery."
But the 75-year-old Soviet leader
said the new food program would
pour massive amounts of money into
the villages. He said that approxi-
mately one-third of all Soviet capital
investments in the period. of 1986-90
will go to the agricultural sector.
Apart from reflecting a broad con
sensus for decisive action to improve
the food situation, however, the So
viet leader's speech did not provide
any specific details-to suggest a dra.'
matic change in Moscow's approach. I
Western diplomats said they exJ
petted Andropov to take- over Sus]
loo's position as ideologist, which!
would give him great influence over.
personnel matters as well as foreign
policy.
The diplomats said the main loser
in the appointment appeared to be
Konstantin Chernenko, Brezhnev's
long-time chief of staff, who has
been Andropov's main rival for Sus-
lov's position.
Chernenko, 70, remains as Central
Committee secretary in charge of its)
general department. He appears to'
have a narrow base of support apart}
from his personal closeness to thej
Apart from Brezhnev, Andropov,
and Chernenko, the only senior fig-1
ure who is both a Central Committee'
secretary and Politburo member is;
Andrei Kirilenko, 75. He is described;
as being seriously ill and not likely
to emerge as a top contender for they
job of party general secretary, which
Brezhnev has held since October;
1964.
The 11-member Secretariat di-'
recta the work of the Communist
Party apparatus on a day-to-day ba-
sis, while the Politburo sets policy
for the party.
The Central Committee also pro-
moted one of its secretaries, Vladi-
mir Dolgikh, to the status of alter-
nate member of the Politburo. At 57,
Dolgikh is described as one of the
most intelligent and educated per-
sons in the leadership.
Brezhnev said that the govern-
ment plans to allocate the equivalent
of $230 billion in this decade for
building and road construction in
the rural areas.
"This is a big sum even by our
standards," he said. But, he added,
"this is a big policy decision aimed at
eradicating distinctions in social con-
ditions between town and coun-
tryside." . I
He also announced that wholesale'
prices paid by the state to purchase
grain, meat, vegetables and other
products from collective farms would
be increased as of Jan. 1. The pro-
gram, he. said, envisages organiza-
tional changes to improve produc-
tivity and reduce waste. JJ
Noting that the Soviet Union had
been compelled to step up purchases
of foreign grain, meat and other
commodities "in the interest of the;
people," Brezhnev announced that,
Moscow intends to reduce such prac-1
tices in the future.
The draft program, Brezhnev said,,
"proceeds from the need to reduce;
imports from the capitalist countries.;
The interest of the country demands:
that we should have adequate food
and fodder resources of our own,-!
which would put us beyond the'
reach of chance." -
In a clear reference to the. United
States, Brezhnev said the Soviet'
Union will "never put up" with cer-
tain countries trying to use "grain
anlaa" aj a meant of "-14..n1 ..
Brezhnev's speech, which?`'ivas'
read over Moscow- television-'and'
then distributed by the government
news agency Tass, did not include
details of the food program. The So-;
Viet leader talked in general terms.
about the reasons for difficulties.
He conceded that "the demand fors
meat and dairy products is not ' yeti
met, there is a shortage of vegetables!
and fruits [and] disruption in trade
of foodstuffs occurs in a number of
regions." ? . . _
It was too early to make a? full;
assessment of the government's'food
program, which would 'require:care-
ful study. The program has not, yet
been published.
In general, however, Brezhnev'r
speech appeared to reflect growing
concern about the country's ability
to feed itself but did not suggest any'
remedies that would involve ..b Id
departures in Moscow's economic
thinking.
The program envisaged huge cap-
it l investments in the agricultural
sector and cash incentives to stim-
plate collectivized farmers, Gut the
measures seemed to be planned in
the context of the existing central-
ized economy.'
Despite its professed political will
to seek solutions to the food problem,
the Soviet leadership has yet to de-1'
monstrate the strength and ability to
put in effect changes it wants to see.
Brezhnev appeared to defend pastI
policies by asserting that the deci-1
sions of a Central Committee'ple-t`
num in 1965--during the firs, t'year
of his rule-remain the basis of the J
''party's agricultural policy. He called
it "a correct policy from which wel
did not depart and will not depart."
. He talked about increases in ab-
solute production figures and as-
serted that difficulties were caused
in part by a massive exodus of the:'
rural population into'the cities.
-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100170055-4