خارجي ٤٦/٦١١٦(س) "ملخصات استخباراتية سياسية أسبوعية سرية، الأرقام ٣٥٦-٤١٦، أغسطس ١٩٤٦ - نوفمبر ١٩٤٧" [ظ‎‎١‎٣‎٠] (٩٧٨/٢٦٢)

6
Soviet Government proposes that ratifica
tion should be carried out in the next
10-15 davs.
The latest developments in the British
crisis continue to be closely followed in the
Soviet press under such headings as
“ Economic situation in Britain becoming
more critical," and United States
pressure on Britain/’ A message from
Pravda's own correspondent in Paris based
on a story in The Star mentions possible
Government changes, suggesting that, if
the steel nationalisation plan is modified,
Mr. Bevin would become Prime Minister
and Messrs. Bevan, Strachey and Shinwell
would leave the Government.
The situation in regard to Indonesia
receives close attention in the Soviet press,
comment being on familiar Marxist lines.
The Security Council’s resolutions of
August 25th on Indonesia were said to
reflect clearly the persistent efforts of
certain members of the Council to avoid
taking effective measures to stop Dutch
aggression. The press has also stressed
the Soviet Representative’s opposition to
both resolutions and his allegation that the
States having colonial or important
economic interests in Indonesia were doing
their best to stultify proceedings in the
Council.
Side-tracking, in the now conventional
Soviet manner, the background and reali
ties of the latest phase of British policy in
India, Trud (29 August) recently attacked
the Mountbatten Plan on national, economic
and cultural grounds. It was described as
a deliberate attempt to divide India, to
accentuate differences between the various
groups and to maintain British influence
in the country. The British were even
charged with exacerbating religious fric
tion so as to check the popular indepen
dence movement.
In connection with the Chinese Govern
ment’s decision to close the port of Dairen
(see Summary No. 108 “ The Far East ”),
a Tass communique points out that in
accordance with Article 4 of the Soviet-
Chinese Agreement on Dairen, the port
falls under the regime established in the
area of Port Arthur until the signature
of the Peace Treaty with Japan. Conse
quently, Soviet ships enjoy the incontest
able right of entering Dairen, although
this port, for reasons independent of the
Sovfet Union, has still not been opened for
trade and navigation of all countries as
was established by the Soviet-Chinese
Agreement of 14th August, 1945. In fact
the restrictions against foreign shipping,
and especially U.S. shipping, are entirely
due to the intervention of the Soviet
authorities.
At a recent plenary meeting of the
U.S.S.R. Supreme Court it was decided
that crimes committed by collective farm
chairmen in their official capacity should
in future be dealt with only by tfr*'
Regional, Provincial or Supreme Repub
lican Courts. All indictments against
collective farm chairmen for abuses of
their position must be endorsed by the
Regional, Provincial or Republican
Prosecutors, and in this connection, the
Supreme Court mentions “ instances of
wrongful prosecution and sentence.” It
is possible that the Soviet Government find
it politic for the time being to turn a blind
eye to some of the minor abuses which cer
tain local prosecutors, interpreting Party
propaganda too literally, have over-
zealously attacked. Side by side with the
official party ideological campaign, it is
interesting to note the persistence within
the Soviet collective farm system of the
contest of wits between the peasants and
the State authorities. At the present junc
ture, for example, Russian newspapers
report many instances of kolkhozes having
deliberately under-estimated their harvest
prospects in order to sell a higher per
centage of their crop at open market
prices.
It is reported on reliable first-hand
authority that the general air of optimism
about the harvest is having a good effect
upon the morale of the Soviet people, who
can at last look forward with some confi
dence to relaxing their belts a little after
the food austerities of the War and post
war years—and more especially of the
past year. Although the fruits of the
grain harvest are not yet on sale, the
potato and vegetable crops are now avail
able at reasonable prices and appear to be
plentiful and of good quality. In Moscow
at least, there has already been a very per
ceptible change in the appearance of the
population, who seem to have enough food
for the first time for many months. There
is now some ground for anticipating the
abolition of bread rationing in the near
future.
The R.S.F.S.R. Ministry of Higher
Education has decided to reintroduce the
study of Latin in nine of its high schools.
The Soviet authorities have probably
realised that a knowledge of Latin, for
many years confined to a handful of
specialists at Universities, has a wider use
fulness. The importance attached to the
comparative-historical approach in Soviet