Stalin Wakes
Prize of six guineas was offered for a foreign correspondent's despatch (informed "informed) on a rumour that Stalin is not dead, and may be expected to reappear at any moment to clear himself of current accusations.
foH `RII were no quite outstanding entries r this competition. On the whole, those those Matter was best failed to get the 4 at 18P style of the foreign correspondent. vice versa. The frequent suggestion l�liti R. and K. had come to England for 4,, cal asylum, knowing that Stalin's re- b!'ipearance was imminent, gained plaust- hek9Y from the fact that at the time of their the two Soviet leaders were still in 0,4 country. Of the two entries which took ill"! form of telegrams, with all the tiresome 1,:erruptions of R. QUOTE, UNQUOTE, e',,e best was from R. Kennard Davis, who 1.0"tised the whole rumour to turn right re withinwithin twelve hours, including the habilitation and derehabilitation of Beria. decoding left it not quite convincing. t„ree,0Mmend that the prize be divided into three, the winners being E. C. !jails. E. Brill and W. Stewart; but I de the scene in a Glasgow restaurant 11;rwed by W. K. Holmes, where Stalin, I,'"11 recognised, says, `Nyet, I mean oreesht,' and the game of chess at the head ktiPle Amazon waters played by Stalin 14,,41st Hitler, with Trotsky marshalling by" soldiers at another table as witnessed toasts' W. S. Childs—quite in the Barba- are ,,Genghis Khan tradition. Commended (1.• A. C. Evans and A. W. Dicker.
PRIZES
(E. c. JF.NRINS) day 1,1°Its of simple Russians hold that one tiatti.,,ncle Joe will return. Now comes the tlaih,ng news of the man from Omsk who 1(k.a."srto he Joseph Stalin himself. The story toftidaat a medical disciple of Stalin, by a hoiji`illatiknow of hypnosis, deep-freeze, and "eal -how, succeeded in removing
the alleged corpse of the master to a retreat near Omsk. It seems that the thawing-out pro- cess is a slow and delicate business, taking even several years for full restoration to normality. Resuscitation may be hastened by an emotional jolt. I am credibly informed that the necessary shock was unexpectedly and inadvertently pro- vided by a recent broadcast recording of a chant by students at Oxford. The Kremlin is seriously worried. A question much canvassed is: can it be a capitalist invention that Oxford is the home of lost causes?
(E. BRILL)
It is rumoured here that Stalin has
reappeared and is gathering together an army of Soviet youth to march on Moscow. Although the reappearance of a dead leader is an oft-recurring folk legend, other signs suggest it should not be disregarded entirely. A stricter censorship on all communications and the fact that no one is allowed to leave the USSR are significant. A number of well- known political figures have disappeared, and there seems to be an ecstatic recovery from the gloom and bewilderment caused by the recent crying-down of Stalin from the Kremlin.
i Not everyone is inclined to disbelieve that Mr. B.'s and Mr. K.'s official visit to England was an excuse to seek sanctuary there, but it is not considered likely that the British Govern- ment will provide them with the means to defeat Stalin and set up a democratic govern- ment under the United Nations.
(VV. STEWART)
Stalin is alive! All Moscow is buzzing with this astounding rumour, which gains wider currency every hour. The rumour started with the unexplained closing of the Kremlin to the public, three days ago. Its basis is the alleged discovery that the body in Stalin's coffin is, in fact, what gangsters call a 'ringer.' Pravda, of course, ignores the rumour, and Malenkov will see nabody. Well-informed circles, how-
ever, believe that the ek-Dictator is not only alive, but will presently be kicking; and it is said here that Bulganin and Khrushchev have been urgently summoned home—presumably to take their fair share of the kicks. So far, no one has admitted knowing where Stalin is, nor where he has been since his 'death'; but it is widely feared that however passive he may have been, he will not take recent events 'lying down.' . .
COMMENDED (H. A. C. EVANS)
Today all Moscow is agog with a rumour that Stalin is alive and is in Tiflis, where he is making preparations for his descent on Moscow to clear his name of recent charges and, no doubt, to deal with the men respon- sible. The whole atmosphere in the city is consequently charged with electricity. If the rumour proves true, it will be the most earth- shaking event since Napoleon's escape from Elba. and the question in everyone's mind is: What will the Red Army do? So far there has been no government statement, but it may be significant that the Kremlin guards have been considerably strengthened. Other rumours are rife. One is that Marshal Voroshilov has left Moscow for Tiflis to submit himself to his former Generalissimo. Another is that Messrs. Khrushchev, Bulganin and Malenkov are on their way to England to seek political asylum. But nothing is certain.
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