Stalin

by Ian Grey

  The campaign against Western influences had led to the denunciation of many intellectuals, especially Jews, as “rootless cosmopolitans.” It culminated in 1952 in the execution of a number of Jewish writers. This purge was followed by the “Doctors’ Plot,” which was first made public by Pravda on January 13, 1953. A Dr. Lydia Timashuk had sent a private letter to Stalin, alleging that the treatment prescribed by certain eminent doctors, including Vladimir Vinogradov, who had been Stalin’s physician, amounted to the murder of leading citizens. These doctors had, it was alleged, caused the premature death of Andrei Zhdanov, and they were administering similar treatment to Marshals Voroshilov, Konev, and Govorov, to General Shtemenko, and others.

  Stalin had strong doubts about Timashuk’s allegations. But at the time, he was in a fever of suspicion about Zionist and Titoist conspiracies, planted and fostered by a network of American and British agents. He believed, too, that among his old colleagues there was a plot to displace him or at least curtail his powers. He reacted violently. He would not allow doctors near him, although he knew his health was failing. He dismissed Poskrebyshev, his trusted secretary for so many years. Vlasik, head of his personal security since the Civil War, was imprisoned. They, like Molotov, Beria, and others, waited fearfully for the great new purge that seemed about to break upon them. But they were spared.

  Death came suddenly. On the evening of Saturday, February 28, 1953, Malenkov, Beria, Bulganin, and Khrushchev had dined at Kuntsevo. Stalin had been in a good humor, and the evening had been jovial. When Sunday, March 1, passed without his usual call, summoning them or discussing business by telephone, all were surprised.

  Svetlana telephoned Kuntsevo on that Sunday. The duty officer told her: “There’s no movement right now.” This meant that her father had not stirred, and as she knew, it was forbidden to disturb him.

  Later Sunday night, the duty officer of the guard telephoned Malenkov, Beria, Bulganin, and Khrushchev at their dachas. Stalin had not rung for his dinner. He feared that something had happened, but the guards did not dare to go into his room. All four rushed from their dachas to Kuntsevo. Voroshilov and Kaganovich were summoned. When they gained entrance to his room, they found Stalin lying fully dressed on a rug. He was in a coma.

  Doctors were called. They diagnosed a cerebral hemorrhage, brought on by arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. The communiqué announcing his illness to the nation emphasized that the medical treatment was under the close surveillance of the Central Committee of the party. In fact, the six members of the Presidium present had organized guard duty, taking it in turns two at a time to watch over him and the doctors day and night.

  On Monday morning, Svetlana was called from class at the academy and told that Malenkov wanted her to come to Kuntsevo. Khrushchev and Bulganin were waiting for her in the drive to the dacha. Both were in tears. They took her to her father’s room, which was crowded with doctors, nurses, and equipment, and the members of the Presidium. She kissed her father’s face and hand and, sitting at his side, continued holding his hand. From time to time he opened his eyes, but they were unseeing, and he did not regain consciousness. His heart and constitution were strong, but the hemorrhage was spreading and he was fighting against suffocation. On the fourth day, he regained consciousness briefly but was severely paralyzed. A nurse gave him a drink from a spoon. He pointed to one of the many blown-up photographs of children which he had taken to pinning on the wall of his room. This picture showed a small girl feeding a lamb. He seemed to be trying to make a joke of his situation.

  The death throes began. His face changed and turned black as he struggled to breathe. It was a terrible fight against death. He raised his left arm, and to his daughter, it was a menacing gesture, as though he were trying to bring a curse upon all present. Then he died.

  Voroshilov, Bulganin, Kaganovich, Malenkov, and Khrushchev were sobbing. Beria alone showed no grief. All departed to make preparations, and only Svetlana, Bulganin, and Mikoyan remained by the body. An old nurse prepared the room. Then, after a time, the staff began filing in to take leave of their master. It was a Russian leave-taking. Valentina “Valechka” Istomina, the housekeeper who had looked after him for eighteen years, fell to her knees and, laying her head on his chest, wailed aloud, and no one attempted to quiet or stop her. The household staff were devoted to him. He was considerate to all who served him, and at Kuntsevo, only the generals and commanders of the guard felt his anger.

  Early in the morning of March 6, Moscow radio announced the death of Stalin. A vast crowd began filling the Red Square; most of the people were sobbing quietly. Later in the afternoon, the body, which had been brought to the Kremlin during the night, was placed in the Hall of Columns. It lay on a raised bier, surrounded by banks of flowers, and it was uncovered. The crowd had greatly increased, and by the late afternoon, the line of mourners was reported to stretch for ten miles. In the thousands, Russians from Moscow and distant regions filed past the bier in a slow, unending procession, taking leave of their father.

  In every part of the country - from Vladivostok in the east to Leningrad in the west, from Archangel in the north to Astrakhan in the south - houses and windows were draped in red flags, hung with black crepe. Even in the numerous labor camps, crowded with men and women who had suffered from the savage repression of his rule, there were displays of grief. A nation of over 200 million people was united in the solemn quiet of mourning for their leader who had guided and driven them through harsh trials and a savage war and who, they knew instinctively, had sought to serve them and Russia.

  Chairwoman, CEO, and Publisher

  Donna Carpenter LeBaron

  Chief Financial Officer

  Cindy Butler Sammons

  Art Director

  Matthew Pollock

  Senior Editors

  Hank Gilman, Paul Keegan,

  Larry Martz, Ken Otterbourg

  Associate Editors

  Betty Bruner, Sherrie Moran,

  Val Pendergrast, Susan Peyton

  President Emeritus

  Helen Rees

  Chairwoman Emeritus

  Juanita C. Sammons

  Copyright © 2017 by Ian Grey. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of New Word City. Requests for permission should be addressed to the editors@newwordcity.com. For more information about New Word City, visit our Web site at www.newwordcity.com.