The account of the Great Patriotic War in the two “War” sections is based on John Erickson’s two masterpieces, The Road to Stalingrad and The Road to Berlin; on Richard Overy’s outstanding narrative history, Russia’s War, on Harold Shukman’s excellent Stalin’s Generals, on memoirs such as those of Molotov, Mikoyan, Kaganovich, Khrushchev, Sergo Beria, Svetlana, Zhukov and other soldiers; on Budyonny’s Notes; on the Dmitrov diary; on the author’s research in the archives of RGASPI, RGVA, TsAMO, GARF; interviews with witnesses, and recent Russian histories such as Rubtsov’s biography of Mekhlis, Alter Ego Stalina. Last hours: Read-Fisher, pp. 612–42. Budyonny Notes. Anfilov on Budyonny, Stalin’s Generals, p. 62. Zhukov I, 2, 1–14, 369–71. Pavlenko, “Zhukov,” p. 99. Stalin’s logbook: IA, 1998. Hilger-Meyer, pp. 335–6. MR, pp. 34–7. Mikoyan, p. 388. Volkogonov, pp. 401–7. Bloch, p. 333. Gorodetsky, pp. 309–15. Mikoyan in Kumanev (ed.), pp. 24–5, Chadaev, pp. 409–12. Nina Budyonny. Yury Zhdanov. Mekhlis, p. 151. Ian Kershaw, Hitler: Nemesis, p. 394. Burleigh, p. 489. Kuznetsov in Bialer (ed.), pp. 195–6. Voronov quoted in Mekhlis, p. 153. Anfilov on Timoshenko, Stalin’s Generals, pp. 246–7. Natalya Poskrebyshev: Poskrebyshev told her Stalin called him to say the bombing had begun. Berezhkov in Bialer (ed.), pp. 216–8. Number of Soviet forces: 3 million refers to Western districts. The Soviet soldiers were inferior in numbers to the Germans but superior in equipment. Total number of Soviet soldiers: 5 million. Y. Kulikov, “Napadeniye Germanii na SSSR” in Mirovye voiny XX veka, bk. 3, pp. 133-86. Molotov says no and trains/supplies: Kaganovich, p. 88. Mikoyan, pp. 388–9. MR, p. 39. Press, Koniev: Brooks, Thank You C. Stalin, pp. 166, 168. Erickson, Stalingrad: pp. 101, 136–8. Chadaev in Kumanev (ed.), p. 42. Budyonny Notes, p. 49. Zhukov II, pp. 12–13. IA, 1998:4, 22, 23, 24 June 1941. Spahr, on Kulik, p. 265. Beria on phone / Stalin’s confidence: Dmitrov diary, 22 June 1941.
RGVA 9.39.100.252, Bolotin, Chief of 4th Unit of Dept. of Special Units NKVD, to Zhukov 21 July 1941, and Mekhlis and Zhukov’s reply. Zhukov II, p. 14.
RGVA 9.39.99.329–39, Mikheev, Chief of 3rd Dept. NKO, to Mekhlis on Kulik, 15 July 1941. Report of Regimental Commissar Boldin in 900 Days, p. 29. Spahr on Kulik, p. 265.
Mamsurova, 1988, pp. 12–13, quoted in Spahr, pp. 255–8.
TsAMO RF 215.1184.48, 30. Mekhlis to all fronts, 22 July 1941. Mekhlis, pp. 179–83. KVS, 1991, nos. 14 and 65. Mikoyan, p. 541. Volkogonov, pp. 421–2. Erickson, Stalingrad, pp. 137–78.
Spahr, p. 251.
On Yakov, Chadaev in Radzinsky, p. 451. On red dress: Gulia Djugashvili, Ded, Otets, Mat i Drugie, p. 25. Artyom Sergeev. MR, pp. 210–11. Vasily, pp. 92–3. Zhenya Alliluyeva; interviews Kira Alliluyeva, Vladimir and Leonid Redens; Svetlana RR; OOY, p. 322. Svetlana places this call in August 1941 but Zhenya’s daughter Kira places it in the “first ten days.”
Chadaev in Radzinsky, pp. 450–5. Chadaev based his account on conversations with Deputy Chief of Staff Vatutin. KR II, p. 7. Khrushchev, Memuary, pt. 6, p. 682, quoted in Beria, p. 255. Zhuykov II, pp. 33–40. Mikoyan, pp. 390–2. MR, p. 39. Stalin afraid: Mikoyan, p. 389. Stalin’s surprise at exclusion of Mikoyan: Mikoyan, pp. 391–2. Mikoyan in Kumanev (ed.), pp. 31–3. Chadaev in Radzinsky, pp. 453–5. Molotov quoted in Mikoyan, p. 390. MR, pp. 238–9. Sergo B, p. 324. Volkogonov, pp. 411, 424. On Mikoyan’s hiding, Stalin expected the worst; tension left Stalin’s face: Sergo B, p. 71. Chadaev in Radzinsky, p. 455, is based on the account of Bulganin who was probably not present. He was not a candidate Politburo member until 1946 though he was a member of the newly formed Sovnarkom Commission, to run daily government, with Voznesensky and Mikoyan so he may have joined the group. Neither Mikoyan nor Molotov mentions him. Stalin enjoyed our support again: Mikoyan, p. 392. Erickson, Stalingrad, pp. 171–82; Soviet High Command, p. 601. Beria, p. 111. KR I, p. 182.
Zbarsky and S. Hutchinson, Lenin’s Embalmers, pp. 119–20. Rybin, Kto Otravil Stalina? , p. 38.
Zhukov II, pp. 64–5. Erickson, Stalingrad, pp. 180–5. Overy, pp. 81–8.
Volkogonov, p. 427. Simonov, “Zametki,” p. 56. FSB 66.1.6.314–43: NKGB Order No. 246 “On Procedures for Bringing to Justice Traitors to the Motherland and Members of their Families 28 June 1941” in Yakovlev, Century, p. 172.
MR, p. 209. Volkogonov, pp. 429, 609. Radzinsky, p. 457. Svetlana RR. Svetlana, Twenty Letters, p. 177. Mikoyan, p. 362. Artyom Sergeev. On Stalin’s cursing: “The fool” Stepan M. Arrest of Julia: Gulia Djugashvili, Ded, Otets, Mat i Drugie, pp. 28–9. “I’d have stopped being Stalin”: Mgeladze, pp. 198–9. One prisoner enough for me: Vasily Stalin to Vladimir Alliluyev (Redens).
TsKhSD Party Control Commission 13/76, vol. 1, p. 30. Sudoplatov’s testimony on 11 Oct. 1960: Sudoplatov, pp. 146–7.
Zhukov II, pp. 119–22. Erickson, Stalingrad, pp. 178–9. Mekhlis as “gloomy demon”: S. P. Ivanov quoted in Spahr, p. 59. Simonov “Zametki,” pp. 55–6.
KR I, pp. 196, 201–2. Stalin to Khrushchev: Dmitrov diary, 16 Aug. 1941. On Budyonny and Timoshenko: Nina Budyonny. Budyonny Notes. On military situation: Erickson, Stalingrad, pp. 204–9. On Stalin and Timoshenko: Anfilov in Stalin’s Generals, pp. 248–9.
Balandin: Yakovlev in Bialer (ed.), p. 301. Meretskov: Vaksberg, pp. 221–3. Beria had been a student with Vannikov at the Baku Technical School, a connection that may have saved his life. Mikoyan, pp. 425–6. Lesser Terror, p. 73. Sudoplatov, p. 127.
Mikoyan, pp. 359–60. Overy, pp. 82–3.
This account of the Siege of Leningrad is based on Harrison Salisbury’s 900 Days, John Erickson’s Road to Stalingrad, pp. 83, 120, 143, 145–8, 181–95 , 262–3, Richard Overy’s Russia’s War, pp. 99–112, and the author’s research in RGASPI and TsAMO. RGASPI 558.11.492, Stalin to Voroshilov and Zhdanov 17 Aug. 1941. Mikoyan, p. 393. 900 Days, p. 218.
RGASPI 558.11.492.6, Stalin, Molotov and Mikoyan to Voroshilov, Zhdanov, Popov etc., 23 Aug. 1941.
900 Days, pp. 208–9, 304, 402.
900 Days, pp. 181–7.
RGASPI 558.11.492.57, Stalin to Zhdanov and A. A. Kuznetsov 4 Oct. 1941. Andrei Alexandrovich: 900 Days, p. 542. Yes or no! RGASPI 558.11.492.63, Stalin, Molotov to Zhdanov, Kuznetsov 18 Oct. 1941. Say it straight: RGASPI 558.11.492.66, Stalin to Zhdanov on telephone, 8 Nov. 1941.
Voroshilov: Volkogonov, in Stalin’s Generals, p. 317.
Kuznetsov in Kumanev (ed.), p. 294. Malenkov vs. Zhdanov: Sukhanov, Memoirs, Library of Congress, Volkogonov Collection, Reel 8. 900 Days, pp. 260–1. Beria vs. Zhdanov in Raanan, pp. 171–2; Beria, p. 263. Yury Zhdanov. Volya Malenkova—her father told the family about Zhdanov’s drunken cowardice but added that he had not reported this to Stalin. Sergo B, p. 75, heard from his father that Malenkov proposed Zhdanov’s court martial and Beria vetoed it. Zhdanov’s confession of cowardice to Stalin: Mikoyan, p. 562. Stalin now spoke to Molotov and Malenkov as well as Zhdanov in his daily calls. RGASPI 558.11.492.29–33, Stalin to Kuznetsov, Voroshilov, Zhdanov, Popov and Molotov 27 Aug. 1941, and reply from Voroshilov, Zhdanov, Popov, Kuznetsov, Molotov and Malenkov 28 Aug. 1941. On return to Moscow, Malenkov often spoke to Zhdanov on Stalin’s behalf: “On Comrade Stalin’s order, I ask the following… Are tanks taking part—how many and what kind…” he would begin his calls. RGASPI 558.11.492.73–8 and 79 (16 Nov.) and 90 (2 Dec.), Malenkov to Zhdanov 13 Nov. 1941. MR, p. 40. Mikoyan, p. 562. Erickson, Stalingrad, pp. 188–9. 900 Days, pp. 208–9, 304, 402.
