1 NOVEMBER 1957, Page 6

Portrait of the Week

THE most generally audible noise of the week (now that the

Russian satellite's batteries have run down) has been a confused snarling from behind the Iron Curtain. Marshal Zhukov, re- turning to Moscow from a three-weeks' whistle- stop tour of Yugoslavia and Albania, discovered that he had been relieved of his post as Minister of Defence in favour of Marshal Malinovsky, by strange coincidence a friend of Mr. Khrushchey's. Mr. Khrushchev, when taxed with the problem of Marshal Zhukov at a party said ambiguously that a post would be found for the Marshal com- mensurate with his abilities, and added the touch- ing philosophical apophthegm that 'In life one cell must die, another take its place,' a sentiment which does not look too good for Zhukov. Mean- while, dramatic stories have been circulating of lights burning late in the Kremlin and fierce argu- ments in a possible meeting of the Central Com- mittee.

President Tito's reaction to this treatment of his late guest has been to double up with an attack of lumbago which will prevent him from going to Moscow to attend the celebrations of the fortieth anniversary of the Revolution.

Mr. Macmillan's visit to Washington in the wake of the Queen was evidently a success. (in spite of the strictures of Mr. Bevan, who passed him in mid-Atlantic outward bound for a lecture tour in the States). The Prime Minister seems to have been highly flattered by his reception, and the statement produced afterwards made useful references to the pooling of atomic secrets (in- volving presumably an amendment of the MacMahon Act) and the solidarity of NATO which is to be fostered by the appearance of Mr. Eisenhower in person at the NATO council meeting in December in Paris. The fact that Mao Tse-tung and other Communist leaders will be in Moscow not long before gives a suitable air of rivalry to the proceedings.

It is still pretty dubious whether the bigwigs will find a French government in Paris to receive them. The latest attempt to form one, that of M. Monet, was thwarted by the Assembly, who refused to give him a vote of confidence. The task was then handed on to M. Gaillard. In the meantime there had been a day's general strike and serious riots in the South.

The Middle East situation has been a little quieter apart from the usual flow of Soviet and Syrian abuse. Even Mr. Khrushchev has attended a party in the Turkish embassy and said that the compass has veered towards peace. The Turkish elections are over and left Mr. Menderes and his party still in power. A lunatic has thrown a bomb in the Israel Parliament, injuring the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Religious Affairs.

In Cyprus Eoka has been issuing strong calls to terrorism again. Four leading Hungarian last art}' tl authors have been tried for their part i October's rising. The Polish Communist P to be purged of 'dangerous elements.'

At home the Government has faced the nee Parliamentary session in rather better heart thal seemed likely. The result of the Ipswich election was not particularly encouraging for it' since Labour's majority was increased, but it was not as bad as Gloucester had been. Mr. TherlicY croft and Mr. Macleod have stressed the Gaver/1, mcnt's determination not to finance inflation, to resist wage demands. This had led the general secretary of the NUR to make threatening noises The Government favours life peerages for nlen 9 and women. The.Chief Constable of Brighton 113 f been charged with conspiracy. A large number bogus invitations have been issued to the Russian Embassy party celebrating forty years of (.01e munisin and have proved so popular that tht1, are now reprinting.