Khrushchev Urges: ‘Learn From West’

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29985, 21 November 1962, Page 8

Khrushchev Urges: ‘Learn From West’

(N.ZJ I^. -Reuter—Copyright)

MOSCOW, November 19.

Mr Khrushchev told the Soviet Communist leaders today that they should be prepared to learn from the West, to immitate what was “profitable and good” in the capitalist system.

In a 30,000-word keynote speech to the opening session of the Communist Party’s policy-making Central Committee, he also outlined plans to make the Soviet economy more efficient by virtually splitting the Communist Party into two productionminded sections —one farming and one for industry.

He launched a new attack on Stalin for “crudely violating” Lenin’s principle of the organisation of control by the party and State.

He also foreshadowed closer co-ordination of the production plans of the Soviet Union and other East European countries. The world Socialist system.' Mr Khrushchev said, was “rapidly becoming a major industrial centre of the world.” Mr Khrushchev made one passing reference to international affairs when he declared that in the Last year the Soviet Union had achieved ‘‘great successes both in internal life and in the international arena." He said: “We can with complete justification say that our affairs are going successfully and that the Leninist course conducted by the party is bringing good fruits.”

After Mr Khrushchev’s speech, the session, which lasted for five and a half hours, adjourned until tomorrow. The session is private, but a report of the speech was issued by the Soviet news agency, Tass. Lenin's Injunction

Mr Khrushchev, in his speech, criticised the Stalinera rejection of everything foreign and said: “We should remember Lenin’s injunction to be able if necessary to learn from the capitalists, to imitate. the good and profitable things they have.

“What our party aims to accomplish is dictated not by the subjective wishes of some people or other, but by political and economic expediency, the need to develop further the Leninist principles of party guidance of the national economy,” he said.

Even in capitalist countries, industry torn as it was by competition, was making extensive use of specialisation and centralisation.

“Why don’t we make use of the things that the capitalists have that are rational and economically profitable?” Mr Khrushchev asked. “Thish is far easier and simpler to do than in the conditions of capitalist competition. Personality Cult

“There was a time —I mean the period of the personality cult—when the idea was sedulously fostered that everything that is ours is unreservedly ideal, and everything that is foreign os equality unreservedly bad. “But the times of the personality cult havo passed,” he said.

“We should remember Lenin's injunction to be able, if necessary, to learn from the capitalists, to imitate what of theirs is good and profitable.” Mr Khrushchev said that the tasks set up by the seven-year plan were being over-fulfilled. “On the whole industry is working well, but it could work much better. “The increase in industrial production between 1959 and 1962 will amount to 45 per cent, against 39 per cent, envisaged in the target figures. “At the same time the output of capital goods has increased by 51 per cent., not by 41 per cent, as specified by the target figures. “Within these years industry will produce 28,000 million roubles (about £10,500 million) worth of goods over and above the progranwne. “The care about a steady raising of the living standard of the people, about more fully satisfying the material and spiritual needs of the Soviet people will also, in the future, be the focal point of attention in the party’s activities.” New Industrial Plants

He said that in the four years of the seven-year plan more than 3700 new big State-owned industrial plants went into operation. In the four years about 9,000,000 new flats had been built in cities and housing estates as well as 3,400.000 new homes in the country. The housing conditions of 50,000,000 Soviet people had been improved. Mr Khrushchev again cited Lenin's principles when he attacked Stalin for “crudely violating” the principle of the organisation of party-State control.

Under Lenin’s leadership, he said, there was a balanced system of party-State control in which the broad masses of the working people took an active party. But during the period of the “personality cult” the system was “upset and replaced by a bureaucratic control apparatus, isolated from the masses.” Mr Khrushchev said that at the time of the personality cult, especially when mass repressions began, many important contaoJ functions had been turned over to security agencies, the leaders of which had tried to put themselves above the party. Main Party Tasks

Mr Khrushchev told the assembled Communist leaders that the entire efforts of the party should be concentrated on “the main tasks of developing production.” Party organisation below the level of the Soviet Republics

should be divided into farming and industrial sectors. He qualified this by adding: “This does not mean at all that the party organisations will no longer concern themselves with problems of everyday life, education and culture.’’ Mr Khrushchev also announced that there would be a similar reorganisation of the Soviets (councils) below the level of Republics into “agriculture’* and “industrial’’ Soviets.

He said Soviet industry “is on the whole working well, but it could work much better.” He said that total industrial production had increased by 45 per cent., instead of tiie planned 39 per cent., between 1959 and 1962. while consumer goods production had increased by 34 per cent, instead of 33 per cent.

In the past, he said, the country’s 10,000,000 Communists (out of a total population of about 220,000,000) had had to scatter their forces. Now they would be used more rationally, and Communists would be able to learn more about production in practice. The organisation, he maintained, would “clear the way for the new and progressive in production.” Mr Khrushchev said the world Socialist system was rapidly becoming a major industrial centre of the world, and they must skilfully use all the advantages of the Socialist system of planned economy.

Western observers said that the speech was an indication of the Soviet leadership’s need to increase efficiency sharply if it is to meet the requirements of the missile age in the defence sector and to continue the gradual increase in the standard of living.