The mystery of 70 years: who killed the leader?

On Saturday evening, February 28, 1953, the chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, Joseph Vissarionovich, summoned Stalin’s aide and gave instructions: Malenkov, Khrushchev, Beria and Call Bulgan and call the Kremlin. In recent times, the leader has become more friendly with these four people. Molotov, Voroshilov, Mikoyan, Kaganovich, whom he used to be closer to, were now removed from him.

The four of them first watched a movie with Stalin in the Kremlin, and then the Secretary General invited them to eat and drink at a country house (Blijnyaya Dacha) in Kuntsevo. This was the usual regime for Stalin. He usually goes to bed early in the morning and he got out of bed at noon.

Nikita Khrushchev writes in his memoirs: “It simply came to our notice then that, it was five or six… When we went to the lobby, Stalin, as usual, saw us off. He was joking a lot, he reached out and put his finger on my stomach and called me Mikita. When I was in a good mood, he always called me Mikita in Ukrainian. We said goodbye and left. “

The next day, when Stalin did not wake up at noon, the guards were worried. But no one dared to enter his room. It was Sunday anyway, maybe the boss is just relaxing? Thus, the “let’s go” dilemma of protection all day snowhe thought.

Finally, there was a reason to enter the room at night. An envelope came from the Central Committee. To the rules according to, were required to provide information on such envelopes. One of the guards entered Stalin’s room and lying him on the floor in his pajamas and saw the gold soaked. They lifted the leader and took him to the sofa.

The guards called their subordinate, Minister of State Security Semyon Ignatyev, about what had happened. He is Beria and He instructed Malenkov to call. The latter is Khrushchev and Bulgani was informed. So the quartet returned to the garden house.

The guards spoke about what had happened, adding that Stalin was now asleep. As Khrushchev wrote according toThey disbanded, not being advised to enter Stalin’s room in such an awkward situation (assuming he was soaking himself). But in some sources Malenkov and Beria entered the room and It is alleged that they came to the conclusion that Stalin was asleep.

Shortly after arriving home, Malenkov called Khrushchev again: “They called Comrade Stalin. In any case, everything is fine with him. We have to go again “.

They decided that, this time the party’s Presidium (Political the bureau was then called) to inform other members, and to call a doctor. Thus, only on the morning of March 2, Stalin was examined.

Doctors found that the head had a wide stroke, right hand and they reported that his leg did not work and that he lost the ability to speak. In their opinion according to, given the patient’s age and stroke severity, there was no chance of recovery. It’s over 10At .40, a meeting of the Party Presidium was held and one issue – Stalin’s illness was discussed. After that, the process of transferring power began.

At that time, the secretary of the Central Committee, Georgi Malenkov, was the second person in charge. On March 3, it was under his leadership that the workers prepared an official report on Stalin’s illness. The same information, as well as a bulletin prepared by doctors in the newspaper the next day and was announced to the public via radio.

On March 4, a meeting of the leadership of the Communist Party was held. The number of members of the presidium was reduced from 25 to 11. Bringing Malenkov to the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) held by Stalin so far, Beria, Bulganin, Kaganovich and A preliminary agreement was reached that Molotov would be his first deputy. Molotov, who was ousted by Stalin in 1949, would also become foreign minister.

The second bulletin on Stalin’s health was published on March 5 and spread by radio. The report states that the leader’s condition remains serious, shortness of breath and the presence of circulatory disorders, high blood pressure (210/110), as well as high temperature (38.6) were reported.

The whole country is watching this news with excitement and At a time when he was waiting, the leader’s comrades-in-arms were engaged in the division of power. At 8 o’clock that evening, the plenum of the Central Committee, the Council of Ministers and Ali A joint meeting of the Presidium of the Soviet was held.

The meeting approved the decisions made the day before on changes in the composition of the Council of Ministers and was formalized. Ali It was decided to bring Marshal Voroshilov to replace Schwernik as chairman of the Soviet Presidium. A new party secretariat was also elected and Stalin was no longer in this secretariat. Thus, in the last hours of his life, Stalin was in fact neither the government nor the party leader of the USSR.

Then the first in the secretariat of the Central Committee and or the post of Secretary General did not exist. Khrushchev also formally became one of the secretaries. But in fact, the leader of the party was elected. In September of the same year, the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee was established and Khrushchev held this post.

Stalin died on March 5 at 9:50 p.m. The news was broadcast on the radio the next day. Four days of mourning were declared in the country until March 9. That day, Stalin’s embalmed body was laid to rest in the mausoleum next to Lenin.

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There has always been controversy over whether Stalin died of his own accord or whether he was killed (poisoned). Of course, his murder cannot be ruled out, but I have not come across any serious evidence to prove it that, not even available. On the other hand, Stalin snowThe fear was so great that, it does not seem plausible that a few would have thought of gathering and plotting to assassinate him.

But it is known that, In the last years of his life, Stalin had serious health problems. He suffered from high blood pressure, but he did not listen to doctors. On the contrary, his personal doctor, who advised him to work as little as possible, arrested Academician Vinogradov on suspicion of some ulterior motives.

It is said that the leader had his first stroke in 1949. As a result of his lifestyle, his health deteriorated from year to year. With the exception of the last three months of his life, he smoked, drank alcohol, stayed up at night (and ate and drank at the same time), slept close to the morning, and did not diet. That’s it according to It is also quite convincing that his death was caused by natural causes.

In addition to these two main versions of his death, there is an intermediate version – Stalin, who suffered a stroke medical intentional delay in providing assistance. It seems to me that, this possibility may be more realistic than poisoning. However, Stalin was slow to act, both by the guards and the quartet snowcan be explained by the intense fear they feel in the glass.