THE LIQUIDATION OF RUDOLF SLANSKY AND THE LAVRENTIEV PURGE.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00937A000100020004-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 18, 2004
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: December 13, 1951
• Content Type: MEMO

For Release-2006/10/05: CIA-RDP79T00937A000100020004-5
5 N
C E N T R A L INTELLIGENCE A G E N C Y
OFFICE OF NATIONAL ESTIMAT1Z
33 December 1951
STAFF MEP4ORANINJM NO o 173
SUBJECT: The Liquidation of Rudolf Slansky and the Lavrentiev Purge.
Summ . The arrest on 26 November of Rudolf Slansky, former
Secreeneral of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, apparently
has inaugurated a ruthless purge of the party and government hier-
archies under the inspections and probably the directions of the
new Soviet Ambassadors Anatoly Lavrentievo The nature and method
of the purge suggest that the Kremlin regards Czechoslovak economic
.inefficiency and political lethargy as intolerable and that it is
holding the Czech Party responsible for failing, by proper "political
educations" to correct the situationo The Lavrentiev purge is
almost certain to continue,, to the point where virtually the entire
hierarchy may be replacedo
1. Slansky's loyalty to Moscow hitherto had been unquestioned0
A life-long Communist, he 'spent the years between 1938 and 191i1& in
Moscow, returning to Czechoslovakia to become Secretary General of
the Comnmiat Party, His decline began last February when two lead-
ing Party officials were arrested on charges of deviationism and
espionages While Slansky was reproached for not having purged these
"enemies of the state" earlier,, he retained his position,, though
somewhat precariously. Although he was stripped of political power
in September, he was not summarily dismissed but "promoted" to
Vice Premiers Only three weeks before his arrest, Premier Zapotocky
carefully explained to the press that Slanskyes "transfer" was
organizational and "non"political" Two weeks before Slansky?a.
arrests his collected speeches appeared in a two-volume edition
and were warmly received by the press. The Party organ RUDE PRAVO,
whose editor is a high functionary of the Party's praised the txrk
as a great contribution to ideological educations
Cz :-: JiACNT NC?. ~'~_! .~._
NO CHANGE IN CLASS. ^
, 3 DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: IS S C
%I 1' QC1/Ie A/ r%ATF
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2a All this suggests that the decision to arrest Slansky was
made quite suddenly and by the Kremlin, His arrest was reported
immediately after the arrival in Prague of Lavrentiev, the prev.ous
ambassador having been recalled so hurriedly that he left without
farewell ceremonies. Lavrentiev is one of the Kremlin's most
ruthless -and competent foreign affairs officials. He was envoy to
Bulgaria andFbimania between 1939 and 1941, Ambassador to Belgrade
from 1946 to 1949, and thereafter a Deputy Foreign Minister?.,
3o Besides Slaneky, his brother Richards an official in the
Foreign Ministry, and Slansky's closest Sudeten friends, Geminder,
Noehler,,and Frank, were ousted, All are reported to be under arrest,.
At the same time, thousands of lesser officials and functionaries are
being ousted and/or arrested. The surviving Party executives have
already scheduled purges of the remaining leadership, as well as of
the rank and file,
?4a The official reasons given for the liquidation of Slanaky
and his clique - "espionage", "anti-state activities"* "Titoism",
and attempts to escape with western help" are, of. course, a
cover. There is no evidence that Slansky, the prototype of the.
"international" Communist, had Titoist ambitions, Nor is the old
feud between him and Gottwald likely to have caused his elimination,
Slanaky?s fall should certainly not be construed as a victory of
the "nationalist" Czechs
led by the Slansky factio
It is also implausible th
Czechs led to his downfalls or that his being it Jew was more than a
contributory factor for his ouster.
5a The prime motive for the purge probably is an increasing
Soviet concern over the Czechoslovak econonprb The steady decline
of the living standards has resulted in widespread unrest among
the workers- The Kremlin probably fears lest this dissatisfaction
hinder the increase of industrial production which it seeks. Premier
Zapotockygs angry speeches on 31 October and 8 Novembeb.admitted
the government's failure to provide adequate food and housing, but
blamed the workers in general and the miners specifically for not
meeting the current Planes goals. From the Soviet point of vier,
however, the Party is responsible for "political education," which
should strengthen the workers? ideological position and thereby
cause them to work harder and to produce more, As Party chief,
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r -s
Slansky had failed in this functions In addition, he had tried to
perpetuate his position by accumulating personal power; he had
infiltrated into various government agencies, especially the Defense
ministry*
6o The purge is an integral part of the Comnn ni st system,
which shows no gratitude for services renderedl in the past., Based
doctrinally onMaarxian dialectics, the purge is designed as a
continuous rejuvenation process to be applied whenever necessary,
The fact that Slans1 and his followers were loyal servants of the
Kremlin mattered little when they failed to perform their duties
satisfactorily,, or when the Kremlin believed new men had to be
elevated to handle .a now line. Slaneky committed the crime of
holding a high position in the Party without fulfilling his "norm";
he did not use his power to lead his people to Communist enlightenment,,
i.eo, to better Soviet exploitation. Thus he and his Moscow-minded
crowd became new victims of the purge, which throughout the history
of applied Marxism has eliminated or liquidated Communists in the
USSR and elsewhere,
7o Czechoslovakia is the last of the Eastern Duropean
Satellite countries to experience such a violent shakeup, The present
purge is probably far from over, It presumably aims at the installa-
tion of an almost entirely new set of leaders and officials., Even'
the positions of Gottwald and Zapotocky may well be regarded as
insecure, and their replacements maybe drawn from younger Communist
"technicians" who execute but do not make policy., The ultimate
objective of the purge -- as in the'other Satellites -? is complete
consolidation of the orbit under Soviet rule,
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