The Triumvir It is now over four Months since the
Praesidiuni of the Supreme Soviet announced, on July 10th, its decision that Beria should be dismissed from his exalted posts and that " the case on Beria's criminal activities should be handed over for examination to the. Supreme Court." The chief charge against him was, in effect, that he was plotting to seize power. The most specific of the subsidiary charges were that he was fostering nationalism in the Republics of the Union; that he was sabotaging agriculture; and that he had obstructed the preparation of the new penal code. (When an amnesty of sorts was declared on March 28th, three weeks after Stalin's death, the Russians were told that the new code would be promulgated fifteen days later. Although there have since been two meetings of the Supreme Soviet, by whom the code will require ratification, no more has been heard of it.) On August 10th, two months after Beria's dismissal, Marshal Voroshilov, the chairman of the Supreme Soviet, signed a decree confirming the Praesidium's decision to " transfer the case of L. P. Beria for consideration by the Supreme Court of. the USSR."
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