Eight hundred and seventeen delegates assembled within the walled and turreted Kremlin last week. Lumbering peasants, stalwart workers, stern or oleaginous officials, they made up the 15th Conference of the Communist Party. One-fourth of them were empowered to take the floor in reply to a question from the Chair. One-sixth could comment on the debate. One-fourteenth were authorized to make speeches. . . .
Docile, the Conference began by re-electing to the Praesidium, or "Standing Committee" of the Party, Joseph Stalin, "political boss of Soviet Russia,". and 36 of his henchmen—among them Premier Alexei...