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When Stalin died, Bulganin became one of the four first Vice Premiers, but appeared to take little part in the ensuing struggle for power. His oratory, though frequent, flowery and fiery, betrays no originality. "He is reasonable, intelligent and able," said an American diplomat who has met him often. But no Western observer rates Bulganin ,as a first-rate brain. A professional figurehead, he appears to have been chosen Premier because of his second-rate qualities, not in spite of them.
In case his promotion, or that of Marshal Zhukov's to succeed him, should be taken as a sign that the army might take over the country. Molotov last week went out of his way to underscore a vital statistic: 77% of all men in the Red Army belong either to the Communist Party or to the Komsomol (young Communists).