A Bleeding Heart of Steel: Stalin Dies Early

[Milites]

Really enjoying this! Can’t wait for more

 

[Kerguelen]

Solution Unsatisfactory

“You’re a good worker, but if you served six years in the camp, you’d work even better” – Lavrentiy Beria, 1947
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“Molotov: What is it now, Lavrentiy?

Beria: They’ve done it Slava! They’ve finally done it!

Molotov: Lavrentiy, please just calm down. What in God’s name are you talking about?

Beria: The bomb of course! Sakharov and his people finally made it work! They made it just like those Americans did. I tell you what Slava, soon this world will be ours! Ours!

Molotov: Well, that's good to hear, but what about the Americans?

Beria: What about the Americans?

Molotov: Have you considered what we'll do if they find out about the project?

Beria: We detonated it in the middle of Kazakhstan for god’s sake. And even if they do find out, then we can just deny it. What are they going to do, declare war?

Molotov: sighs I want a report by the next morning about your atomic program. Do you understand me, Lavrentiy?

Beria: I understand.

End of Transmission”

-Recorded call between Lavrentiy Beria and Vyacheslav Molotov, 11/3/1950

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An image of the detonation of RDS-1, the first nuclear bomb built by the Soviet Union
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Q: After the end of World War Two, Molotov put Beria in charge of the atomic bomb project. How do you think the two differed?

Sakharov: Well, Beria was technically the made head of the project after Stalin died, although it was never official. Molotov had to deal with the cabinet and foreign policy, so he had Beria oversee the project in his absence. Molotov, I think was more trusting, as he let Kurchatov, our head scientist lead most of the project. Beria, on the other hand, tried to manage the project to the slightest detail, even though he knew basically nothing about nuclear science.

Actually, Beria almost ended up dying under my watch during a tour of a reactor we had just completed. As we began to turn it on, Beria scoffed and said that it didn’t look like the reactor was doing anything. I then tried to explain how the reactor worked as best as I could, but at some point, he stopped listening to me and tried to go inside the reactor to see it for himself [1] . Suddenly, all the scientists, including myself were pulling him away from the door before he ended up killing himself.

Q: What was your personal opinion of Beria?

Sakharov: I never liked him in the slightest. My father used to tell me to judge a man by his handshake, but whenever I shook Beria'shands, it was like touching a corpse. They always felt very cold and clammy. Even though he wasn’t as powerful as he was under Stalin, you still had the feeling that there was something dangerous about him, as if he could kill you with a stare. However, one of us on the science team knew much about his crimes back then. We only heard rumors, which might I add, weren’t as terrible as the real thing.

The only good thing I can say about him was that he actually helped us complete the project on time. Beria may have been a terrible person, but that didn’t mean he was a terrible manager. Quite the opposite, actually. Above everything else, Beria was a man who prioritized efficiency over loyalty. And the completion of the bomb had always been his number one priority. He was always willing to listen to the scientists, even though he never really trusted or liked us.

Q: Do you know why the reason behind the friction between Beria and the scientists?

Sakharov: In the end, it all boiled down to Beria’s personality. He was always afraid of being tricked by the scientists for some reason, always threatening to send us to the Gulag us if we gave him false information [2] . I suppose that all those years working under Stalin ended up making him a bit paranoid. Eventually, Kurchatov decided that the bomb would never be finished if Beria kept threatening everyone and wrote a letter to Molotov. Kurchatov was a braver man than any of us, he never deserved to die.

The next day, Beria gave all of us a very brief apology before telling us to go back to work. Now that Beria couldn’t threaten to send us to the dungeons anymore, he would always try to find new ways to mock and belittle us. This one time, I fell asleep at the laboratory after working there overnight. After I woke up, my co-workers were laughing at me for some reason. I then found out that Beria wrote asshole on a piece of paper and taped it on my back while I was asleep [3] . His joke did get a few laughs, but I have the feeling that he would’ve done much worse if Molotov let him.”

-Segment from Red Stars by Searchlight Films, 1990

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A photograph of Andrei Sakharov, circa 1950
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“When Mao visited the Soviet Union for the first time, discussions proved to be rather fruitful as he eagerly discussed politics and international affairs with Molotov. Eventually, discussions turned to the idea of a defense treaty between communist nations across Europe and Asia. The Chinese began bringing up proposals from the North Korean government to invade the capitalist South. These plans began to worry Molotov, who argued that the communist bloc couldn’t afford the anger the West before they developed their own arsenal of nuclear weapons [4].

However, the Soviets had secretly tested a nuclear bomb a few months ago and were well on their way to building more. Mao then argued that Molotov’s statement on Korea had contradicted Zhdanov’s, who was fully supportive of an invasion of the South. After hearing this, Molotov reportedly ground his teeth before explaining that he would properly inform Zhdanov of these proposals as soon as possible. It was at this point that Molotov began testing Mao’s loyalty, to see if he was truly a communist at heart.

When asked if he had read Das Kapital, Mao claimed that he "considered it one of Marx’s best works". However, Mao had never read Marx’s critique of capitalism before his visit to Stalinodar [5]. As Molotov continued testing Mao’s knowledge of communism, Mao would feign hunger and ask Molotov if dinner had been prepared. Declassified documents show that Mao secretly ordered his translator to dictate Das Kapital word by word, that very same night.

Unbeknown to Mao, Molotov secretly ordered his rooms bugged and listened to every word that came from the translator’s mouth. While Beria and Mikoyan secretly mocked Mao’s attempt to appear well-versed, Molotov realized that Mao’s attempts to gain his favor would make him a useful ally. Over the next few days, Mao would pay his respects to the graves of Lenin and Stalin while discussing philosophy Chinese literature with the surprisingly well-informed Zhdanov.

During his visit, Mao had professed his love for swimming and in response, Beria challenged him to a good-hearted competition, which would never occur [6]. Later that same day, Mao told Molotov that he would be forced to cut his visit short after receiving a call from his premier, Zhou Enlai. Apparently, some urgent and unexpected news had reached his ears from Beijing. Taiwan had almost fallen to the People’s Republic and General Chiang was on his very last legs.”

- The Great Game: A Political History by Michael Ignatieff

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Mao and Molotov
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[1] Beria actually tried to go inside a live reactor in OTL. That's how little he trusted the scientists.

[2] Beria would often threaten to send Sakharov and the scientists to the "dungeons" if they ever lied to his face

[3] In OTL, Beria would pull this prank on a blacked-out Khrushchev during a drinking session at Stalin's dacha

[4] When Kim Il Sung asked Stalin to approve the invasion plans, he told Kim to ask Mao instead, who approved of the invasion

[5] In OTL, Mao admitted that he had never read Marx's criticism of capitalism, much to Stalin's displeasure

[6] Despite being somewhat overweight, both Mao and Beria were surprisingly athletic swimmers, even during their later years

 

[ObssesedNuker]

[1] Beria actually tried to go inside a live reactor in OTL. That's how little he trusted the scientists.

He was present at the first atom bomb test too. After it went off, he rushed over to an officer who had been invited to witness shot Able at Bikini Atoll and asked him if it looked the same, only relaxing when he got an affirmative reply. He seems to have been intensely paranoid that the scientists were trying to pull a fast one on him.

Why did it take an extra year for the Soviets to get the bomb? Did they decide to go on a different design or was there some delay before kicking off the full project?

Molotov also seems more afraid of the bomb then Stalin was. Stalin, after reviewing the reports issued by Soviet military staffers who managed to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki who pointed out the limitations of early atomic weapons, declared that atomic bombs as they currently stood were insufficient to change the nature of war, that the war of the future would resemble the late-stages of the Great Patriotic War except each side would chuck the occasional nuke strikes at the others strategic rear, and that was that. For a war in the late-1940s, when the number of bombs was extremely limited and SAC was in a pretty shambolic state, this wasn't an entirely unreasonable analysis but it did have the problem of placing a straightjacket on the Soviet military planning ahead for what war might look like later on when the bombs are more plentiful, powerful, and easier to employ.

Also: Greece has gone communist, now China. The US reaction to ATL Korean War will probably be pretty serious. Although it seems the Berlin Blockade hasn't occurred, so West Europe isn't as solidly united as they might have been yet.

 

[Kerguelen]

Why did it take an extra year for the Soviets to get the bomb? Did they decide to go on a different design or was there some delay before kicking off the full project?

A bit of both. Beria, I assume, wouldn't be under as much pressure as he was under Stalin and spent more time experimenting with more powerful designs. Also, Molotov wouldn't give him official control over the project until after the war, unlike Stalin.

Molotov also seems more afraid of the bomb then Stalin was.

Of course, Molotov is very reluctant to break the nuclear taboo when the Soviets eventually get their own arsenal. As far as he's concerned

Also: Greece has gone communist, now China. The US reaction to ATL Korean War will probably be pretty serious. Although it seems the Berlin Blockade hasn't occurred, so West Europe isn't as solidly united as they might have been yet.

Well, I don't really want to spoil too much about ITTL's Korean War, but let's just say that the Americans will have to do even more of the heavy lifting.

 

[trainvoi]

If Korean War is delayed, I could see the Viet Minh become more successful as Mao would send them more military support and supported unification in the Geneva Conference to prove China is also protecting communism.

 

[TimTurner]

If Korean War is delayed, I could see the Viet Minh become more successful as Mao would send them more military support and supported unification in the Geneva Conference to prove China is also protecting communism.

Perhaps Vietnam isn't even partitioned ITTL.

 

[Kerguelen]

The Fall of Cat Country​

"Cat Country (or the City of Cats) is a dystopian satirical novel written by Chinese author Lao She. The novel describes the journey of an unnamed traveler whose spaceship crashes on the surface of Mars. After exploring the planet, he finds a society of anthropomorphic cats addicted to a drug with opium-like qualities. The government of the cat people is portrayed as corrupt and incompetent as the cats suffer from a lack of basic hygiene and infrastructure. At the end of the novel, Cat Country is invaded by a regime that places the cats in cages where they cannibalize one another. Lao She's novel is often percieved as a criticism of the Kuomintang’s rule over the Republic of China and the prevalence of government corruption during that era."

- Description of Cat Country by the University of Dōngfāng Hóng City [1]

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Chiang Kai-Shek (right) with his son, Chiang Ching-Kuo (left)
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"As the revolution spread south, Chiang Kai Shek realized that the Republic had lost all hope and began focusing on cementing his own territories. Quickly, the Generalissimo declared a period of martial law, purging the Republic of those who dared oppose him. Children fleeing the battlefield were forced to become soldiers while leftist sympathizers were routinely executed for espionage. However, Chiang’s White Terror could not defeat the red tide that was coming for him. As the revolution spread, the nationalist government fled to the isle of Taiwan as the People’s Army captured Hainan and Kinmen. Chiang’s only sympathizers left on the mainland were generals in the far Western Provinces, who had become warlords and bandits in the absence of authority. Soon, it became clear that Chiang’s republic was doomed and the island of Taiwan would fall to the revolution. It was only a matter of how.

To finally defeat his old enemy, Mao Zedong knew that he would need more than just warplanes and battleships. While Molotov was eager to assist his comrades in the East, the Nationalists had also received considerable backing from the West. Mao needed something which the Nationalists lacked, the power of surprise and subterfuge. Officer Cai Xiaogan was considered as one of the brightest officers, joining the Red Army’s political department at a young age and becoming the only Taiwanese native to survive the Long March. Throughout World War Two, Cai used his fluency in Japanese to collect information from behind the frontlines. During the Civil War, his skills as a spymaster were so renowned, he was tasked to teach other intelligence officers in the art of espionage. Seeing his potential, Mao appointed him as the head of the “Taiwan Works Committee” during the civil war, with the task to bring about a revolution within the very heart of the White Terror.

While building a fifth column against the Nationalists, Cai would meet a school teacher named Su Shufen, who had eagerly joined the communist cause. Over time, the two had deeply fallen in love and they promised to marry one another after they had liberated their homeland from the Nationalist regime. [2] However, Su had been arrested by Chaing’s secret police after she was found operating an underground printing press that was running anti-Nationalist pamphlets. To save his fiancée and other agents arrested during the White Terror, Cai would launch a secret raid of the prison complex by tunneling through the sewer system. In the end, Cai’s hard work had paid off as the communist sympathizers were able to escape from Taipei Prison.

However, these escapees had also brought along a prisoner of their own, David Soong, the son of Chiang’s former Premier and brother in law, T. V. Soong. Years ago, David had been arrested by Chiang Ching-Kuo, the son of President Chiang Kai-Shek on charges of hoarding wealth. Using his contacts within the government, Cai sent secret messages to Soong, threatening to execute his son unless Soong became an agent for the communists. While Soong was an adamant anti-communist he reluctantly agreed to help the communists by deposing Chiang Ching-Kuo, who had just been made head of the Republic’s secret police. After being made head of the secret police, Ching-Kuo had fought against gambling, corruption, and the bourgeoisie to win the favor of Taiwanese peasants.

While this stopped many workers from joining the communists, many businessmen and generals were angered by these policies and believed that the Nationalists were beginning to resemble the Communists. Several of Chiang’s generals begged for their leader to remove his son from power, but Chiang refused, fearing that those same generals would be able to oust him if they managed to gain control over the secret police. To widen the rift between the military brass and the security forces, Soong would secretly publish documents detailing how the secret police had abused funds and publicized reports of Ching-Kuo’s extramarital affairs. [3] In response to these findings, General Sun Li-jen, the army’s Commander in Chief sent telegrams to the CIA discussing the possibility of a coup to overthrow the Generalissimo and his son. Eventually, the secret police would discover these telegrams and ordered the arrest of Sun Li-jen for charges of sabotage, conspiracy, and treason.[4]

However, General Sun was incredibly popular amongst the Nationalist army for defeating the Japanese in Shanghai and Burma. After hearing of his arrest, hundreds of soldiers across Taiwan believed that news of a planned coup were lies fabricated by Chiang to replace General Sun with one of his cronies. As Chiang’s control began to falter, Cai Xiaogan sent a message to the generals on the mainland, urging them to “strike while the iron is hot”. And so, on September 27th, 1951, the People’s Liberation Navy began an amphibious assault on the fishing port of Tamsui while Cai’s rebels began a revolution in the northern highlands. The entire western coast quickly came under siege and thousands of soldiers, upset at the lack of order, defected to the People’s Republic. In response to these losses, Chiang began plans to free Sun Li-jen in hopes that he would convince more generals to form a government-in-exile in Hong Kong. However, these plans would never be realized after Taipei fell to communist forces and Chiang was forced to flee from his own capital."

- White Sun: The Chinese Civil War and Beyond by Yang An Dong

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Soliders of the Chinese National Army defend the city of Taipei on the banks of the Tamsui river
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“The reason why I joined the communists was to fight against the Kuomintang. There was a lot of animosity between us islanders and the Kumotiang after they fled from the mainland. However, most of my friends didn’t really care about politics and argued that being ruled by the Nationalists was better than being oppressed by the Japanese. While Chiang wasn't as bad of a ruler as Hirohito, things were still terrible for us back then. Protesters who demanded an end to martial law were shot in the street and the landlords continued to abuse the proletariat. The only difference was the language our oppressors spoke. For years, I wanted to do my part in building a better Taiwan, just like the Great Helmsman did on the mainland. So when Taipei fell to the communists, I decided to do my part by joining the People’s Liberation Army.

When I joined the army, I had hoped to become a great revolutionary, liberating my fellow countrymen from the tyranny of the bourgeoisie. But instead of fighting in great battles I ended up transporting supplies across the countryside. During my time as a courier, I felt more like a mule than a hero fighting for his people. I knew that I was doing my part, but I always feared that I would never be given a chance to prove myself to my superiors. That all changed when my group spotted a Nationalist convoy traveling across a road. To stop the convoy, we fired a few warning shots in the air before placing blockades on the road. After the driver came out of the vehicle, he told us that he was only carrying refugees from the fall of Taipei. However, one of my comrades recognized a man in the back seat. “That’s Zheng Yanfen! That’s the head of the Kumontiang over there!”

The driver began stammering an excuse of how he had no idea he was transporting a Nationalist official, but we still decided to line up the passengers to examine them. When I was escorting an elderly woman from the convoy, I stepped on something hard covered in blankets. Then, a pained cry filled the convoy. After falling on the floor, I crawled towards the blanket and found that there was a person underneath. Upon looking at the refugee’s face, I quickly recognized the shaved head and the slight mustache on his lip. My eyes I couldn’t believe it, but I knew that I was face to face with none other than Chiang Kai Shek. My comrades had also recognized him and their faces were in complete shock. A few of them were whispering to each other, pointing at the enemy who we had studied for so long. Eventually, I readied myself and gave one of the most important orders I had given in my entire life.

“General Chiang Kai-Shek, the People’s Liberation Army places you under arrest,”

The newspapers and the radio stations would often talk about the ignoble end of the Generalissimo. They would say saw how his face turned yellow with fear and how he begged for his life, offering us riches in exchange for his freedom. However, he didn’t look afraid or desperate when we found him, he just looked tired. When we led him to the military camp, Chiang was compliant the entire time, following every order that we gave him. He never talked to us or spoke to us, always looking ahead with a blank look in his eyes. In an eerie sense, Chiang knew that he was going to die the second we stopped that convoy and he saw no use in delaying his demise.”

- Exceprt from The Fight for Freedom: The Autobiography of Lee Teng-hui [5]

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Chinese Nationalists exiled from Taiwan greet American troops on the island of Okinawa
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“Kang Sheng: Members of the tribal court, all stand for the final hearing of Chiang Kai-Shek. All stand for Party Chairman, Mao Zedong, who will oversee the final verdict. Now, the jury has unanimously declared the accused party guilty on charges of sabotage, banditry, looting, smuggling, embezzlement, and mass murder. In response to this verdict, the tribunal court officially sentences Chiang Kai-Shek to death by hanging.

(Applause)

Chiang Kai-Shek: Let the court know that I plead innocent to these charges! What I did was for the good of the people and the country! I fought to unite China against invasion and-

Unidentified Juror: Liar! You starved my family to death when you stole all the grain in Henan!

Unidentified Juror: You drowned my village when you flooded the Yellow River! You are a traitor to the people, Chiang Kai-Shek! Traitor! Traitor!

Multiple Jurors: Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!

Mao Zedong: No, let him speak. After all, is it not just to let a dying man say his last words?

Kang Sheng: The tribunal court has given Chiang Kai-Shek one minute of speaking time before it is dismissed.

Chiang Kai-Shek: What I did was for the good of the people and the freedom of my nation. I did everything that I could to unite China under a single banner, against the Japanese invaders. Yes, I realize that I had created suffering but in the end, this suffering was necessary to defeat China's enemies and unite this nation as one. However, Mao Zedong has made it his duty to tear China apart once more. This “Great Helmsman” sees it fit to judge me for my actions, but he is blind to his own terrible crimes!

Kang Sheng: That will be all! Security, remove Chiang Kai-Shek from the courtroom!

Chiang Kai-Shek: I swear on my soul that Mao Zedong will become even more of a tyrant than I. This man will bring nothing but ruin to this country!

Multiple Jurors: Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!

Chiang Kai-Shek: Hear me Mao Zedong, one day you will answer for your crimes! And when that day comes, the people of China will judge you guilty!”

-Transcript from the trial of Chiang Kai-Shek, declassified 1985

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[1] Formerly known as the Peking University

[2] In another world, Cai Xiogan would meet his fiancee after being imprisoned by the Nationalist secret police

[3] T.V. Soong's secret double life as a communist spy would be kept a secret by Chinese intelligence throughout much of the Cold War

[4] General Sun and Chiang Ching-Kuo were bitter rivals throughout much of the Civil War. Had the Nationalists survived, Chiang would have removed Sun for allegedly plotting a coup with the CIA.

[5] Lee Teng-hui joined the Communist Party due to his opposition to the Kuomintang. However, it is likely that he would've abandoned communism had the Liberation of Taiwan never happened

 

[Whiteshore]

Chinese Nationalists exiled from Taiwan greet American troops on the island of Okinawa

I guess Okinawa would be the KMT remnant ITTL.

 

[Deleted member 143777]

Dōngfāng Hóng City

Cursed.

 

[Kerguelen]

I guess Okinawa would be the KMT remnant ITTL.

While the Nationalists will stick around for a bit, a lot of countries will stop recognizing them as the "legitimate China" pretty soon.

Cursed.

Yeah, let's just say that the Cultural Revolution is about to get a whole lot crazier ITTL.

 

[Guardonion]

I'm more curious about what's happening with the USSR's more western neighbors, most notable being Turkey, given the developments in Greece (also no bias present for one's homeland, at all ) Did they still join WW2 at the last possible moment to get that UN membership? Or were they too late to do so because of how quickly everything progressed?

 

[Gar48]

Yeah, let's just say that the Cultural Revolution is about to get a whole lot crazier ITTL.

So China is going to be a giant North Korea?

 

[Diverge]

So China is going to be a giant North Korea?

Speaking of the Peninsula, isn't this going to mean a Communist victory in the Korean War? The USSR won't boycott the UNSC because they basically have no choice but to recognize the PRC as the legitimate government of China, so the UN won't be able to send aid to South Korea.

 

[Alpha-King98760]

I just read of the TL up until now and have to this is wonderful work! I hope Mao does get put on trial in the future.

 

[Athelstane]

A bit of both. Beria, I assume, wouldn't be under as much pressure as he was under Stalin and spent more time experimenting with more powerful designs. Also, Molotov wouldn't give him official control over the project until after the war, unlike Stalin.

That makes sense.

 

[Kerguelen]

A Place In The Sun​

“Throughout history, the struggle between communism and capitalism had been given many names, the False Peace, the Cold War, the Long Stalemate, and the Global Crisis Era. Yet the most famous of these titles was given by none other than Winston Churchill when Churchill described the Soviet domination over Eastern Europe as the beginning of a “Second Great Game”. Many contemporaries would simply call it the Great Game as the conflict became far greater than the 19th century rivalry between Britain and Russia over Central Asia. America, the rebellious child of Imperial Britain had led the charge against a Russian empire which had torn itself apart only to return in a form that was stronger and bolder.

As nuclear proliferation rose in nations across the world, it became clear that the very fate of the world was held in the hands of these two great rivals. When discussing the beginning of the Great Game, scholars will point to how the Soviets Union built their Iron Curtain across the former stomping grounds of the Third Reich in their quest to gain a foothold over Eastern Europe. Others will point to the Chinese Civil War and discuss how Mao’s victory over Chiang had neutered western influence across Eastern Asia. However, most historians will agree that the Great Game truly began during the First Korean War and the eventual rise of nuclear diplomacy.”

-A Short Guide to the Modern World by Mason Tower

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Kim Il-Sung meets with his generals to discuss plans regarding a war with the South
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Before the Two Koreas clashed for the first time, the leader of the communist North, Kim Il-Sung realized that the invasion of the South would be impossible without the support of his great Soviet ally. During 1949, he asked Molotov for approval for an invasion of the South, but Molotov realized that an early invasion of South Korea would force America to provide aid to Nationalist China. The Soviets feared the very prospect of losing two allies in Asia, so they refused to back an invasion by the North until the Chinese Civil War ended. Soon after this agreement was made, Chiang had been captured by communist partisans and was forced to surrender his armies to the People’s Republic. As news of Chiang’s defeat reached Pyongyang, Kim asked Molotov if he could begin his quest to unite the Korean Peninsula.

This time, Molotov agreed to send aid and a group of military advisors to the North led by Stalin’s disgraced Defence Commissar, Nikolai Bulganin [1]. However, Molotov would warn Kim that the North would need a casus belli if it were to launch its invasion of the South. Declassified reports reveal that Bulganin gave Kim the idea to replicate an event similar to the Mainila incident, where Soviet troops shelled the Russian village of Mainila, giving the Red Army an excuse to launch their invasion of Finland. After the North Korean Government would fabricate an incursion on their borders, the communist world would be united against President Rhee’s act of “imperial aggression” and back the Northern Campaign to defeat the invaders in Seoul. After some deliberation, it was decided that President Rhee’s first act of imperial aggression would take place in the tiny village of Kijongdong

Kijongdong, literally translating to Peace Village was originally created as a collective farm built near the Korean Border. The farm’s construction had originally been sponsored by the Communist government to promote unity with its Southern neighbor. But in Kim Il-Sung’s quest for a new Korea, there would be no room for the ironically named Peace Village. On the night of September 10th, 1950, this quiet little town would be buried under mortar shells and artillery fire. The communist government reported that the attack killed a total of eight civilians. However, western intelligence agencies claimed that Kijongdong wasn’t even inhabited during that time, as the village’s construction hadn’t been completed when it was destroyed. In the end, the true cause of the war remains murky as both sides launched disinformation campaigns lasting decades over what really happened during that night in Kijongdong. However, the end result remains clear as the Korean People’s Army marched south of the border as cries of war rang across the peninsula.

The United Nation’s response to the Korean War would be confused, to say the least. France, Britain, and America voted to denounce the illegal incursion by North Korea. However, the Soviet Union vetoed the proposal on the grounds that there was simply not enough evidence to support the fact that North Korea’s incursion was unjustified. Meanwhile, the Republic of China remained silent, due to the fact that it did not exist anymore. Most nations had already recognized Mao’s the legitimate ruler of China, as Chiang had already been forced to surrender his republic to the revolution. As the Chinese Civil War drew to a close, the United Nations was trapped in a strange sort of limbo, recognizing a nation that had completely ceased to exist in the months prior.

As a result, it was declared that China had simply abstained from voting, prompting outrage and ridicule from communists across the world. The weekly edition of Pravda published a cartoon where the United Nations decided to listen to a portrait of the late Chiang Kai-Shek instead of the hardworking communists of China. While this veto kept the United Nations from taking any roles in South Korea, it certainly didn’t prevent the United States from helping their Eastern allies. Truman had already begun pushing for his policy of containing communism and his allies were unwilling to grant the communists a power base right next to Tokyo. While Britain began sending troops, the French refused to intervene in the conflict as they had already been involved in a bloody war in their colonies in Indochina.

With the exception of the Philippines, New Zealand, and Australia, most of America’s other allies refused the call to war against the Red Menace. After hearing news of the American intervention, Mao Zedong delivered a speech condemning the western world’s “police action” as it denied North Korea’s right to defend itself against foreign invasions [2]. Meanwhile, in Stalindar, Molotov remained reluctant to send troops as he realized that a ground war between the Red Army and America would end with his nation being engulfed in nuclear fire. As a result, the Soviet intervention didn’t go beyond arms, aid and air support. While the Americans managed to break the siege of Busan, naval invasions would be beaten back by support from China and the Soviets.

Despite their successful march across the 38th parallel, supplies were constantly harassed by communist insurgents in the south allowing Chinese troops to push back and recapture the capital of Seoul. As the war continued to slog on American troops were consumed by a sense of defeatism. Why should they, who had fought against Japanese imperialism a few years ago, be forced to fight for some far-flung nation in the Orient? Soon, General MacArthur decided to begin a massive assault to the recapture Seoul and a propaganda coup over the communists. However, this propaganda coup would never occur thanks to a combination of Soviet air support and a dedicated guerrilla force.”

- A New History of Communism by J. Arch Getty

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The Korean People's Army marches to defend Seoul from American troops
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“I think the greatest thing I do for Korea is fighting in Seoul. You see, MacArthur know we think Seoul is the real capital of the North, even though our leader in Pyongyang. So MacArthur think if he capture Seoul, the communist in the South will not want to fight anymore. But he wrong, if MacArthur capture Seoul, we only fight harder to defeat the invader. They not understand we fight for Kim Il-Sung because he fight for us and we know Rhee only fight for himself. When people protest because angry, Kim listen and he help his people. But when Rhee see his people protest, he shoot them because he not want to give power to people. [3]

That is why I leave South Korea Army to fight for the North. Because I know Kim Il-Sung is thankful to his soldier. Of course, we can not defeat the invader without Park Chung-Hee. In the war, we call him “Comrade Parkov” because he always talk to Russian general about war. [4] When he a officer, he work for communist in secret but when Rhee find out, Park escape to the North and join People’s Army. When I first meet Park Chung-Hee, I think he a looter because he always wear a gold watch. But when I ask him, he not angry at me. He smile and tell me he get his watch from Emperor Puyi when he graduate top of class in military school.

When we fight for Seoul, we hide from bomb inside basement for two day. But Comrade Parkov not afraid of bomb, he walk around the battlefield and give order when we hide. Then one day, we hear sound in sky and people say, “Red Army is here! Long live Stalin, long live Stalin!” I learn Vasily Stalin help lead Soviet plane to Seoul to fight the American bomber. After we save Seoul, Park Chung-Hee start wearing another gold watch on his left arm. When he tell me it gift from Stalin for defending Seoul, I know Park Chung-Hee become a great man in future.”

- Park Ji-kook, quoted in Sons of the Motherland, by Erroll Morris, 2001

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Soviet Trade Minister Anastas Mikoyan arrives in Pyongyang
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

“Today marks the second day in my assignment in Korea. With all my recent assignments, I feel as if I have become the new Foreign Minister while Molotov remains in the capital, quarreling with Zhdanov. Recently, the Americans have proposed moving the Korean border down to the 37th parallel, thus giving North Korea complete control over their de jure capital of Seoul. However, Kim Il-Sung has refused to accept this deal, much to the dismay of Molotov. As such, I have been sent to Pyongyang in an attempt to persuade our Oriental allies to choose peace. Thankfully, I was not alone in this endeavor, as I would have Nikolai Bulganin accompany in this assignment.

“Anastas!” he said to me, “How have you been, old friend? And how’s Vyacheslav?”

“Vyacheslav has made my job a lot busier, but he’s been feeling much better, far better than Zhdanov. His leg almost healed and he doesn’t need that wheelchair anymore. By the way, how’s Vasily?”

Nikolai shook his head “You know him, always drunk on glory. Surprisingly, he hasn’t gotten into any trouble lately. As for me, I feel like I’m doing quite well here, but don’t tell that to the boss. The last thing I want is to end up as the permanent ambassador to Korea.”

Vasily was becoming more popular not just in Korea, but also in Stalindar. I have no doubt that this has something to do with the devious machinations of his sister's father-in-law. Soon after we met, we entered the residence of Kim Il-Sung to discuss the American proposal to bring about a stalemate. The Korean leader proved himself to be very accommodating, far more accommodating than Tito was. After engaging in pleasantries and discussing economic aid, I brought up the subject of the American proposal to end the war.

“We recognize the proposal, but we do not believe that it would be beneficial to the interests of the Democratic People’s Republic.” Said the translator “Our military experts believe that the Americans may be forced to reduce their support if the war continues.”

I nodded my head, “Of course, but our intelligence groups know these Americans well. Their administration is completely dedicated to containing communism across the world and it could be years before they choose to withdraw.”

“We still believe that the capitalist regime in Busan can still be defeated before the Americans withdraw. The Southern armies have been depleted throughout the war and they may be forced to fall soon, similar to how the communist revolution defeated the Republic of China.”

“Of course, we know that the South Koreans can be defeated through conventional means. But we know that they will be forced to use unconventional means if this war continues. I have been dealing with the Americans for years and we know they are as creative as they are stubborn. And the moment their government puts their mind to a goal, they will do anything to make sure that it becomes a reality. They will begin looking for any advantages that they have over us communists, including nuclear weapons.”

I paused a bit before continuing “America knows that it can use its nuclear weapons to destroy the Korean People’s Army. And even if we choose retaliation, they know that they will have more nuclear weapons than us. Their administration didn’t have to nuke Japan to win the war, but they did it because they knew that it would force them to surrender quickly. Right now, the Americans are looking for a way to quickly end this war and they are willing to do anything to make sure it happens.”

I then heard a great deal of commotion from the Koreans and I began to fear that my warnings of a nuclear war may have been too grim for Kim Il-Sung. I looked to Nikolai for advice and he gave me a wide grin.

“Kim Il-Sung wants to accept the peace deal! You did it Anastas!”

I felt a wave of relief wash over me after hearing this, along with a slight tinge of dread. I may have been successful in my mission, but I know without a single doubt that if Molotov was there at the meeting, he would’ve been utterly furious at me.”

-Excerpt from The Memoirs of Anastas Mikoyan, published 1999

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“My fellow Americans, today we stand here not to celebrate, but to mourn. Today, we mourn the lives that were sacrificed in an unjust war that our government choose not to win. Today we mourn those brave men who gave their very lives to their nation, but to say that their lives were sacrificed in vain would not be far from the truth. It is my belief that America lost in Korea because we choose to surrender to our enemies instead of marching on to defend our allies. Now I ask you a question, my fellow Americans. If our government could not dedicate itself to winning that war, then why did we involve ourselves in the first place? This was a question I asked myself when I stood side by side with the soldiers on the frontlines watching thousands of men die for their country. As such, I have resigned from the United States Military effective immediately. I feel as if I cannot work for a government that has lost sight of the goals it sets for its soldiers and its people. Thank you and I will not be taking any questions.”

-Excerpt from The Speeches of Douglas MacArthur [5]

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[1] During the the “Stavka Affair”, Bulganin was almost executed for his failure to detect the plot against Stalin, but was spared thanks to the timely intervention of Mikoyan.

[2] In a world where the United Nations intervened in the war, communist China would not intervene until South Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel.

[3] In our timeline, Park Chung Hee would be called “Comrade Parkov” by political opponents, referring to suspected communist sympathies during his youth

[4] A reference to the many bloody crackdowns Rhee ordered on suspected communists, including the Bodo League Massacre and the Jeju Uprising

[5] Contemporary detractors of General MacArthur argue that his resignation from the military was a calculated move to avoid blame for his failures in the Korean War, thus allowing him to pursue his political career.

 

[trainvoi]

How would this butterfly the Vietnam War? During the First Indochina War, US gave support to the French through economic subsidies and military equipment, which wasn't adequate enough. With the downfall of Taiwan and defeat of South Korea, the US will very likely drown the French in so much money that despite Chinese support, the First Indochina War would resulted in French victory. Or else?

 

[Kerguelen]

How would this butterfly the Vietnam War? During the First Indochina War, US gave support to the French through economic subsidies and military equipment, which wasn't adequate enough. With the downfall of Taiwan and defeat of South Korea, the US will very likely drown the French in so much money that despite Chinese support, the First Indochina War would resulted in French victory. Or else?

Of course, Vietnam is about to get a whole lot bloodier when both China and the US get involved. How this affects world events will be a surprise for later.

 

[Kerguelen]

Death To Spies​

“While the stalemate had officially brought peace to the country of Greece, royalist sympathizers remained mountains of Peloponnese, continuing the fight even after their king had fled to Crete. While King Paul made many attempts to send aid to these lonely guerrillas, his resistance movement had become more precarious as President Vafiadis began cracking down on “wanton banditry” within his borders. However, a cunning spymaster born in the distant land of Brooklyn came to the Royal Court with a daring plan to galvanize the resistance. Thomas Karamessines was a CIA officer born to a family of Greek immigrants who began his intelligence career during the fight against fascism. When his superiors declared that communism had become the new enemy of the free world, Karamessines accepted the new status quo and began building a reliable network of Royalist sympathizers across the Hellenic People’s Republic.

Karamessines managed to gain a find a few double agents in the barracks of Athens, but Vafiadis was incredibly popular within the army and any coup against the government would be doomed from the start. The CIA knew this, so Karamessines decided that weakening the communist government would require the removal of Vafiadis. In the early years of the Hellenic People’s Republic, the army and the party were constantly at conflict as General Secretary Tsipas criticized its control over foreign and economic affairs. Meanwhile, the military elite labeled Tsipas as a corrupt alcoholic who was more of a selfish opportunist than a true patriot. [1] Karamessines realized that Vafiadis served as the glue holding the nation together and without him, the communist regime would fall apart like a house of cards.

It was during this period that several SMERSH agents from Stalindar were sent to Greece in an attempt to provide aid and stabilize the nation. Under the watchful eye of General Abakumov, this modern-day Oprichnina rooted out potential spies across Athens. As these crackdowns became harsher, the ringleaders of plot were quickly forced to launch their attack early. On September 14th, 1951, Soviet Ambassador Georgy Malenkov met with the Greek Politburo at the Red Palace. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss Turkey’s recent admission into NATO, but Tsipas had become distracted by bottles of vodka gifted by the Soviet embassy. Much to Malenkov’s dismay, the Politburo had quickly become lost in their own drinks as this sensitive discussion of military affairs was temporarily put aside.

As the carouse of cadres reached its crescendo, a large crack was heard from outside the Palace. Curious, Tsipas shambled to the window to take a look outside only to find a gunfight between Soviet operatives and a group of Greek soldiers. Meanwhile, security guards were alerted of a plot to assassinate the Politburo and were forced to corral the officials into safe rooms. Meanwhile, Tsipas managed to flee the gunfight but suffered from a minor injury while being escorted to the safe room. For his role in saving the life of the Greek Politburo, Viktor Abakumov would be publicly commended by Premier Molotov and oversaw a Lilliputian version of the Red Terror, where hundreds of Greek citizens were executed for their crimes against the state."

-Spies and Lies: How Espionage Changed History, by Robert Harris

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The Greek Red Terror saw the arrest of thousands of "rightists" and "foreign agents" across the nation
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“Being an agent isn’t like what the movies tell you. You see James Bond beat up the bad guys and get the girl, but in real life, there aren’t many bad guys to fight. Most of the time, spying is just planting a few bugs, listening on conversations, and the rest is paperwork. But when it is time to beat up the bad guys, you usually end up doing it in a jail cell. The ting is, I didn't join SMERSH, because I was a good spy, I joined because I was a good soldier who knew how to find deserters. When the war ended, Molotov encouraged Pontic Greeks, such as myself move back to Greece. On one hand, the Greek we spoke was different from what the Hellenes spoke and my ancestors hadn’t stepped foot in Greece for over a thousand years. [2]

On the other hand, my wife hated the cold and there was plenty of sunshine in Athens. So we decided if the boss was giving our family an opportunity, we might as well take it. When I was first assigned to Greece arresting dissidents wasn’t a large priority. Sure, there were plenty of drunks in the street singing royalist songs, but the police usually dealt with them. During my time in Athens, I dealt with things like smuggling and extortion. Sorry, what I meant to say was that I dealt in things like smuggling and extortion. In those early days, my branch of SMERSH became something like a criminal gang, blackmailing corrupt officials and selling hashish to foreigners.

None of it was legal, but on the other hand, none of our superiors cared as long as they got a cut. Now, what were we talking about? Ah yes, the Red Palace. Now, we were divided into teams that would fight off the assassins and teams that would guard the targets. Obviously, I choose the latter option. Yes, it was the cowardly thing to do, but the only thing that mattered was surviving the night. When I first arrived at the Red Palace, everything was in chaos. Half of the Politburo were panicking while the other half weretoo drunk to stand. But when I told them that they were targeted by assassins, all of them were panicking.

The fat one fainted right there on the carpet and he was so heavy, I had to get four guards to carry him away. I then realized that my words had caused Georgy Malenkov of all people to pass out. Anyways, we made sure that no harm came to the targets that night, except for Tsipas. The idiot broke his arm after he fell down some stairs. After the whole affair, we were tasked with arrest anyone who might’ve been involved. It was then when I met Viktor Abakumov for the first time. When he arrived in Athens, he told us that our commanding officer had been arrested for corruption.

At first, we all thought that we would get shot as well, but after we found him smoking contraband from the barracks, we knew that corruption was not the reason he came to Athens. He later told us that he visited because the investigation had been too slow and there weren’t enough arrests. Abakumov later organized us into teams that would arrest suspects in the streets and teams who tortured them until they accused their closest friends of treason. There were three steps to investigating a suspect, he said “capture, torture, and repeat”. There was nothing unusual about torture, it came with the job, but the thing about Abakumov was how willing he was to torment prisoners. [3]

When Abakumov visited the jail cells, he did things like cutting fingers, gouging eyes, and pulling teeth from mouths. There was a joke back then that went, “If there was something that the guards were afraid to do, Abakumov would’ve already done it yesterday!” And this the head of the Soviet Union’s foreign intelligence! Imagine having the head of the CIA travel to Crete just so he could beat a few prisoners. In all my years, I had never seen a man of his status treat torture so… enthusiastically, but there he was, the devil himself right in front of me! I believe that the real reason why he visited Athens had nothing to do with corruption or the investigation. The thing was, it was too peaceful in Russia for Abakumov and he wanted a vacation.”

- Grigory Kostandy, quoted in Sons of the Motherland, by Erroll Morris, 2001

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General Abakumov strikes pose for the camera
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“To understand the political situation of the post-war Soviet Union, one must understand the character of Viktor Abakumov. Tall and broad, with a set of pale grey eyes, Abakumov was a man who knew how to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. Tutored under the hand of Lavernty Beria himself, Stalin later granted Abakumov control of a new organization known as SMERSH, its name being a portmanteau of the phrase, “Death to Spies”. Throughout the war, Abakumov was tasked to bring foreign spies, terrorist threats, and rebel guerrillas to justice. Soviet officials would often downplay the role that Abakumov played the Stavka Affair, when the high command of the Red Army were put on trial after being implicated by Stalin’s assassins.

While Beria led the prosecution against the accused, the investigation of the Stavka would fall into the hands of Abakumov. And investigate he did. Throughout the investigations, Abakumov reportedly bragged to personally beating Marshall Georgy Kulik a thousand times before getting him to confess his guilt. Following the Stavka Affair, Beria often attempted to make Abakumov an ally of his in his rivalry against Zhdanov, but the old Chekist found himself rebuffed by the pale-eyed officer. The reasons for Abakumov’s apparent hostility to Beria was thought to be due to his ambition for power.

Abakumov knew that Beria had been the target of Zhdanov’s hatred for quite a while and was willing to present himself as a replacement for “Uncle Lara” should the need arise. In the aftermath of the Stavka Affair, Beria attempted to build a case against Abakumov, which failed after Abakumov saved the Greek Politburo from certain death. After seeing Abakumov’s potential as a counterweight to the NKVD, Molotov called off any investigations into SMERSH and began leasing more power to Beria’s rival. In doing so, the Iron Premier had taken a page out of Stalin’s book by pitting these two rivals against each other, thus preventing either of them from becoming too powerful.

Molotov was inspired by the CIA-FBI duopoly that dominated American intelligence and created an organization independent from the NKVD to deal with foreign intelligence. In 1952, SMERSH was officially rebranded to the Committee of Special Intelligence, also known as the KSR under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While he once served as Stalin’s first lieutenant, Beria now found himself pitted against the new generation of Chekists who had become very ambitious and very dangerous."

-In the Shadow of the Vohdz by Harland Bridges

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“The day before, Zhdanov was feeling unwell, so I decided to visit his dacha to bring him some gifts. And of course, his protégé and my future in-law, Alexei Kuznetsov tagged along for the ride. Along the way, we talked about trivial things, like how lucky it was for Sergo and Alla to meet each other and how excited we were to become grandparents. [4] When we finally arrived, I opened to door only to find the frowning face of Nikolai Voznessenky staring back at me.

Voznessenky looked at me head to toe before he made his frown even wider “What do you want, Anastas?”

Alexei stepped forward “You don’t need to be so rude Nikolai, he’s just here to visit Zhdanov.”

But for Voznessenky, rudeness was a bit like breathing air, he couldn’t go a minute without it. After looking at me, he scoffed a bit and looked at Alexei “Zhdanov’s in the dining room. And while you’re at it, make sure that the хач doesn’t slip anything into his food.” [5]

After walking into the kitchen, I saw Zhdanov with a bowl of chicken soup in front of him. With his large belly and his jolly red face, he looked a bit like Father Frost without his beard. Our General Secretary gave the both of us a bright smile as he saw our faces and gestured us to sit down. We talked a bit about the wedding and how Molotov’s leg had almost healed. Halfway through the conversation, Zhdanov suddenly changed the subject.

“So by the way, how has Beria been doing? I heard that he’s been visiting you, Anastas.”

Of course, I was surprised by his words even though he didn’t sound accusing. “Beria has been visiting Andreyev and I for lessons on sign language. We don’t talk about much when he comes over.”

Andrey’s tinnitus had gotten so bad, he was nearly deaf and the only thing that kept him from losing his hearing was the cocaine pills he took. When he started learning sign language, Beria revealed that he also knew how to sign and offered to give us lessons. When I asked how he learned sign language, Beria told me that his little sister was born deaf and his parents hired a tutor to teach her sign language. Eventually, Beria decided to learn it himself so he could talk to her and teach his sister how to speak. [6]

As I told this to Zhdanov he nodded his head, “You know, we all dread Beria from time to time, but in the end, he is still a human being. I think that it would be better for him if he spent more time with his family, just like Andrey.”

These words came at a surprise because Andrey’s retirement from the Presidium took place less than a week ago. Eventually, I put the pieces together and asked Zhdanov another question about Beria. “You know, it would be good for Beria if he got some rest, but I’m afraid Molotov might not want to see him go.”

Zhdanov gave me a small smirk behind his mustache and leaned forward, “Molotov isn’t acting worried anymore. He told me that he’s got a man to help run security if Beria ever decides to retire.”

I grinned back, “Well, if Molotov is happy, then so am I. Now, what do you say we have a toast to the good health of Comrade Andreyev?”

At once, we all raised our glasses in the air and cheered to our dearly departed Chairman. But behind the smiles, the three of us knew that there was a different reason why we were celebrating.”

-Excerpt from The Memoirs of Anastas Mikoyan, published 1999

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General Secrety Zhdanov and Premier Molotov stand side by side
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[1] Initially sacked for alcoholism and political unreliability, Tsipas would return to his position as General Secretary after the deaths of Zachariadis and Georgios Siantos

[2] Had Stalin survived, the Vodhz would’ve began a campaign to deport ethnic Greeks to the hinterlands of Central Asia

[3] Much like his mentor, Abakumov would personally torture prisoners, even after being given a major position of power

[4] IOTL, Alexei Kuznetsov would not attend the wedding between his daughter and Sergo Mikoyan as he was being put on trial

[5] The phrase “хач” is a Russian slur for ethnic Armenians

[6] While there are no records of Beria knowing sign language, it was likely that he knew how as he did have a deaf sister

 

[Kerguelen]

Till Death Do You Part​

“Beria’s predecessor, Nikolai Yezkov was a rabid philanderer who regularly assaulted his own co-workers, before being brought down on charges of homosexuality [1]. Yezkov’s predecessor, Genrikh Yagoda was a pornography addict who was found with four thousand erotic photographs and films in his dacha at the time of his death. When faced with the inherit cruelty of the NKVD during the Stavka Affair, Molotov shrugged his shoulders and argued that cruel police chiefs were simply a constant in the Soviet government. In response, Vosnessenky would often joke, “Where there is Koba, there is Grigola”.

His quote had referenced a renowned Georgian novel “The Patricide”, a favorite amongst the Old Bolsheviks. Koba, the hero, was the brave outlaw who fought for justice, honor, and the rights of his fellow man. During his time in Vienna, Stalin had taken an occupation as a bank robber to fund the exiled communist movement. Eventually, Stalin saw himself in the character of this Georgian Robin Hood, to the point where it became a nickname of his amongst his comrades. On the other hand, Grigola was the antagonist, was the cruel Georgian governor who used his Cossack enforcers to rape and murder whomever he pleased.

And indeed, Beria was an unashamedly cruel man who once ruled Georgia, eagerly abusing his power to rape female prisoners and prey on young girls who wandered the streets at night. Several mothers would even pimp their own daughters, in hopes of gaining the favor of “Uncle Lara”. Sometimes, they would receive limousines and gifts in exchange for the services of their daughters [2]. This lifetime of sexual deviancy would prove to be the Chekist’s downfall as Colonel Sarkisov began to despise his job of providing victims to his master. Beria would order him to create a list of his sexual conquests, but would later regret this decision as Abakumov’s power grew.

Beria ordered Sarkisov to burn the list, but Sarkisov would secretly defy his master and kept the list safe in his closet. When SMERSH was later reorganized into the KSR, Abakumov would receive a list of women as young as twelve who had been procured by Beria’s minions [3]. It was an open secret that Beria’s relationship with his closest allies in the Politburo was often strained. Both Khrushchev and Molotov ensured that Beria was protected from Zhdanov, but both of them knew that Beria was too great a threat to be kept around for much longer. Those who aligned themselves with Beria knew this and began to turn against their master as they began to smell blood in the water.

Beria’s deputies, Ivan Serov and Sergei Kruglov had joined the KSR to serve under his rival, leaving Bogdan Kobulov as his successor. Khrushchev to distance himself from the Chekists by assisting in Zhdanov’s campaign against party corruption, which was especially prominent in the NKVD. The Georgian Affair had forced Beria to purge a good number of his own supporters as the political power of the Mengrelians was weakened. Even Kubulov, Beria’s loyal torturer had grown tired of his master’s cruelty and deeply regretted his years of squeezing false confessions out of innocent victims [4]. As Beria’s list of enemies grew longer, a sudden stroke of luck would turn the winds of fortune in his favor.”

-Beria: Stalin's Devil by Konrad Heller

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Lavrentiy Beria (center) next to his deputy, Bogdan Kubulov (right)
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“I remember little about Sergo’s wedding. All I remember is what happened at the end. Like most Bolshevik weddings, it was a modest affair with not too many guests. Kaganovich, Khrushchev, Molotov, and Bulganin all came to the party, but Andreyev had taken ill the day before. The Leningraders came too, led by Alexei. Our children later said their vows and kissed, there was a feeling of great joy inside of me, but it wouldn’t last very long. When it happened, I believe I was talking to Kaganovich about retirement and how it was treating him. We were making a few jokes about our age when I suddenly heard it.

There was a loud cry that echoed throughout the hallway. At first, I thought that something happened to Alla, but when I got there, I realized that it was a man screaming. I saw Vosnessenky holding Zhdanov’s body and there was this look of panic on his face. Zhdanov was on the floor asleep and his face looked almost completely white, like a ghost’s. I looked at Alexei for an answer on what to do, but he just stood there silent with his mouth open. Looking back, I probably looked just like he did, with my face stuck in a look of surprise.

Suddenly, I heard another cry from Vosnessenky, “A doctor! Somebody get a doctor!”

I don’t know how long it was, but few guards were already on their way to load Zhdanov onto a stretcher. Before Vosnessenky could follow them, I put a hand on his shoulder and asked him what happened.

“I was talking to him when he just fell on the floor like that. I tried to get him to wake up, but he didn’t move. So I tried to look for his pulse and then…”

A silence hung over the two of us before Vosnessenky ran after the guards. I looked around me and I saw people panicking, people following Zhdanov, and people just like me, who were still standing in shock at what just happened. Thankfully, Molotov was there to restore order to the situation.

“Everyone! Our General Secretary is currently suffering from an issue of his health. I would advise everyone to give Comrade Zhdanov some space and remain inside the room!”

While he was trying to restore order, I managed to get his attention.

“I’m sorry Anastas. This never should have happened here.”

“Listen Vyacheslav, I’m not here to talk about Zhdanov. I’m here to talk about Beria.”

“Beria? What do you know?”

“Zhdanov’s gone and for all we know, someone was behind this. Someone who wanted to see Zhdanov’s plans fail. Someone who wanted our plans to fail.”

Molotov nodded his head, “Things will be alright, Anastas. It may be chaotic at first, but we’ll be able to restore order. I’ve already made plans for what we’ll do next but for now, you need to go to your family. They’re what’s most important.”

I nodded my head and watched Vosnessenky come back into the room. There were tears around his eyes and Alexei was trying to comfort him. I looked to Sergo and he was wiping away Alla’s tears. I remember putting my arms around my darling Ashkhen and telling her the same thing again and again.

“It’s alright, everything will be alright.”

Looking back, I’m not quite sure if I was saying those words to calm my wife or myself.”

-Excerpt from The Memoirs of Anastas Mikoyan, published 1999

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Molotov, Voroshilov, Beria, and Malenkov (left to right) stand to attention at Zhdanov's funeral
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“In the weeks following Zhdanov’s death, Beria would remain in a jovial mood while his comrades mourned the death of their General Secretary. While Beria would briefly attend Zhdanov’s funeral, he would excuse himself early due to “matters of business”. He would later spend that night drinking with his minions at the Aragvi restaurant, dining on Georgian wines and pepper vodka [5]. As Beria continued to celebrate, he began to receive calls from Molotov regarding suspicions about the wartime activities of the new General Secretary. Vosnessenky had recently been accused of stealing several documents from Stalin which showed that his reign over Gosplan may not have been as prosperous as the Vodhz believed. Eager to take down the hated pupil of his rival, Beria agreed to meet Molotov at his dacha and found him standing next to the towering figure of Viktor Abakumov.

“Viktor!” Beria would exclaim “What are you doing here!”

The intelligence chief would only grin and punched Beria in the face, breaking the Chekist’s nose. Then, a few KSR agents would come from behind to drag Beria away from Molotov. With Beria’s reign of terror finally over, Abakumov said the words that he had been yearning to say ever since he had been placed in control of SMERSH.

“Lavrentiy, old friend. I’m here to arrest you.”

While Beria was still trying to comprehend what had just happened, he was already being loaded into a prison car where he would be transported to a show trial. At the trial, there would be no defense counsel and no right of appeal. Even the illusion of a fair trial would be too much for Beria. When Molotov came to testify against Beria, he would say how the Chekist attempted to initiate peace talks with Hitler in 1941 using the Bulgarians as a middle man [6]. Upon hearing this, Beria was furious.

“How dare you call that a crime! You ordered me to do it Slava! I am blameless in this situation!”

Malenkov came to the stand and testified how Beria would embezzle funds produced from the GULAGs and how the Chekist threatened to kill him if he told Stalin. As he spoke against his former ally, Beria would begin to grovel for his mercy.

“How could you do this to me old friend? After all I’ve done for you. I saved you from Hitler and I saved you from Stalin! How could you do this to me?”

“Abakumov saved my life too, Lavrentiy. You’re not that special,”

Khrushchev then came to the stand and testified that his friend had drunkenly bragged that he was responsible for the death of Zhdanov. That he had ordered a few of his agents to slip some poison into his drinks that would stop the General Secretary’s heart.

“Please Nikita, you know that I couldn’t have done it. You know Zhdanov couldn’t have possibly been killed by my hand.”

Upon hearing this, Khrushchev gave the groveling figure on the chair a spiteful grin, “A Tambov wolf is your comrade, you traitor!”

Politicians testified how he abused his power. General explained how the NKVD acted against national defense. His own officers would recall how he preyed on young girls and their own daughters. Eventually, a final verdict was made by the court to punish the traitor. Execution by shooting. Beria would be dragged to the Lubyanka where he met his executioners and the cold prison cell where he would die. His own deputy, Kobulov would oversee the end of the Beriashchina with a rifle in his arm and a scowl on his face. As he was led to his death by his former comrade, Beria begged like he had never done so before.

“Please Bogdan, let me go! I’ll do anything for you, I swear it! Just please let me go, Bogdan, please I beg you!”

Upon hearing this Kobulov frowned with disappointment. Yagoda and Yezhov had faced death with more dignity, but here was his former master, reducing to a groveling slug. After a brief pause, the deputy would say the last words that Beria would ever hear.

“Here’s what I want you to do Lavrentiy. I want you to shut up.”

While the crimes of Lavrentiy Beria were many in number, a great number of the charges brought against him were somewhat hypocritical in nature. His comrades had almost as much a role to play as Beria did in purging the army and sending thousands of innocents to their deaths. In the end, the Lavrentiy Beria was killed not for his cruel abuse of power, but for the crime of knowing too much to be kept alive.”

-Beria: Stalin's Devil by Konrad Heller

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Lavrentiy Beria poses for a photo with his future daughter-in-law
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Q: You’ve said before that many charges against your father were false, correct?

Sergo: Yes, they were. I know that he was a womanizer and I know that I had a half-sister somewhere [7]. But I don’t believe that he could’ve guilty of harassing all those girls. He had his job to do and a family to take care of. So no, I don’t think that he had any time to do all those things he was accused of.

Q: Now, let’s talk about another accusation. Do you believe that your father killed Andrei Zhdanov?

Sergo: …Yes, I do. Poison was a common method that my father would use to get rid of his rival. When his boss, Sergo Ordzhonikidze turned against him, he had him poisoned at a dinner. And he was my father’s friend, the person who he named me after. So, I don’t think that poisoning Zhdanov would’ve been out of the question. But a week or so before Zhdanov died, my father told me something strange. He said that Zhdanov’s time was almost up and everyone in the Politburo knew. Especially Molotov. At first, I thought that he was talking about how Zhdanov’s illness was killing him, but after he died, I think my father was talking about something else.

Q: Several members of the Politburo wrote that your father killed Zhdanov because Molotov had conspired with Zhdanov to remove him from the NKVD.

Sergo: I’m not contradicting what they said. For all we know, Molotov could’ve been playing both sides against each other. He could’ve been working with Zhdanov to oust my father while he was working with my father to kill of Zhdanov. Both my father and Zhdanov were very prominent threats and Molotov wanted to take out both of them to put his own cronies in power. Besides, if anything went wrong, he always had Abakumov to take care of the situation. The KSR was always subordinate to the Office of Foreign Affairs and Molotov knew that Abakumov depended on him more than my father did.

Q: If you don’t mind, when did you receive news that your father was on trial?

Sergo: One day, my mother went to my house and said that my father and our driver, Khrustalyov didn’t come home. It had already been more than a day and my father still hadn’t returned from the office, which really shocked me. I was so afraid that something might have happened to him because my father would always tell her if he was going to work late. I had no idea what to do, but I had to do something to calm her down. Svetlana told me to call Vasily so he could investigate what had happened to my father. I was worried that Abakumov might do something to him if he asked too many questions, but Svetlana was sure that he would be fine.

The next day, Vasily came to me with a sober look on his face. He told me that my father was in jail and he was about to face trial for his crimes. My mother started crying and I just stood there with my head in my hands. Svetlana was furious and she demanded that her brother do something to save my father from Abakumov.

“I can’t do anything for him,” he said “but there’s something that I can do for you,”

He gave me a few documents that would let Svetlana and I change our last names from Beria to Stalin. Vasily said that it would help keep our children safe from harm but Svetlana would've have any of that. She only became even angrier and started calling Vasily a coward, so Vasily shouted back and told her that all of us would be dead if he tried to help my father. I wanted to shout at him too, but I thought about what my father wanted. He would’ve wanted his grandchildren to be safe, to not suffer from the same fate that he did. After I told this to Svetlana, she managed to calm down and we signed the documents together. That day, I became Sergo Stalin and the Beria name would die with my father.”

-Excerpt from Red Stars by Searchlight Films, 1995

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[1] During Yezhov's trial, one of his subordinates testified against him, saying that he woke up with Yezhov's member in his mouth after he passed out at a party

[2] Happened in OTL

[3] Beria's trust of Sarkisov would be one of the factors that brought him down in our timeline.

[4] Despite Kubulov's proficiency as a torturer, he would often weep at the cruelty of his own actions and the brutality of his comrades.

[5] Much like OTL, Beria didn't bother hiding his enjoyment once the General Secretary died

[6] Beria would be accused of this in OTL

[7] While many of Beria's bastards would be aborted or sent to orphanages, Beria would help one of his mistresses raise their child, much to the detriment of his wife.