13 Experts at WGBH Forum Discuss rise of Malenkov

The succession of Malenkov poses a particular problem for the Eisenhower administration, Raymond a. Bauer, co-director of the Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System, said last night.

Bauer was one of 13 scholars in Soviet and world affairs who discussed the consequences of Stalin's death on station WGBH.

The Eisenhower administration faces a dilemma, said Bauer, because its official policy is one of action, in contrast to the containment policy of the Truman regime. However, "it may well be that the best thing we could do is sit tight, and let the forces which are at work in the Soviet system bring a crisis to the point of ripening. It is quite possible that if we take an overt foreign policy of moving into the disputed boarder-line countries at this time, this might have the effect of solidifying the Soviet bosses in opposition to an external enemy," he said.

"United Front"

Merle Fainsod, professor of Government and director of Political Studies at the Russian Research Center, declared that the Kremlin "is seeking to present a united front to the world." He doubted, though, that Malenkov's accession means the end in the struggle for power.

In discussing the effects of Stalin's death on USSR-Chinese relations, Benjamin I. Schwartz assistant professor of Government, said: "In the Chinese picture of Communist evolution you have the apostolic succession of Marx, Lenin, Stalin and then Mao."

Schwartz felt that the disappearance of the Stalin image will cause the Mao image to loom larger in Asia, making it impossible for Malenkov to hold the same power and prestige that Stalin held.

He cautioned, though, that the Chinese are still very much committed to a pro-Soviet policy and that this is likely to continue unless the new Russian leaders do not use Stalin's sagacity in dealing with the Chinese.