FURTHER CHANGES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27040, 26 March 1949, Page 7

FURTHER CHANGES

HIGH SOVIET OFFICIALS MARSHAL BULGANIN RELIEVED OF POST Rec. 11 p.m. LONDON, Mar. 25. Marshal Bulganin has been relieved of his post as Minister of the Russian Armed Forces and Marshal Vassilevsky has been appointed in his place. The text of the announcement, which was broadcast by Moscow radio at midnight, said: “The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR has relieved Marshal Nikilai Bulganin, vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, of his duties as Minister of the Armed Forces of

the USSR. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR has appointed Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Vassileysky as Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR.’’ The radio added that Bulganin remains a vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers as in the cases of Mr Molotov (Foreign Minister) and Mr Mikoyan (Foreign Trade) who were relieved of their departmental duties earlier this month. Fifty-three-year-old Bulganin has been Minister of the Soviet Armed Forces since March 1947, when he took over from Mr Stalin, who held the post during the war. Forty-seven-year-old Vassilevsky was relieved of his post as Chief of Staff last November because he was “ overburdened with work.” He was appointed Chief of Staff in 1943 after the successful Stalingrad counteroffensive in which he was Marshal Chukov’s right-hand man.