Letter from London

The New Leader: Stalin

The British public, or that small part of it which gives more than a passing thought to such matters, is quite willing to accept the new officially soiled portrait of Stalin. But the new portrait is, of course, untrue. He was certainly a liar and a murderer. But he was not a bungler. No doubt he made mistakes, but history will paint him as the principal architect of Russia’s present power. Of the world’s three leading statesmen during the critical years—Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill—Stalin immeasurably surpassed the other two in statecraft, cunning, realism and determination.

The New Leader: Stalin

The British public, or that small part of it which gives more than a passing thought to such matters, is quite willing to accept the new officially soiled portrait of Stalin. But the new portrait is, of course, untrue. He was certainly a liar and a murderer. But he was not a bungler. No doubt he made mistakes, but history will paint him as the principal architect of Russia’s present power. Of the world’s three leading statesmen during the critical years—Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill—Stalin immeasurably surpassed the other two in statecraft, cunning, realism and determination.