Page 241 - The Chief Culprit

33

Stalin in May

Stalin [has] put before himself a foreign policy goal of tremendous importance, which he
hopes to reach through personal efforts.
—C   S,   
 G , M , ­

n May 4, 1941, Stalin became chairman of the Soviet government, replacing
1
Molotov who became deputy chairman. At that time, many British and American
Opoliticians and diplomats were confused by that turn of events. For the first time
in Soviet history, the top party and government leadership was officially concentrated in one
man’s hands. In 1922, having assumed the position of general secretary of the Communist
Party, Stalin refused to take any government positions. Stalin elevated his command post
above the government and above the country. Officially, he was responsible for nothing. All
successes were attributed to Stalin. All failures were attributed to his enemies, careerists who
took advantage of and distorted the orders of Stalin the genius. e “victory of the collec-
tivization” was a creation of Stalin’s genius, while millions perished from hunger because of
the mistakes of regional level functionaries. Stalin officially had no ties to the Great Purge—
Ezhov, the People’s Commissar for Interior Affairs, shouldered the whole blame. at period
was derogatorily called Ezhovshchina.
It wasn’t Stalin who signed a pact with Hitler. e treaty entered history as the Molotov-
Ribbentrop Pact. In Germany, the responsibility for the pact was borne not so much by
Ribbentrop as by Adolf Hitler, the chancellor, though he was not present when the pact was
signed. But Stalin, who was present at the signing, had no government position at that mo-
ment. On April 13, 1941, a pact was signed with Japan: Stalin was present, but again, did
not shoulder any responsibility. Hitler many times invited Stalin to a personal meeting in a
friendly atmosphere. But Stalin sent Molotov to meet Hitler.
en, when the victors were clearly defined, Stalin, of course, personally met with
Churchill and Roosevelt. During the course of talks at the highest level, Stalin never said no.

202