RUSSIA: Santa Stalin’s Congress

Rich with the smells of all the Russias, poorly but warmly clad Soviet legislators jounced into Moscow last week beaming and expectant. To them Joseph Stalin is a real Santa Claus. Once every few years-they get free rides to Moscow and lavish entertainment at the State’s expense. Two thousand strong, they sit in the onetime Throne Room of Tsar Nicholas II and are known as the All-Union Congress of Soviets. The Congress is content that its members do not rule Russia but merely ratify the acts of the Stalin dictature. Hand-picked by Communist agents in the provinces for this duty, the Congressmen and Congresswomen are of a type to enjoy it thoroughly. Last week Santa Stalin and all the good Congressfolk of all the Russias had a genuinely thrilling time in the high-walled, high-spired Kremlin.

Altogether unexpected was an announcement by the Dictatorship that the power of Russia has been secretly almost doubled in the past two years. Up to last week the Red Army was officially supposed to number only 562,000 troops and the Red defense budget for 1934 was supposed to carry expenditures of 1,665,000,000 rubles ($1,444,000,000). Abruptly and astoundingly Comrade Mikhail Tukachevsky, Vice Commissar for Defense, announced to the Ail-Union Congress that Russia actually spent 5,000,000,000 rubles ($4,348,000,000) last year for defense and has increased her standing Army to 940,000—by far the largest army in the world.

Breathlessly the Vice Commissar rattled off that since 1930 the Red Navy has been increased 435%; Red machine guns 215% for infantry and cavalry, 700% for planes and tanks; Red light tanks 760%; medium tanks 792%; heavy artillery 210%. Finally the Red Air Force has been increased 330%, the average speed of combat planes doubled, average cruising range tripled.

This was more exciting than any old Five-Year Plan. Declared moon-faced Premier Vyacheslav Molotov: “All this was done on the initiative of Stalin, and I hope you will approve the action of the “Party and the Government.” Whooping with elation the 2,000 delegates leaped to their feet, cheered hard-jawed Dictator Joseph Stalin for 20 full minutes.

Cheered by the Congress, too, was the shooting of 117 Russians to avenge the murder of Joseph Stalin’s famed “Dear Friend Sergei” Kirov (TIME, Dec. 10 et seq.). To replace Friend Kirov in the Politbureau of the Party (“Soviet Big Ten”), Dictator Stalin put forward his hard-boiled nephew. Comrade Anastasy Mikoyan. In 1919 British troops occupying the city of Baku, Russia’s oil metropolis, seized 26 self-styled “Bolshevik Commissars,” shot all except smart Stalin’s smart nephew who managed to escape. Last week the Soviet Congress acclaimed him as definitely a new Big Shot. His extra-Politbureau job: Food Commissar.

Nations flayed by prominent Congress speakers were: the U. S., for failing to grant Bolsheviks a whopping loan; Japan, for invading Inner Mongolia and clashing even with Red Outer Mongolia (see p. 22); Germany, for continuing to balk France and Russia in their efforts to get that power to sign the Eastern Locarno Pact (TIME, July 23 et seq.).

Soviet Congressmen shook their fists at the diplomatic box last week when the German and the Polish charges d’affaires remained seated as Bolsheviks rose and burst into the Internationale. Afterwards German Charge d’affaires Dr. Fritz von Twardowski snapped: ”I had no right to participate in a demonstration for or against Stalin or any other Soviet leader. I consider my failure to rise fully justified in that the Red anthem was sung not as a part of the formal program of the Congress but as part of an ovation for Herr Stalin.”

That the Pole sat with the German was fresh evidence of Polish coolness to France. In Warsaw same day last week rumors were circulated that Poland and Japan have signed a secret military pact hostile to Russia. This was supposed to have been blabbed by a Japanese officer who got roaring drunk at a hospitable Polish officers’ mess.

In Moscow the Press denounced the sitting business as “A BREACH OF INTERNATIONAL DECENCY,” then printed all week furious threats to Japan, Germany and every other nation with which the Soviet Union might find itself at war. Roared Pravda, official organ of the Party: “History is working in our favor, and know ye, Mister Imperialist, that if you impose war on us we will fight, not on our territory, but on yours!”

*Russia’s Constitution provides that the Soviet Congress meet every year. Actually it is convened at the whim of the Dictatorship, last met in 1931.