“Joseph Vissarionovich, did I dance well?” the “Dragonfly” asked Stalin. “You whirled well,” he would reply, “but Asaf Messerer was better than you!” His favourite actress at the Moscow Arts Theatre was Alla Tarasova.
Rusudana Zhordaniya: Rybin, Oktyabre 1941, p. 18. Interview with Alyosha Mirtskhulava: he knew Rusudana well and ridiculed the idea of an affair: “She was so much younger than him,” he told the author. He also saw nothing suspicious about Stalin’s invitation via himself to the Georgian girl. Dancing: Kozlovsky in Karpov, Rastrelyanniye Marshaly, p. 342. Women with ideas: Svetlana, OOY, p. 329. MR, p. 174. Kaganovich, pp. 160–2. Kuzakova in Radzinsky, p. 65. Istomina denies Davydova: Rybin, Stalin i Zhukov, p. 63. Chatterbox, comfortable soul: Lozgachev in Radzinsky, p. 560. Father’s creature comforts: Richardson, Long Shadow, p. 248. Artyom Sergeev. Martha Peshkova. Kira Alliluyeva. On confidentiality of service staff: conversation with Roy Medvedev. One common-law wife: Kaganovich’s daughter-in- law: Vasilieva, Kremlevskie Zheny, p. 372. Jealousy of Valechka’s husband: Rybin, Oktyabre 1941, p. 18. Vladimir Putin, First Person, p. 3; also Oleg Blotsky, Vladimir Putin: The Story of My Life. “Nobody’s business/Engels” housekeeper: MR, p. 208. In apron like nurse: Popovich quoted in Dedijer, Tito Speaks, p. 282. Stalin’s love of discretion: Berman in Oni, p. 236. Valechka at Yalta and Potsdam: Volkogonov, p. 574. Stalin’s pride in his underwear drawer: Charkviani, p. 35. “Of course it was known she was his wife”: Poskrebyshev’s daughter Natalya.
Stalin stops the Terror: Volkogonov, pp. 337, 344. Beria moved into Chubar’s dacha: Beria, p. 98. Svetlana OOY, p. 355. RGASPI 558.11.773.101, Mekhlis to Stalin and reply 6 Nov. 1939. Vyshinsky, for example, wrote to complain that the NKVD had arrested officials without the Procurator’s warrant. It would be naive to say that legality was reasserting itself; it was merely that the illusion was replacing a frenzied witch hunt. RGASPI 82.2.897.28, Vyshinsky to Stalin/Molotov 31 Mar. 1939. We can follow the complex wranglings between Vyshinsky and the NKVD with Malenkov trying to restore some order between them: RGASPI 588.2.155.39.60. Stalin, Khrulev and Mekhlis, Kumanev (ed.), p. 343. Children’s case of Novosibirsk: RGASPI 588.2.155.65, Vyshinsky to Stalin and reply 2 Jan. 1939. We can see the working of the leadership and the practice of absolute dictatorship in this example of relaxation. When Molotov suggested, after some prompting from Vyshinsky, that non-political female prisoners, who had committed the grievous crime in this slave-labour state of leaving work during the day, should be freed, Molotov agreed but Stalin personally specified: “I’m opposed. I think it would be right if such women paid a fine instead of prison of one month’s salary and it must be done thus; 25% of their salary must be deducted for four months. Stalin.” This became law three days later: RGASPI 588.2.1551.27–33, Vyshinsky to Molotov to Stalin 23–26 Aug. 1940. Nikolaenko: RGASPI 558.11.132.141–5, P. T. Nikolaenko to Stalin and Khrushchev 20 Feb. 1939, and Stalin to Khrushchev. Trotsky: Sudoplatov, p. 66.
Tucker, Power, pp. 586/9. Lesser Terror, pp. 31–2. Kuznetsov tells how Frinovsky was casually sacked by Stalin and replaced by him, Bialer (ed.), p. 92. Khlevniuk, Circle, pp. 260–6. Beria, p. 94. Yezhov’s arrest before and after: Yezhov to Stalin in APRF 45.1.20.53 quoted in Jansen-Petrov, p. 178. Darts at Water Transport: Medvedev, p. 458–60. Conquest, Stalin: Breaker of Nations, pp. 208–9. N. G. Kuznetsov, “Krutiye povoroty: iz zapisok admirala,” VIZh, 7, 1993, p. 50. N. P. Dudorov, Interior Minister in 1957, told the CC Plenum that Beria had interrogated Yezhov especially about Malenkov producing 20 pages of evidence against him, Jansen- Petrov, p. 158. Sudoplatov, p. 63. Parrish, “Yezhov,” p. 90. Polianski, pp. 216–7. D. Likhanov and V. Nikonov, “Ya pochistil OGPU” in Sovershenno Sekretno , 4, 1992. Jansen-Petrov, pp. 176, 182, quoting Piliatskin, Vrag Naroda , and APRF 57.1.287.7–18. “Think yourself lucky…” Sergo B, p. 161. Explanatory note of D. Sukhanov on loss of testimony of N. I. Yezhov against G. M. Malenkov, 21 May 1956, in O. Khlevniuk, I. Gorlitsky, L. P. Kosheleva, A. I. Miniuk, M. Y. Prozymenshikov, L. A. Rogovaya, S. V. Somonova, Politburo TsK BKP i Soviet Ministrov SSSR 1945/1953, p. 203 (henceforth PB/Sov-Min). Svetlana note: RGASPI 558.1.5160.
28: THE CARVE-UP OF EUROPE
This analysis is based on the outstanding books on Soviet foreign policy, and on the lead-up to the German invasion: Zubok and Pleshakov, Inside the Kremlin’s Cold War, and Gabriel Gorodetsky, Grand Delusion: Stalin and the German Invasion of Russia. Litvinov sacked, foreign-policy change: Beria, pp. 100–1. Soloviev quoted in Zubok, pp. 20–88. Fake Georgian and Molotov; slow Kartvelian and Stalin: Nadya Dekanozova. Stalin mocks Dekanozov’s ugliness: Maya Kavtaradze. Erickson, Soviet High Command, pp. 513–25. Ehrenburg, Eve of War, p. 276. Tucker, Power, p. 614. Carswell, pp. 145–9. Medvedev, p. 309. Stalin ordered Yezhov to arrest Kandelaki on 2 April 1937—he tops the handwritten “to do” list, RGASPI 558.11.27.129, Stalin note to discuss with Yezhov 2 Apr. 1937. Gnedin in Beria, p. 101. Larina, p. 200. Parrish, “Yezhov,” p. 91. Litvinov car accident: KR I, p. 282. Sergo B, pp. 47–8. Vaksberg, Stalin Against Jews, pp. 34–5. New diplomats: Gromyko, Memoirs, p. 24. Kaganovich, pp. 64, 154. Mikoyan in Kumanev (ed.), p. 22. Litvinov on Stalin the diplomat, Stalin quotes Talleyrand and Bismarck: Gorodetsky, pp. 1–9, 316; Bismarck reading on Franco-German War of 1870: von Moltke, German-French War of 1870, RGASPI 558.3.224. Bismarck: R. Medvedev, Neizvestnyi Stalin: chapter “Stalin’s Personal Archive.” Molotov’s letters to Polina: We live under constant pressure… your sweetness and charm: RGASPI 82.2.1592.40–5, NYC, 20 Nov. 1945. Knowing our stuff: RGASPI 82.2.1592.19–20, 8 July 1946 from Paris. Reading on Hitler: RGASPI 82.21592.1, 13 Aug. 1940. I was the focus of attention: RGASPI 82.2.1592.40–5, NYC, 20 Nov. 1945? Revolutionary-imperial paradigm, Zubok, pp. 1–5; Molotov the diplomat, pp. 80–98. Stalin on poker: “They’re playing poker again” in Volkogonov, p. 349.
Stalin and the Jews: Clear out the synagogue and number of Jews in leadership, Lenin, MR, p. 120; Kaganovich, pp. 47–8, 100, 105, 128–9, 175. Statistics, Lesser Terror, p. 137. Stalin’s Marxism and the National Question quoted in Vaksberg, Stalin Against Jews, p. 4. Bazhanov: Mekhlis and Yids, p. 59. Stalin Enemies all Jews: Kaganovich, p. 128. Kaganovich Israelite: KR I, pp. 122, 283. RGVA 4.18.62.1/357, use of “natsman” Stalin to Red Army, 3 and 4 Aug. 1937. Jews cannot drink: Kaganovich, p. 106. Jews like mimosa: Kaganovich, p. 191. Stalin’s favourite flower mimosa: Mgeladze, pp. 95–7. Mekhlis: Jews pure as crystal in Simonov diary RGALI Notebook, 1 Apr. 1945. Anti-Semitism: lists of things to do: RGASPI 558.11.27.32. Cannibalism speech, 23 Dec. 1930. Birobidzhan: the Tsar, J. Rubenstein and V. P. Naumov, Stalin’s Secret Pogrom, pp. 34 and 511. Stalin criticizes others for anti-Semitism: K. Simonov, “Glazami cheloveka, moego pokoleniya,” Znamya, 5, 1988, p. 85. No need to excite Hitler: Brooks, Thank You C. Stalin, p. 171. Y. Yakovlev and Jewish names: KR I, pp. 119–20. Kaganovich and Mikhoels: Rubenstein and Naumov, pp. 293, 399. Birobidzhan Kaganovich theatre: Kostyrchenko, pp. 42, 144. The Black Hundreds and the Cathedral of the Saviour in Moscow: Kaganovich, p. 47. Thanks to Robert Service for his valuable ideas on this subject.
This account of the negotiations between USSR, Germany, France and UK is based on Gorodetsky, Grand Delusion; Richard Overy, Russia’s War; Anthony Read and David Fisher, The Deadly Embrace: Hitler, Stalin and the Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939–1941, Molotov Remembers, Khrushchev Remembers and G. Hilger and A. Mayer, Incompatible Allies: A Memoir History of German-Soviet Relations. Gorodetsky, pp. 5–9; Raanan, pp. 15–18. Yury Zhdanov. Overy, pp. 34–53. Michael Bloch, Ribbentrop, pp. 239, 245; Volkogonov, pp. 255, 349; Andrew Roberts, The Holy Fox: A Biography of Lord Halifax, p. 166; Erickson, Soviet High Command, p. 525. Read-Fisher, pp. 128–30, 230–2 and Dmitrov diary. “Farmhands…”: Dmitrov diary, 7 Sept. 1939. Far East: Zhukov, Vospominaniya (henceforth Zhukov) I, pp. 242–3, 273. Simonov, Zametki k biografii Gk Zukkova in VIZh, no. 6, pp. 50–3. Spahr, p. 209. D’Abernon: RGASPI 558.3,25,32. Revolutionary-imperial paradigm: Zubok, pp. 1–5; Molotov the diplomat, pp. 80–98. Stalin on poker: “They’re playing poker again” in Volkogonov, p. 349. KR I, pp. 125–9, 149. Kaganovich, pp. 58, 90. Yury Zhdanov. Sergo B, pp. 49–52. Bloch, p. 245. RGASPI 558.3.36. Vipper’s History of Greece. The account of the signing of the Pact is based on MR, pp. 9–11. Hilger-Mayer, pp. 290–2. Read-Fisher, pp. 251–9. Dinner after signing: Dmitrov diary, 21 June 1941. Yury Zhdanov on Zhdanov’s joke. Great Game: MR, p. 31, and also Molotov to Dmitrov, in Dmitrov diary, 21 June 1941: “A great game is being played.”
