From Our Russian Correspondent
Year in, year out, on the anniversary of the "Great Proletarian Revolution " the Central Executive Committee broadcasts a number of slogans, some of them, such as " Long live the universal socialist revolution," being in the permanent repertoire. This year new slogans have been added to meet the needs of the present day, thus:
"Fascism is the capitalists' and landowners' terrorist policy against the workers and peasants.
"Fascism spells a war of aggression. Fascism means famine, destitution. ruin!
" Let us mobilise our forces against Fascism!"
The usual " greetings" are broadcast, first to the " peasants and workers of Spain," and then to the " German revolutionary proletariat." On the " home front " greetings and incitements to greater industrial achievements arc addressed separately to each category of labour.
A careful student of the Soviet press detects, however, a considerable deviation from the approved wording. Thus for a long time the Bolshevist cause was described as that of " Lenin-Stalin " ever since Stalin came to power, and the Communist party became " the Marx-LeninStalin " party. Now in this new list of slogans (Isvestia) the present dictator's name is unaccountably omitted : the cause is " Lenin's "; the party also only "Lenin's," whilst the " invincible banner " under which this party fights is that of " MarxEngels-Lenin."
Whether such omissions arc accidental or deliberate we do not profess to know, as we are in the dark concerning the actual goings-on behind the Kremlin scenes.
The perusal of the Soviet press is now in the nature of a game at guessing and trying to read between the fines. Thus names which but a few weeks ago copiously adorned every page of Isvestia are now conspicuous by their absence; the deification of Stalin is less apparent. But we shall have to await further developments before we draw any definite conclusions,