COMMUNIST LEADERS OF THE WORLD STOOD ON THE LENIN TOMB IN RED SQUARE, MOSCOW, TODAY (SATURDAY) TO WATCH A PARADE OF SOVIET MILITARY STRENGTH ON THE 47TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION.
MR. CHOU EN-LAI, CHINA'S PRIME MINISTER, STOOD WITH MR. BREZHNEV, THE SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER, AND DELEGATES FROM OTHER COMMUNIST NATIONS. THEY WATCHED MARSHAL RODION MALINOVSKY, THE SOVIET DEFENCE MINISTER, INSPECT TROOPS LINED UP IN THE SQUARE BELOW. THEN HIS CAR STOPPED IN FRONT OF THE RED AND BLACK GRANITE MAUSOLEUM AND THE MARSHAL MARCHED FORWARD TO REPORT TO THE PARTY LEADERS.
IN HIS SPEECH MARSHAL MALINOVSKY SAID IMPERIALIST CIRCLES OF THE WEST, LED BY THE UNITED STATES, "STUBBORNLY RESIST THE FURTHER RELAXATION OF INTERNATIONAL TENSION." THE SOVIET ARMED FORCES WERE ALWAYS READY TO DEFEND THEIR COUNTRY "AND WITH THE ARMIES OF OTHER SOCIALIST COUNTRIES TO DEFEND ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE SOCIALIST COMMUNITY AGAINST ALL AGGRESSORS."
THE MARCH-PAST WAS LED BY THE FIRST REGIMENTS OF THE ARMY, THEN CAME AIRMEN AND SAILORS. IN THE HALF-HOUR PARADE THERE WERE 5 TYPES OF NEW OR MODIFIED ROCKETS ON PUBLIC VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME. TWO ROCKETS WERE ABOUT 25 METRES (82.121 FEET) LONG, THOUGHT TO BE A NEW TYPE OF INTERMEDIATE RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE. THE MOSCOW TELEVISION COMMENTATOR DESCRIBED THEM AS "YOUNGER SISTERS" OF THE NEWLY-PERFECTED EXTRA-POWERFUL ROCKET WHICH LAUNCHED RUSSIA'S THREE-MAN SPACESHIP "VOSKHOD". ALSO ON DISPLAY WERE LONG-RANGE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE MISSILES WITH A RANGE OF SEVERAL THOUSAND KILOMETRES. THIS EXHIBITION OF ROCKETRY WAS THE MOST REVEALING FOR MANY YEARS.
ROCKETS BROUGHT UP THE REAR OF THE MARCH-PAST WHICH INCLUDED ARMOURED TROOP CARRIERS, TANKS, ARTILLERY AND PARACHUTE BATTALIONS. THE MILITARY PARADE WAS FOLLOWED BY A DEMONSTRATION OF GYMNASTS, CHILDREN AND WORKERS WAVING FLAGS, BANNERS AND BALLOONS.
IN A SPEECH IN THE KREMLIN LAST NIGHT MR. BREZHNEV, THE RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER, PROMISED TO CONTINUE THE POLICY OF CO-EXISTENCE. HE SAID RUSSIA WAS READY TO NEGOTIATE WITH ANY COUNTRY WHICH SHOWED ITSELF TO BE SINCERELY IN FAVOUR OF PEACE. MR. CHOU EN-LAI DID NOT APPLAUD MR. BREZHNEV'S SPOKEN READINESS TO IMPROVE SOVIET-AMERICAN RELATIONS IN THE CAUSE OF PEACE.