▲ Khrushchev (April 1894 ~ September 1971), the supreme leader of the party and state of the former Soviet Union (1953 ~ 1964), Stalin's successor
Stalin's death
Author: Nikita Khrushchev
Excerpt from "Memoirs of Khrushchev"
Stalin fell ill in February 1953. One Saturday night, after watching a movie in the Kremlin, Malenkov, Beria, Bulganin and I went to the "villa" with Stalin. As usual, dinner was served until about five or six o'clock in the morning. After the meal Stalin was already quite drunk, but in high spirits. There was not the slightest sign of illness in his body, and when it was time for us to finally leave, he went into the hallway to see us out. As usual, in good moods, Stalin laughed loudly, jokingly poked my belly with his fingers, and called me "Nikita" in the Ukrainian dialect. So, after the meeting was adjourned, we all went home happy because nothing went wrong during the meal. Eating at Stalin's did not always end in such a joyous tone.
The next day was Sunday, which turned out to be a day off, and I thought that Stalin would have summoned us all to a meeting. On Sunday evening, I waited for him to come and call us at any moment, and I postponed dinner a little at home. In the end I didn't wait any longer and ate something. Still didn't call after dinner. I don't believe that this whole day Stalin will pass without summoning us. But Stalin really did not call. By the time I undressed and went to bed, it was late.
Suddenly, the phone rang. This is Malenkov, who said: "Listen, the Cheka (KGB) personnel just called from Stalin's dacha. They thought something had happened to Stalin. We'd better go for it. I have already informed Beria and Bulganin. You'd better get out of nowhere. ”
I immediately called my car. I have a car in my villa. I hurriedly got dressed and drove to Stalin's place. It was there in fifteen minutes. When we all arrived, we went to see the officer on duty before entering Stalin's bedroom. Explaining the reason for their fear, they said, "Comrade Stalin almost always called for some tea and food to be brought to him at eleven o'clock. But tonight he didn't call anyone. "The Cheka said they had sent Matreona Petrovna to see him. Mattreona Petrovna was an elderly maid who had worked for Stalin for many years. She was not very clever and clever, but she was honest and loyal to Stalin. After going to see it, Matreona Petrovna came back and told the Cheka personnel that Comrade Stalin was lying on the floor of the large room where he usually slept. Apparently, Stalin got up from the bed and fell. The Cheka picked up Stalin from the floor and put him on the couch in the dining room next door.
When we learned all this, everyone felt that since Stalin was in such a state of inconvenience, it was not appropriate for him to know that we were present. So we parted ways and went home. Late at night, Malenkov made another phone call. He said: "The Cheka people called again from Comrade Stalin, and they said that there must be something wrong with Stalin. Matreona Petrovna was sent to see Stalin again and said that Stalin was sleeping soundly, but that it was not normal. We'd better go again. ”
We asked Malenkov to summon the other members of the Standing Committee of the Presidium, Voroshilov and Kaganovich. The two of them had not been present at the dinner the previous night, nor had they been to the "suburban house" when Malenkov, Beria, Bulganin, and I first went to inspect the situation. We also called a doctor. I remember that among them was Professor Lukomsky. We went into the room after a bump in the office of the duty officer, where Stalin was sleeping on the couch. We asked the doctors to make the necessary examinations, and Lukomsky was very cautious when he approached Stalin. I know what Lukomsky was thinking. When he touched Stalin's hand, he trembled nervously, as if he had touched a piece of red-hot iron. Beria said rudely: "Aren't you a doctor? Check it out, and squeeze his hand. ”
Professor Lukomsky said that Stalin's right arm could not move, and his left leg was paralyzed. He couldn't even speak. His condition is serious. They took off Stalin's clothes and moved him back to the couch where he usually slept in the large room, where the air was better.
The doctors arranged for the doctors to take turns caring for Stalin. We also arranged a twenty-four-hour duty schedule among the members of the Presidium, which was distributed as follows: Beria and Malenkov together, Kaganovich and Voroshilov, Bulganin and me. Apparently it was Malenkov and Beria who decided on this schedule. They assigned themselves day shifts, and Bulganin and I were assigned night shifts. I'll admit that I'm upset. I am very sad that we are losing Stalin.
Stalin was not in good condition. The doctor told us that it was impossible to return to work with such a serious illness. He may survive, but he can't work anymore. They also tell us that usually the disease doesn't drag on for long and that the outcome is often fatal.
We did everything we could to get Stalin on his feet. We see that he is unconscious and therefore completely unaware of his condition. But then, when the doctors were taking urine samples, I noticed that he was trying to cover his body. He must have felt discomfort during the sampling. During the day the next day, Stalin really regained consciousness for a while. Although he was still unable to speak, his face began to have an expression. They fed him soup and beets with spoons. He held up his left hand and pointed at something on the wall. His lips looked like they were smiling. I understand what he wants to say and what he wants us to pay attention to. I explained why Stalin pointed his finger at the wall, because there was a painting cut out of the pictorial magazine "Spark" hanging on the wall.
This is a reproduction of an artist's painting of a little girl feeding a lamb with its horns as a cup. At that time, Stalin was also feeding with a spoon, and what he wanted to say was: "I am like the lamb fed by the little girl with the horns." You're feeding me too, but with a spoon. ”
Then Stalin began to shake hands with us one by one. I gave him my hand, and he held it with his left hand, because his right hand couldn't move. He expressed his feelings by shaking hands.
As soon as Stalin fell ill, Beria went around and around, complaining about Stalin and mocking him, which was simply unbearable to hear. Interestingly, however, as soon as Stalin's face showed some signs of regaining consciousness and made us think that he might be awake, Beria knelt down and took Stalin's hand and kissed it. When Stalin lost consciousness again and closed his eyes, Beria stood up and spat on it. This is what Beria really is - even to Stalin, who should have said that he was the one he glorified or even admired, and now he is spitting on him.
One evening, Bulganin and I came to watch the night. We were there most of the daytime as well. We have to keep an eye on the doctors when they're around, and we're on duty at night. I spoke more frankly to Bulganin than to others, and I did not hide from him even what I thought in my heart. I said to him: "Nikolai Alexandrovich, Stalin's illness is incurable. The doctors have already said that Stalin will not survive. Do you know what position we will be in when Stalin dies? Do you know what position Beria will take for himself? ”
"Which position?"
"He himself wants to be Minister of National Security. In any case, we can't let him be this. If he becomes Minister of National Security, it will be the beginning of our end. He wanted to get this position in order to destroy us, and if we let him do, he would certainly do it. Therefore, we must not let him be in any way, and we must not let him be in any way! ”.
Bulganin said he agreed with me, and we began to discuss what to do. I said, "I'd like to talk to Malenkov." I think he'll see it the same way we do. He must have understood that something had to be done. If we don't take some action and don't do it right away, it will mean a disaster for the party. It's much more than just a matter of personal concern, although we're certainly not willing to let Beria stab us in the back. If Beria had given it his go, he could have turned the clock back to 1937-1938 – and he could have done even worse. ”
As I have already mentioned, I have long since begun to wonder if Beria was a real Communist. I think more and more that he is a guy who has infiltrated the party. I recall what Grisha Kaminsky said in the early years of the revolution that Beria worked as an agent for the British counterintelligence service in Baku. Beria was a wolf in sheep's clothing, who gained Stalin's trust with flattery, and rose to high positions by deceit and treachery.
Bulganin agreed with everything I said. When our duty hours were over, I went home. I wanted to sleep for a while, and because I hadn't slept in a long time, I swallowed a sleeping pill and went to bed. I had just laid down when the phone rang. It was Malenkov who called, and he said, "Hurry up." Stalin's condition deteriorated again. Come here right away. "I immediately called my car and hit the road.
When I arrived at the "suburban house", I found that Stalin had indeed reached a very deteriorating state. A few others also came. We can all see that Stalin is dying. The doctors told us that Stalin was dying, and we were witnessing his dying agony. Suddenly, he stopped breathing. Out of nowhere, a big man was brought in, and he was given artificial respiration and massaged to restore his breathing. I must admit that I felt very sorry for Stalin, who pulled and pressed his body as if it were going to tear him apart. It pains me to watch this man do this to Stalin. I said, "Hey! Please stop! Didn't you see that this person was already dead? What do you want? You will not bring him back alive. He's long dead. So we gave up on saving him. Really—Stalin was dead.
As soon as Stalin took his last breath, Beria jumped into his car and ran away.
▲At Stalin's funeral in 1953 (Khrushchev in the middle)