66. Editorial Note
According to the memorandum of discussion at the 329th meeting of the National Security Council on July 3, the following remarks were made by Director of Central Intelligence Dulles during his briefing on significant world developments affecting United States security:
“The Director of Central Intelligence stated that a dramatic announcement could be expected some time today from Moscow. He pointed out that he had earlier informed the National Security Council of an unusual occurrence in the USSR—namely, the cancellation of the annual Air Show. This had been followed by an abrupt postponement of a visit by the Soviet leaders to Czechoslovakia. Today Pravda had published an editorial giving clear indication of the existence of disagreements in the highest ranks of the Soviet leadership. There were now unconfirmed press rumors that a purge was about to occur which would remove four top leaders accused of deviation. Included, according to these rumors, were Molotov, Malenkov, and Kaganovich.
“The President commented that the more trouble the Soviet leaders got into, the better for us all.” (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)
Later that day, the Soviet Government announced that, at a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU from June 22 to 29, it was decided to remove 5 of the 11 members of the Party [Page 143] Presidium. Three of these—Malenkov, Molotov, and Kaganovich— were accused of collusion against party policy and expelled also from the Central Committee. The other two full members ousted from the Presidium were Pervukhin and Saburov. Former Foreign Minister Shepilov was said to have joined the three “anti-party” members and was dropped from his posts as Party Secretary and candidate member of the Presidium and expelled from the Central Committee. The new Presidium consisted of 15 members, including 5 promoted from the ranks of candidate members. Among these were Zhukov, Brezhnev, Furtseva, Shvernik, and Kozlov.
The initial appraisal of these developments by the Embassy in Moscow was transmitted in telegrams 14 and 22, July 3, and telegram 23, July 4. (Department of State, Central Files, 761.00/ 7–357 and 761.00/7–457) The text of a statement regarding these events, released by the Department of State press officer on July 3, was transmitted to Moscow in telegram 14, July 3. (Ibid., 761.00/ 7–357)
According to the notes of the Secretary’s Staff meeting on July 5, there was considerable discussion of the announced changes in the CPSU Presidium. Acting Secretary of State Herter said that the President was considering sending a message to Zhukov “appropriate to the latter’s appointment to the Presidium.” (Ibid., Secretary’s Staff Meetings: Lot 63 D 75) In a memorandum of July 5 to Herter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs John Wesley Jones submitted a formal recommendation that the President not communicate with Zhukov at this time, because Zhukov’s new position was within the party, not the government. He concluded that “it would seem more appropriate, and perhaps more effective, to exploit this enhancement in Zhukov’s position and prestige within the party hierarchy at a later date in connection with some substantive issue, perhaps related to disarmament.” (Ibid., Central Files, 761.13/7–557)
For Khrushchev’s brief reminiscence on the removal of the “anti-party” group, see Khrushchev, Khrushchev Remembers, page 14. A more detailed account of these events is in the diary entries for July 3–6 of the Yugoslav Ambassador in Moscow, Veljko Mićunović, including his account of a lengthy conversation with Khrushchev on July 5, which Mićunović reported to Tito. (Mićunović, Moscow Diary, pages 258–275)