Stalin's wife was an outstanding woman with a difficult fate and personal life; his wife knew everything about his character and the dark side of his soul. Many people know about Joseph Stalin as a politician and leader of the USSR, but the other side of Stalin’s biography is much less known: his wife and. In fact, Joseph Vissarionovich was a terrible womanizer, albeit in his youth. It is noteworthy that all the close people of the Soviet leader had a sad fate. Until now, their lives are shrouded in myths and conjectures of historians.
When Joseph was 27 years old, he took a 21-year-old Georgian girl, Ekaterina Kato, as his wife. The personal life of Stalin's wife was filled with real feelings and romance, then still a kind and carefree future revolutionary. They were in love with each other. Catherine's brother was one of Stalin's best friends, with whom they attended the seminary at the church. At the time of the wedding, Stalin was hiding from Soviet power, so the couple had to have a mysterious wedding in the Tiflis monastery. This marriage was based on mutual love and respect, but according to the laws of fate it turned out to be very short. Catherine managed to give birth to Joseph's son Jacob, and at the age of 22 she died of typhus in Joseph's arms. There are rumors that the grief-stricken Stalin said at the funeral that his love for all humanity died along with Catherine. The authenticity of these words remains in question. But during the times of repression, he dealt with all of Catherine’s relatives.
Stalin's first son Yakov Dzhugashvili
The son of Catherine Kato and Joseph Stalin was raised by close relatives of Catherine. At the age of 14, when Stalin had already married for the second time, father and son met. Stalin did not have warm feelings for Yakov and called him a “wolf cub.” There are rumors that he was even jealous of his second wife. Their age difference was only 5 years. Yakov was brought up in strictness, his father punished him for every little thing. It even happened that Joseph did not let the “wolf cub” home. At the age of 18, Yakov went against his father's wishes and got married. After this, family relationships finally deteriorated. Yakov even tried to shoot himself, but survived. In the early summer of 1941, Yakov went to the front, was later captured by the Germans and died in captivity in 1943.
Stalin's second wife - Nadezhda Alliluyeva
The “Soviet leader” married for the second and last time at the age of 40. His wife was Nadezhda Alliluyeva, who was 23 years younger than Joseph. At that time, Nadezhda had just graduated from high school; she was madly in love with the revolutionary. In his youth, Joseph Stalin had a warm relationship with his mother Nadezhda, who later became his mother-in-law. The personal life of Stalin's wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva was not as happy as expected. Over time, their relationship became simply unbearable. According to some sources, Joseph was gentle at home, and Nadezhda tried to introduce strict discipline in the family. According to others, Stalin was a boor, and Nadezhda endured his humiliation. In the fall of 1932, the couple went to dinner at Voroshilov’s, where Joseph and Nadezhda had a fight. Nadezhda returned home alone, where she committed suicide by shooting herself in the chest. At the time of her death, Nadezhda Alliluyeva was 31 years old.
Stalin's second son Vasily Dzhugashvili
Nadezhda Alliluyeva gave birth to two heirs to the “Soviet leader”: Vasily and Svetlana. At the time of her death, the children were 12 and 6 years old. The children were raised by Stalin's nannies and guards. It is reported that it was precisely because of the influence of the guards that Vasily began to smoke and drink alcohol early. There are four official wives of Vasily Stalin known:
- Galina Burdonskaya;
- Ekaterina Timoshenko;
- Kapitolina Vasilieva;
- Maria Nusberg.
Vasily Stalin received disciplinary punishments more than once during his service in the Soviet army. He died in the spring of 1962 from alcohol poisoning.
Daughter of Joseph Stalin Svetlana Alliluyeva
The only daughter of the “Soviet leader” was his most beloved. But it was she who turned out to be the most problematic. After the death of Joseph Vissarionovich, Svetlana fled to the USA, where until the last days of her life she suffered moral humiliation for her father’s name. She left behind two children in Russia who were 16 and 20 years old at the time of their flight. However, they told journalists that they did not consider her a mother. In the USA, Svetlana got married and became Lana Peters, she had another daughter, Olga. Svetlana Alliluyeva died in 2011 in a nursing home. In addition to children born in an official marriage, Joseph Stalin had one more adopted son and two illegitimate ones. The distance from their famous father allowed them to build a happier life.
Adopted son of Joseph Stalin Artem Sergeev
Artyom’s own father was the famous Bolshevik and friend of Joseph Stalin, “Comrade Artyom.” He died when Artem was only 3 months old. Stalin took the boy to his place. Artem became good friends with Stalin's son Vasily. But they were complete opposites: Artem was obedient and a good student, Vasily was distinguished by bad behavior from childhood. At the request of Joseph Stalin himself, Artyom was treated strictly at the Artillery Academy. Artem rose to the rank of great military leader and retired as a major general. Artem Sergeev died in 2008.
In 1953, but his children continued to live. Their fate was forever twisted by him and his character.
Stalin's wives and mistresses. Stalin's own children and adopted son
Not much is known about Stalin’s first wife, Catherine. And the spouses had a chance to live together quite a bit. Some historians and psychologists believe that Stalin did not like his eldest son Yakov, convinced that it was his birth that undermined the health and strength of poor Kato, bringing her to an untimely grave.
Stalin's first wife - Ekaterina Svanidze
The second time the stern underground fighter Koba decided to tie the knot was after the revolution. His wife was Nadezhda Alliluyeva, the daughter of his old friends, to whom Stalin wrote as cheerful letters as possible even from Turukhansk exile.
For Olga Evgenievna.
I am very, very grateful to you, dear Olga Evgenievna, for your kind and pure feelings towards me. I will never forget your caring attitude towards me! I look forward to the moment when I am freed from exile and, having arrived in St. Petersburg, I will personally thank you, as well as Sergei, for everything. After all, I only have two years left.
I've received the parcel. Thank you. I ask only one thing - don’t spend any more money on me: you need the money yourself. I will also be pleased if from time to time you send open letters with views of nature and so on. In this damned region, nature is incredibly scarce - a river in summer, snow in winter, that's all that nature gives here - and I was stupidly yearning for views of nature, at least on paper.
My greetings to the guys and girls. I wish them all the best.
I live as before. I feel good. He’s quite healthy, he must be used to the local nature. And our nature is harsh: about three weeks ago the frost reached 45 degrees.
Until the next letter.
Dear Joseph November 5, 1915S. Rybas, talking about the defense of Tsaritsyn and Stalin’s ruthlessness at this time, notes: “His loneliness was brightened up by his seventeen-year-old wife Nadezhda, with whom he entered into a civil marriage in March, just before the Council of People’s Commissars moved to Moscow. (They will register their marriage only in a year.)
Nadezhda had a strong character; for Stalin it was not as easy for Stalin as it might seem at first glance. She and her husband were united not only by childhood and girlish impressions of a romantic hero who often appeared in her parents’ apartment, but also by an almost mystical connection: he saved her life when, as a small child, she fell from an embankment in Baku and almost drowned: Koba threw himself into the sea and pulled him out. Her saved life was now partly his.
In Tsaritsyn, Nadezhda worked in Stalin’s secretariat and saw his cruel daily work down to the smallest detail. In relation to the matter, their views completely coincided.”
Finally, the civil war ended and the opportunity arose to establish an ordinary life, not a camp one. There is a lot of evidence that Stalin really liked the role of head of the family. Nadezhda gave birth to her husband two children - a son, Vasily, in 1921, and a daughter, Svetlana, five years later.
“In the Kremlin, at the Trinity Gate, in house 2 on Kommunisticheskaya Street, Stalin’s family occupied a small apartment where all the rooms were walk-through,” Rybas reconstructs the life of the leader. – It’s interesting that in the hallway there was a tub of pickled cucumbers; the owner loved them. Vasily and Artem (Stalin's adopted son, Artem Fedorovich Sergeev.) lived in the same room, the eldest son Yakov lived in the dining room. Stalin did not have his own workplace there. The furniture here was simple, and so was the food.”
Stalin with Nadezhda Alliluyeva
Stalin with his daughter Svetlana
Simple food was served according to an established ritual, which the whole family willingly obeyed: “Dinner was the same. First, the cook Annushka Albukhina solemnly placed a tureen in the center of the table, in which day after day there were the same grubs - cabbage soup with cabbage and boiled meat. Moreover, for the first - cabbage soup, and for the second - boiled meat. For dessert - sweet, juicy fruits. Joseph Vissarionovich and Nadezhda Sergeevna drank Caucasian wine at dinner: Stalin respected this drink. But the real holiday for the children were those rare occasions when grandmother, Stalin’s mother, sent walnut jam from sunny Georgia. The owner of the house came home, put the parcel on the dining table, took out liter jars of the delicacy: “Here, our grandmother sent this.” And he smiled into his mustache.”
Nadezhda Sergeevna worked in the editorial office of the magazine “Revolution and Culture” at the newspaper “Pravda”, and in 1929 she began studying at the textile faculty.
The nephew of Stalin's wife, V.F. Alliluyev, claimed that his aunt had a complex character - she was quick-tempered, jealous of her husband and demanded constant attention from him, which Stalin, busy with party and state affairs, of course, could not give to her. In addition, she suffered from frequent migraines, which many relatives and friends blamed on the abnormal structure of her skull bones. “Apparently, the difficult childhood was not in vain; Nadezhda developed a serious illness - ossification of the cranial sutures. The disease began to progress, accompanied by depression and headaches. All this had a noticeable effect on her mental state. She even went to Germany for a consultation with leading German neurologists... Nadezhda more than once threatened to commit suicide.” Although migraines and depression can be a consequence of increased sensitivity and nervous tension...
And with all this, the nephew of the leader’s wife testifies that there was both sincerity and warmth in the relationship between Stalin and his wife. “...One day after a party at the Industrial Academy, where Nadezhda studied, she came home completely sick from drinking a little wine and feeling ill. Stalin laid her down, began to console her, and Nadezhda said: “But you still love me a little.” This phrase of hers is apparently the key to understanding the relationship between these two close people. In our family they knew that Nadezhda and Stalin loved each other.”
Indeed, the correspondence between them reveals a warm relationship. These are the letters they exchanged in the fall of 1930, when Stalin was vacationing in the south.
Got a letter. Books too. I didn’t have the English self-teacher from Moscow (based on the Rosenthal method) here. Search well and come. I have already started dental treatment. They removed the bad tooth, grind down the side teeth, and, in general, the work is in full swing. The doctor thinks to finish all my dental work by the end of September. I haven’t gone anywhere and I don’t plan to go anywhere. I feel better. Definitely getting better. I'm sending you lemons. You'll need them. How are things with Vaska and Satanka?
I kiss you deeply, a lot, a lot. Yours Joseph.
Hello Joseph!
Received a letter. Thanks for the lemons, of course they will come in handy. We live well, but it’s already quite winter-like – last night it was minus 7 Celsius. In the morning all the roofs were completely white with frost. It’s very good that you are basking in the sun and getting your teeth treated. In general, Moscow is all noisy, knocking, dug up, etc., but still everything is gradually getting better. The mood of the public (in trams and other public places) is tolerable - they buzz, but not evil. All of us in Moscow were entertained by the arrival of Zeppelin (the rigid-type airship "Graf Zeppelin" arrived in Moscow on September 10, 1930): the spectacle was truly worthy of attention. All of Moscow was staring at this wonderful car. About the poet Demyan, everyone whined that he didn’t donate enough, we deducted one day’s earnings. I saw the new opera “Almas”, where Maksakova danced the Lezginka (Armenian) absolutely exclusively; I have not seen a dance so artistically performed for a long time. I think you will really like the dance, and the opera. Yes, no matter how hard I looked for your copy of the textbook, I couldn’t find it, so I’m sending you another copy. Don't be angry, but I couldn't find it anywhere. In Zubalovo, steam heating is already working and in general everything is in order, obviously they will finish it soon. On the day Zeppelin arrived, Vasya rode a bicycle from the Kremlin to the airfield across the city. I did well, but of course I was tired. It’s very smart that you don’t travel around, it’s risky in every way.
Kiss you. Nadia.
Hello Joseph!
How is your health? Comrade T. (Ukhanov and someone else) who arrived say that you look and feel very bad. I know that you are getting better (this is from letters). On this occasion, the Molotovs attacked me with reproaches, how could I leave you alone and the like, in fact, completely fair things. I explained my departure by studying, but essentially, this, of course, is not true. This summer I did not feel that you would be pleased with the extension of my departure, but on the contrary. Last summer it was very felt, but this is not. Of course, there was no point in staying in this mood, since this would already change the whole meaning and benefit of my stay. And I believe that I did not deserve reproaches, but in their understanding, of course, yes. The other day I visited the Molotovs, at his suggestion, to get informed. This is very good. Because otherwise I only know what is in print. In general, it’s not very pleasant. As for your arrival, Abel says t.t., I haven’t seen him, that you will return at the end of October; are you really going to sit there for that long? Answer, if you are not very dissatisfied with my letter, but however, as you wish.
Best wishes. Kiss. Nadia.
I received a parcel from you. I am sending you peaches from our tree. I am healthy and feeling my best. It is possible that Ukhanov saw me on the very day when Shapiro sharpened my eight (8!) teeth at once, and my mood then, perhaps, was not good. But this episode has nothing to do with my health, which I consider to have improved radically. Only people who don’t know the matter can reproach you for anything about taking care of me. The Molotovs turned out to be such people in this case. Tell the Molotovs for me that they were mistaken about you and committed injustice. As for your assumption about the undesirability of your stay in Sochi, your reproaches are as unfair as the Molotovs’ reproaches about you are unfair. Yes, Tatka. I will arrive, of course, not at the end of October, but much earlier, in mid-October, as I told you in Sochi. As a form of secrecy, I started a rumor through Poskrebyshev that I could only come at the end of October. Abel apparently became the victim of such a rumor. I wouldn't want you to call about this. Tatka, Molotov and, it seems, Sergo know about the date of my arrival. Well, good luck.
I kiss you deeply and a lot. Yours Joseph.
P.S. How are the guys?
Hello Joseph!
Once again I start with the same thing - I received the letter. I’m very glad that you are enjoying the southern sun. It’s not bad in Moscow now either, the weather has improved, but it’s definitely autumn in the forest. The day goes by quickly. So far everyone is healthy. Well done for eight teeth. I am competing with my throat, Professor Sverzhevsky performed an operation on me, cut out 4 pieces of meat, I had to lie down for four days, and now I can say that I have come out of a complete repair. I feel good, I even gained weight while I was lying there with a sore throat. The peaches turned out great. Is it really from that tree? They are remarkably beautiful. Now, despite all your reluctance, you will still have to return to Moscow soon, we are waiting for you, but we are not rushing you, get some rest.
Hello. Kiss you. Nadia.
P.S. Yes, Kaganovich was very pleased with the apartment and took it. In general, I was touched by your attention. I have just returned from the conference of drummers, where Kaganovich spoke. Very good, as well as Yaroslavsky. Afterwards there was “Carmen” - under the direction of Golovanov, wonderful. ON THE.
...We haven't heard from you lately. I asked Dvinsky about the post office, he said that he had not been there for a long time. Probably, the trip to see the quails got me carried away or I was just too lazy to write. And in Moscow there is already a snowy blizzard. Now it's circling with all its might. In general, the weather is very strange, cold. Poor Muscovites are chilly, because until 15.H. Moskvotop gave the order not to drown. The sick are visible and invisible. We practice in our coats, because otherwise we need to be shaking all the time. In general, things are going well for me. I feel quite good too. In a word, now I have lost the fatigue from my “round the world” trip, and in general the things that caused all this fuss have also given a sharp improvement. I heard about you from a young interesting woman that you look great, she saw you at Kalinin’s dinner, that you were wonderfully cheerful and bothered everyone who was embarrassed by your person. I am very happy. Well, don’t be angry for the stupid letter, but I don’t know if you should write to Sochi about boring things, which, unfortunately, are enough in Moscow life. Get better. Best wishes. Kiss. Nadia.
P.S. Zubalovo is absolutely ready, it turned out very, very well.
I received your letter. You've been praising me lately. What does it mean? Good or bad? Unfortunately, I have no news. I live well, I expect better. Our weather has turned bad here, damn it. We'll have to flee to Moscow. You are hinting at some of my trips. I would like to inform you that I have not gone anywhere (absolutely anywhere!) and have no plans to go.
I kiss you a lot, tightly, a lot. Yours Joseph.
Many such letters have survived, sometimes with touching notes from children to “daddy.” Stalin's adopted son, Artem Sergeev, recalled that Joseph Vissarionovich did not cause any fear in the children and was very calm about the inevitable pranks. One day Artyom managed to pour tobacco into the tureen. When Stalin tried the resulting disgusting thing, he began to find out who had done it. And he said to Artem: “Have you tried it yourself? Try. If you like it, go to Karolina Georgievna so that she always adds tobacco to the cabbage soup. And if you don’t like it, don’t ever do it again!”
And Zubalovo, which Nadezhda writes about, is the leader’s favorite country house. “In 1919, Stalin occupied an empty red-brick house with Gothic turrets, surrounded by a two-meter brick fence,” writes Rybas. – The dacha was two-story, Stalin’s office and bedroom were on the second floor. On the ground floor there were two more bedrooms, a dining room and a large veranda. About thirty meters from the house there was a service building where the kitchen, garage, and security room were located. From there a covered gallery led to the main building.”
Numerous relatives lived in Stalin’s house - the elder Alliluyevs, their children and other relatives with their children and household members. Party comrades came to visit. Svetlana later said that this family circle allowed her father to have a constant source of “incorruptible, impartial information.” But above all, he rested his soul in this circle and simply enjoyed life.
I. Stalin, Svetlana and L. Beria in the leader’s country house
“Our estate was constantly being transformed,” Svetlana recalled. “Father immediately cleared the forest around the house, cut down half of it, and clearings formed; it became lighter, warmer and drier. The forest was cleaned, looked after, and dry leaves were raked in the spring. In front of the house there was a wonderful, transparent, young birch grove, all shining white, where we children always picked mushrooms. An apiary was built nearby, and next to it two clearings were sown with buckwheat every summer for honey. The areas left around the pine forest - slender, dry - were also carefully cleaned; Strawberries and blueberries grew there, and the air was somehow especially fresh and fragrant. It was only later, when I became an adult, that I understood my father’s peculiar interest in nature, a practical interest that was fundamentally deeply peasant. He couldn’t just contemplate nature, he had to manage it, forever transform something. Large areas were planted with fruit trees; strawberries, raspberries, and currants were planted in abundance. At a distance from the house, they fenced off a small clearing with bushes with nets and raised pheasants, guinea fowl, and turkeys there; Ducks swam in a small pool. All this did not arise immediately, but gradually blossomed and grew, and we, children, grew up, essentially, in the conditions of a small landowner’s estate, with its village life - cutting hay, picking mushrooms and berries, with fresh annual “our own” honey, “ with their own pickles and marinades, with their own poultry.
True, all this farming occupied my father more than my mother. Mom just made sure that huge lilac bushes bloomed near the house in the spring, and planted a whole alley of jasmine near the balcony. And I had my own little garden, where my nanny taught me to dig in the ground, plant nasturtium and marigold seeds.”
But back in 1928, the first thunderstorm broke out over Stalin’s cozy family world. The eldest son Yakov, raised by the sister of his late mother, was at that time a student at the Institute of Transport Engineers. And suddenly he fell passionately in love and decided to marry a girl named Zoya Gunina. Not only Stalin was against it, but also all his relatives: first you need to finish your studies. “...The father did not approve of this marriage, but Yakov acted in his own way, which caused a quarrel between them,” Svetlana recalled.
Yakov tried to shoot himself...
An angry Stalin wrote to Nadezhda: “Tell Yasha from me that he acted like a bully and a blackmailer, with whom I have and cannot have anything else in common. Let him live where he wants and with whom he wants.”
On November 7, 1932, Nadezhda Sergeevna appeared in public for the last time. N. Khrushchev, her classmate, recalled it this way: “Nadya Alliluyeva was next to me, we talked. It was cold. Stalin at the Mausoleum, as always, in an overcoat. The hooks of the overcoat were unbuttoned, the floors swung open. A strong wind blew. Nadezhda Sergeevna looked and said: “He didn’t take my scarf, he’ll catch a cold, and we’ll get sick again.” It came out very homely and did not fit in with the idea of Stalin, of the leader, already ingrained in our consciousness...”
On the night of November 9, Nadezhda Alliluyeva shot herself. Khrushchev would later say: “She died under mysterious circumstances. But no matter how she died, the cause of her death was some actions of Stalin... There was even a rumor that Stalin shot Nadya..."
Moreover, in the era of exposing the cult, there were even witnesses to the last minutes of Nadezhda’s life, to whom she allegedly managed to tell who pulled the trigger, and begged to keep it a secret...
According to Svetlana’s memoirs, there was a quarrel between her parents at a festive banquet in honor of the 15th anniversary of the October Revolution. Stalin said to Nadezhda: “Hey, you! Drink! And she exclaimed: “I don’t like you!” – and ran out from the table. She was never seen again.
Nadezhda Sergeevna’s body was discovered in the morning by housekeeper Karolina Vasilyevna Til - Stalin’s wife was lying covered in blood on the floor near the bed, and in her hand was clutched a small Walter, once given to her by her brother. The frightened housekeeper called the nanny, together they called the chief of security, followed by Molotov and his wife, Voroshilov, Enukidze... Stalin came out to the noise and heard: “Joseph, Nadya is no longer with us...”
The head of the security, General N.S. Vlasik, recalled: “Stalin’s wife, Nadezhda Sergeevna Alliluyeva, was a modest woman, rarely made any requests, dressed modestly, unlike the wives of many senior officials. She studied at the Industrial Academy and paid a lot of attention to children... In 1932, she died tragically. Joseph Vissarionovich deeply experienced the loss of his wife and friend. The children were still small, Comrade Stalin could not pay much attention to them due to his busy schedule. I had to hand over the upbringing and care of the children to Karolina Vasilievna. She was a cultured woman with a sincere affection for children.”
Trotsky explained Nadezhda’s death as follows: “On November 9, 1932, Alliluyeva died suddenly. She was only 30 years old. Soviet newspapers were silent about the reasons for her unexpected death. In Moscow they whispered that she had shot herself and talked about the reason. At an evening with Voroshilov, in the presence of all the nobles, she allowed herself a critical remark about the peasant policy that led to famine in the village. Stalin loudly responded to her with the rudest abuse that exists in the Russian language. The Kremlin servants noticed Alliluyeva’s excited state when she returned to her apartment. After some time, a shot was heard from her room. Stalin received many expressions of sympathy and moved on to the order of the day.”
In his memoirs, Khrushchev cites jealousy as the main reason: “We buried Alliluyeva. Stalin looked sad as he stood at her grave. I don’t know what was in his soul, but outwardly he was grieving. After Stalin's death, I learned the story of Alliluyeva's death. Of course, this story is not documented in any way. Vlasik, the head of Stalin’s security, said that after the parade everyone went to dinner with the military commissar Kliment Voroshilov in his large apartment. After parades and other similar events, everyone usually went to Voroshilov for lunch.
The commander of the parade and some members of the Politburo went there directly from Red Square. Everyone drank, as usual on such occasions. Finally, everyone left. Stalin also left. But he didn't go home. It was too late. Who knows what time it was. Nadezhda Sergeevna began to worry. She began to look for him and call one of the dachas. And she asked the officer on duty if Stalin was there. “Yes,” he replied. “Comrade Stalin is here.” “Who’s with him?” He replied that there was a woman with him and said her name. This was the wife of a military man, Gusev, who was also at that dinner. When Stalin left, he took her with him. I was told that she is very beautiful. And Stalin slept with her at this dacha, and Alliluyeva found out about this from the officer on duty.
In the morning - I don’t know exactly when - Stalin arrived home, but Nadezhda Sergeevna was no longer alive. She didn’t leave any note, and if there was a note, we were never told about it.”
“Stalin’s wife shot herself,” Artem Sergeev testified. – I was 11 years old when she died. She had wild headaches. On November 7, she brought Vasily and me to the parade. About twenty minutes later I left – I couldn’t stand it. She apparently had a malunion of the bones of the cranial vault, and suicide is not uncommon in such cases. The tragedy occurred the next day, November 8. After the parade, Vasya and I wanted to go out of town. Stalin and his wife were visiting Voroshilov. She left the guests early and headed home. She was accompanied by Molotov's wife. They made two circles around the Kremlin, and Nadezhda Sergeevna went to her room.
She had a tiny bedroom. She came and lay down. Stalin came later. Lay down on the sofa. In the morning, Nadezhda Sergeevna did not get up for a long time. We went to wake her up and saw her dead.”
On November 11, 1932, the funeral of Nadezhda Alliluyeva took place in Moscow. The farewell took place in one of the GUM halls. According to the memoirs of the leader’s adopted son Artem Sergeev, Stalin then, openly, sobbed. Subsequently, he said: “She crippled me for life...” Stalin’s wife was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
On November 18, 1932, Stalin’s letter was published in the Pravda newspaper: “I bring my heartfelt gratitude to the organizations, institutions, comrades and individuals who expressed their condolences on the death of my close friend and comrade Nadezhda Sergeevna Alliluyeva-Stalina.” Condolences to the Soviet leader were expressed by the wives of other leaders of the country - E. Voroshilov, P. Zhemchuzhina, Z. Ordzhonikidze, D. Khazan, M. Kaganovich, T. Postysheva, A. Mikoyan, as well as the leaders themselves - B. Molotov, S. Ordzhonikidze, V. Kuibyshev, M. Kalinin, L. Kaganovich, P. Postyshev, A. Andreev, S. Kirov, A. Mikoyan and A. Enukidze. A special obituary was sent by students of the Industrial Academy, where Nadezhda studied, and N. Khrushchev was among those who signed it.
On March 24, 1933, Stalin wrote a letter to his mother: “Hello, my mother! I received your letter. I also received jam, churchkheli, and figs. The children were very happy and send you gratitude and greetings. It's nice that you feel good and cheerful. I'm healthy, don't worry about me. I'll take my share. I don't know if you need money or not. Just in case, I’m sending you five hundred rubles. I am also sending photographs of myself and the children. Be healthy, my mother. Don't lose heart. Kiss. Your son Soso. Children bow to you. After Nadya’s death, of course, my personal life is more difficult, but that’s okay, a courageous person should always remain courageous.”
Muscovites considered the sculpture on the roof of house No. 17 on Tverskaya Street to be an image of the ballerina Lepeshinskaya, installed by order of Beria
There are different opinions regarding Stalin's personal life after Alliluyeva's death. Bodyguard A. Rybin claimed: “Morally, the leader was pure like no one else. After the death of his wife he lived as a monk.” Molotov and Stalin spoke in a similar way about the life.
Although, according to L. Gendlin’s acclaimed book “Confession of Stalin’s Mistress,” the iron Koba did not at all deny himself carnal pleasures. The text of “Confession...” is presented as a fictionalized memoir of the opera singer V. Davydova (The actress’s relatives characterize the book as a fake.), soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. According to these peculiar memoirs, she became the leader’s mistress immediately after the death of Nadezhda Sergeevna and this relationship continued until Stalin’s death. At the same time, the leader constantly had other women, either famous artists or even simple waitresses. The relationship between the rivals was openly hostile, but they were ready to unite for the sake of hating the one whom the leader favored most:
“After the performance “Quiet Don” I went to the buffet to drink a glass of tea. Stalin's retired mistresses dined there: Barsova, Shpiller, Zlatogorova, Lepeshinskaya. Walking past my table, Bronislava Zlatogorova deliberately touched the tablecloth, and the dishes with hot food collapsed on the floor. I didn't accidentally get burned. The women laughed.
“We, Verochka, will still get you out of the Bolshoi Theater,” said the short-legged plump Barsova bitterly.
- Leave me alone!
The women were united by hatred.
– You can complain to the mustachioed dad! – Lelechka Lepeshinskaya shouted hysterically.
- Mare, how much does I.V. pay you for each visit? - Shpiller squealed.
The life of the Soviet elite appears in “Confession...” as a continuous series of orgies. Stalin’s mistress always has to escape the harassment of other people’s commissars, or even give in to them, so as not to be slandered or arrested... And she is also regularly taken to attend the brutal interrogations of “enemies of the people,” including those who recently sought, successfully or not so much, the favor of a wonderful opera prima.
“In Moscow, at the Leningradsky station, I was met by a gloomy Poskrebyshev, gray with anger... Savoring every word, he joyfully said:
– According to the verdict of the Military Collegium, the traitor Tukhachevsky was shot.
I staggered. Strangers, Poskrebyshev and the guards, put me on a bench. Nobody wanted to spare Stalin's mistress. They all needed me only for bed...
“In the morning you should be at I.V.’s dacha.”
There is also an opinion that the leader’s bed was warmed by the housekeeper Valentina, who worked at the dacha in Kuntsevo.
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Stalin was and remained one of the most closed leaders of the party and state. He carefully ensured that his biography was canonical in nature, and the true facts were hidden. "Komsomolskaya Pravda" publishes a large material by Olga Kuchkina "Women of Stalin", designed to eliminate the gaps in our knowledge about the personal life of the dictator.
When Stalin's wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva shot herself, his six-year-old daughter Svetlana remained his most beloved woman. He called her Mistress. And he had to obey the Mistress. “I order you to allow me to go with you to the theater or cinema.” Signed: “Mistress Setanka”. Address - “To my 1st secretary comrade. Stalin." It was a game that awaits further psychoanalytic interpretations.
Housekeeper Carolina Vasilievna Til was the first to see Alliluyeva covered in blood on the floor by the bed. A small Walther pistol lay next to the lifeless body. The author of the article knows the story of the suicide of the 30-year-old wife of 55-year-old Stalin on the night of November 9, 1932 from family stories: Til is “the relatives of my father-in-law, who was friends with Nadezhda Alliluyeva,” the author writes. Reasons for suicide: psychological and ideological differences, but there was also a secret about which there were persistent rumors: as if Stalin, during another quarrel, said to his wife: do you know that you are my daughter?! Olga Kuchkina poses a new problem for biographers: “Did incest finish Nadya?”
Joseph knew Nadya's mother, Olga, from Baku times. The 23-year-old revolutionary and the 23-year-old married woman often spent time together. Her husband accepted their meetings. Nadya was Stalin's second wife. The first one to be married is Katya Svanidze, the sister of fellow underground fighter Alyosha Svanidze. 16-year-old Keto set the condition that she would become a wife if they got married. The Georgian woman did not contradict her husband’s will in any way. She was so shy that when his friends appeared, she hid under the table. Relatives said about her: “a wife-child, looking up at her husband, accepting as the law his power over herself and rightness in everything and always.” Keto died of typhoid fever, but managed to give birth to a son, Yasha. Stalin will have a hard time with her death, which will not prevent him from later destroying his relative Alyosha Svanidze, as well as imprisoning, shooting, and driving to suicide his relatives along the Alliluyeva line.
Stalin would take the teenager Yasha to Moscow from Georgia only in 1921. “The relationship between son and father will forever remain strained. Yasha will find joy in his relationship with his stepmother. Stalin mocks them, either being jealous, or experiencing enduring irritation towards both,” writes Olga Kuchkina. Nadya is only 27, Yasha is 17. It will come down to Yasha attempting suicide. This will only cause the famous mockery from my father: he couldn’t even shoot himself properly.
Stalin also treated his son from Alliluyeva Vasya badly, despised him and got him drunk. “Stalin always had a bottle of Georgian wine on his table; he teased his wife by pouring a glass for a one-year-old boy. They said that Vasino’s drinking began in childhood,” the author writes.
The author of the article also reports less known data - about Stalin’s illegitimate children. About the new editor-in-chief of the literary drama, Konstantin Kuzakov, who appeared on television in the early 70s, they immediately began to say that his father was Stalin. Kuzakov was silent about his origin. He spoke a year before his death. In an interview with Arguments and Facts in 1996, he admitted: “I was still very young when I found out that I was Stalin’s son.”
Kuzakov's mother, Matryona, was the daughter of a deacon. The exiled Joseph Dzhugashvili lodged with her in Solvychegodsk, having arrived there in January 1911. It was freezing. Matryona had been widowed for a year and worked alone. The exile replaced her husband. Nine months later they gave birth to a black-haired boy. He stood out in stark contrast to his blond siblings. Matryona named him Kostya, and wrote down his middle name - Stepanovich, after the name of her husband, who died two years before Kostya was born.
Subsequently, Matryona will receive Moscow housing, registration and a more euphonious name - Maria. Working in the propaganda department of the Central Committee, Kuzakov would be accused by Beria of involvement in “atomic espionage.” In 1947, he was expelled from the party and removed from all posts. He is awaiting arrest. A short remark from Stalin will cancel the repressions. Kuzakov will be reinstated in the party on the day of Beria’s arrest.
Another romantic episode in Stalin’s life will happen in the Turukhansk region, in the village of Kureyka. 37-year-old Koba is again in exile. From 1914 to 1916, he lived with a 14-year-old peasant woman, Lida Pereprygina, and cohabited with her. Two babies were born in Kureika. The first one died. The second, born in April 1917, was recorded as Alexander Dzhugashvili. He gave his word to the gendarme, who was pursuing an exile for molesting a minor, to marry, but when the sentence expired, he left Kureika. Alexander was adopted and given his last name by the peasant Yakov Davydov. After marrying him, Lida gave birth to eight more children. She wrote letters to Stalin, but Stalin did not answer.
These facts were contained in a highly secret letter from KGB Chairman Serov, sent to Khrushchev on July 18, 1956. Alexander Davydov graduated from the College of Communications in Krasnoyarsk. There he was summoned to the NKVD and signed a non-disclosure agreement to “particularly mysterious state information.” He ended his days as a foreman in Krasnoyarsk. Stalin never had personal contacts with either Alexander or Konstantin. The “Father of Nations” did not love his sons - neither illegitimate nor legitimate.
“He had strong potency. Nadezhda Alliluyeva’s medical record contains information about ten abortions. The doctor who consulted her abroad sympathized: “Poor thing, you live with an animal.” Why did he prefer those who were younger? It’s easier to cope with an undeveloped consciousness. It’s easier to inspire what you want, subjugate yourself. He was attracted by the image of a rebel, a fighter for the poor against the rich. The hidden traits of a ruler were originally in his nature, argues Olga Kuchkina.
Maria Svanidze writes enthusiastically about Stalin and angrily about his enemy Avel Enukidze: “Being himself depraved and voluptuous, he stinked everything around him - he took pleasure in pimping, family discord, seduction of girls... Women with suitable daughters owned everything, the girls were unnecessarily thrust upon other men... The institution recruited staff only based on gender characteristics that Abel liked. To justify his debauchery, he was ready to encourage it in everything - he went out of his way to meet his husband, who was abandoning his family... or simply set up his husband with a ballerina, a typist, etc., that he did not need...”
The diary of Maria Svanidze allows one to judge the morals of the Kremlin elite: the leader was no stranger to “ballerinas and typists,” the author concludes. Among the ballerinas to whom Stalin paid attention were Marina Semenova and Olga Lepeshinskaya. Memoirist Gronsky writes, without citing his last name, that in the mid-30s Stalin often returned from the famous ballerina to the Kremlin at 2 - 3 o'clock in the morning. Among the singers they talked about Valeria Barsova and Natalia Shpiller. But above all, rumor connected him with Vera Davydova. She had the nickname "Tsar-Baba". Gendlin’s book “Confession of Stalin’s Mistress” was published in the West, where their romance is described in detail.
This is how Vera Aleksandrovna Davydova describes one night with Stalin at his dacha: “After strong hot coffee and delicious grog, I felt completely good. The fear and confusion disappeared. I followed him. It turned out that I.V. taller than me. We entered a room where there was a large low couch. Stalin asked permission to take off his jacket. He threw an oriental robe over his shoulders, sat down next to him, and asked: “Can I turn off the light? It's easier to talk in the dark." Without waiting for an answer, he turned off the light. I.V. He hugged me and skillfully unbuttoned my blouse. My heart began to flutter. "Comrade Stalin! Joseph Vissarionovich, dear, don’t, I’m afraid! Let me go home!..” He did not pay any attention to my pathetic babble, only in the darkness his animal eyes lit up with a bright flame. I tried to break free again... but it was all in vain.”
Stalin is 54, Davydova is 28. Their relationship lasted 19 years. A three-room apartment, titles and awards were awarded to the ballerina with ease. The singer's relatives declared the book a fake. A scandal broke out, but it quickly faded away.
Here is evidence from Svetlana Alliluyeva’s book “Twenty Letters to a Friend”: “New faces appeared, including the young snub-nosed Valechka, whose mouth did not close all day from a cheerful, ringing laugh. After working in Zubalovo for three years, she was transferred to her father’s dacha in Kuntsevo and remained there until his death, later becoming a housekeeper...”
Valentina Istomina, a medical school graduate, was first intended for General Vlasik, but when the Master liked her, he had no choice but to forget about her. Years later, Vlasik will be sent to the Magadan camp.
In the book “Just One Year,” published in the West in 1970, Svetlana Aliluyeva writes: “He gave his name to a system of bloody one-man dictatorship. He knew what he was doing, he was neither mentally ill nor delusional. With cold prudence he asserted his power and, more than anything else, was afraid of losing it. Therefore, the first task of his entire life was the elimination of opponents and rivals.”
The name of Nadezhda Sergeevna Alliluyeva became known to the Soviet people only after her death. On those cold November days of 1932, people who knew this young woman intimately said goodbye to her. They did not want to make a circus out of the funeral, but Stalin ordered otherwise. The funeral procession, which passed through the central streets of Moscow, attracted a crowd of thousands. Everyone wanted to see off the wife of the “Father of Nations” on her last journey. These funerals could only be compared with the mourning ceremonies previously held for the death of Russian empresses.
The unexpected death of a thirty-year-old woman, and the first lady of the state, could not but raise a lot of questions. Since foreign journalists who were in Moscow at that time were unable to obtain information of interest from the official authorities, the foreign press was full of reports about a variety of reasons for the untimely death of Stalin’s wife.
Citizens of the USSR, who also wanted to know what caused this sudden death, remained in the dark for a long time. Various rumors spread around Moscow, according to which Nadezhda Alliluyeva died in a car accident, died from an acute attack of appendicitis. A number of other assumptions have also been made.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin’s version turned out to be completely different. He officially stated that his wife, who had been ill for several weeks, got out of bed too early, this caused serious complications, resulting in death.
Stalin could not say that Nadezhda Sergeevna was seriously ill, since a few hours before her death she was seen alive and well at a concert in the Kremlin dedicated to the fifteenth anniversary of the Great October Revolution. Alliluyeva chatted cheerfully with high-ranking government and party officials and their wives.
What was the real reason for the early death of this young woman?
There are three versions: according to the first of them, Nadezhda Alliluyeva committed suicide; supporters of the second version (these were mainly OGPU employees) argued that the first lady of the state was killed by Stalin himself; according to the third version, Nadezhda Sergeevna was shot dead on the orders of her husband. To understand this complicated matter, it is necessary to recall the entire history of the relationship between the Secretary General and his wife.
Nadezhda AlliluyevaThey got married in 1919, Stalin was then 40 years old, and his young wife was only a little over 17. An experienced man who knew the taste of family life (Alliluyeva was his second wife), and a young girl, almost a child... Could their marriage have become happy?
Nadezhda Sergeevna was, so to speak, a hereditary revolutionary. Her father, Sergei Yakovlevich, was one of the first among Russian workers to join the ranks of the Russian Social Democratic Party; he took an active part in three Russian revolutions and the Civil War. Nadezhda's mother also took part in the revolutionary actions of Russian workers.
The girl was born in 1901 in Baku; her childhood years occurred during the Caucasian period of the Alliluyev family’s life. Here in 1903 Sergei Yakovlevich met Joseph Dzhugashvili.
According to family legend, the future dictator saved two-year-old Nadya when she fell into the water while playing on the Baku embankment.
After 14 years, Joseph Stalin and Nadezhda Alliluyeva met again, this time in St. Petersburg. Nadya was studying at the gymnasium at that time, and thirty-eight-year-old Joseph Vissarionovich had recently returned from Siberia.
The sixteen-year-old girl was very far from politics. She was more interested in pressing questions about food and shelter than in the global problems of the world revolution.
In her diary of those years, Nadezhda noted: “We have no plans to leave St. Petersburg. Provisions are good so far. Eggs, milk, bread, meat can be obtained, although expensive. In general, we can live, although we (and everyone in general) are in a terrible mood... it’s boring, you can’t go anywhere.”
Nadezhda Sergeevna rejected rumors about a Bolshevik attack in the last days of October 1917 as completely groundless. But the revolution was accomplished.
In January 1918, together with other high school students, Nadya attended the All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies several times. “Quite interesting,” she wrote down the impressions of those days in her diary. “Especially when Trotsky or Lenin speak, the rest speak very sluggishly and meaninglessly.”
Nevertheless, Nadezhda, who considered all other politicians uninteresting, agreed to marry Joseph Stalin. The newlyweds settled in Moscow, Alliluyeva went to work in Lenin's secretariat under Fotieva (a few months earlier she had become a member of the RCP(b)).
In 1921, the family welcomed its first child, who was named Vasily. Nadezhda Sergeevna, who devoted all her strength to social work, could not pay due attention to the child. Joseph Vissarionovich was also very busy. Alliluyeva’s parents took care of raising little Vasily, and the servants also provided all possible assistance.
In 1926, a second child was born. The girl was named Svetlana. This time Nadezhda decided to raise the child on her own.
Together with a nanny who helped care for her daughter, she lived for some time at a dacha near Moscow.
However, matters required Alliluyeva’s presence in Moscow. Around the same time, she began collaborating with the magazine “Revolution and Culture”; she often had to go on business trips.
Nadezhda Sergeevna tried not to forget about her beloved daughter: the girl had all the best - clothes, toys, food. Son Vasya also did not go unnoticed.
Nadezhda Alliluyeva was a good friend to her daughter. Even without being next to Svetlana, she gave her practical advice.
Unfortunately, only one letter from Nadezhda Sergeevna to her daughter has survived, asking her to be smart and reasonable: “Vasya wrote to me, a girl is playing pranks. It's terribly boring to receive letters like this about a girl.
I thought that I left her big and sensible, but it turns out that she is very small and does not know how to live like an adult... Be sure to answer me how you decided to live further, seriously or somehow...”
In the memory of Svetlana, who lost her dearest person early, her mother remained “very beautiful, smooth, smelling of perfume.”
Later, Stalin's daughter said that the first years of her life were the happiest.
The same cannot be said about the marriage of Alliluyeva and Stalin. Relations between them became more and more chilly every year.
Joseph Vissarionovich often went overnight to his dacha in Zubalovo. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends, but most often accompanied by actresses, whom all high-ranking Kremlin figures loved very much.
Some contemporaries claimed that even during Alliluyeva’s life, Stalin began dating Lazar Kaganovich’s sister Rosa. The woman often visited the leader’s Kremlin chambers, as well as Stalin’s dacha.
Nadezhda Sergeevna knew very well about her husband’s love affairs and was very jealous of him. Apparently, she really loved this man, who could not find any other words for her except “fool” and other rude words.
Stalin showed his discontent and contempt in the most offensive way, and Nadezhda endured all this. She repeatedly attempted to leave her husband with her children, but each time she was forced to return.
According to some eyewitnesses, a few days before her death, Alliluyeva made an important decision - to finally move in with her relatives and end all relations with her husband.
It is worth noting that Joseph Vissarionovich was a despot not only in relation to the people of his country. His family members also felt a lot of pressure, perhaps even more than anyone else.
Stalin liked his decisions not to be discussed and to be carried out unquestioningly, but Nadezhda Sergeevna was an intelligent woman with a strong character, she knew how to defend her opinion. This is evidenced by the following fact.
In 1929, Alliluyeva expressed a desire to begin her studies at the institute. Stalin resisted this for a long time; he rejected all arguments as insignificant. Avel Enukidze and Sergo Ordzhonikidze came to the woman’s aid, and together they managed to convince the leader of the need for Nadezhda to receive an education.
Soon she became a student at one of the Moscow universities. Only one director knew that Stalin’s wife was studying at the institute.
With his consent, two secret agents of the OGPU were admitted to the faculty under the guise of students, whose duty was to ensure the safety of Nadezhda Alliluyeva.
The secretary general's wife came to the institute by car. The driver who took her to classes stopped a few blocks before the institute; Nadezhda covered the remaining distance on foot. Later, when she was given a new GAZ car, she learned to drive on her own.
Stalin made a big mistake by allowing his wife to enter the world of ordinary citizens. Communication with fellow students opened Nadezhda’s eyes to what was happening in the country. Previously, she knew about government policy only from newspapers and official speeches, which reported that everything was fine in the Land of the Soviets.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
In reality, everything turned out to be completely different: the beautiful pictures of the life of Soviet people were darkened by forced collectivization and unjust expulsions of peasants, mass repressions and famine in Ukraine and the Volga region.
Naively believing that her husband did not know what was going on in the state, Alliluyeva told him and Enukidze about the institute conversations. Stalin tried to avoid this topic, accusing his wife of collecting gossip spread by Trotskyists everywhere. However, left alone, he cursed Nadezhda with the worst words and threatened to ban her from attending classes at the institute.
Soon after this, fierce purges began in all universities and technical schools. OGPU employees and members of the party control commission carefully checked the students' trustworthiness.
Stalin carried out his threat, and two months of student life disappeared from Nadezhda Alliluyeva’s life. Thanks to the support of Enukidze, who convinced the “father of nations” that his decision was wrong, she was able to graduate from college.
Studying at a university contributed to expanding not only my circle of interests, but also my circle of friends. Nadezhda made many friends and acquaintances. Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin became one of her closest comrades in those years.
Under the influence of communication with this man and fellow students, Alliluyeva soon developed independent judgments, which she openly expressed to her power-hungry husband.
Stalin's dissatisfaction grew every day, he needed an obedient like-minded woman, and Nadezhda Sergeevna began to allow herself critical remarks about party and government officials who carried out the party's policy in life under the strict guidance of the Secretary General. The desire to learn as much as possible about the life of her native people at this stage of their history forced Nadezhda Sergeevna to pay special attention to such problems of national importance as famine in the Volga region and Ukraine, and the repressive policies of the authorities. The case of Ryutin, who dared to speak out against Stalin, did not escape her notice.
The policy pursued by her husband no longer seemed correct to Alliluyeva. The differences between her and Stalin gradually intensified, eventually developing into severe contradictions.
“Betrayal” - this is how Joseph Vissarionovich described the behavior of his wife.
It seemed to him that Nadezhda Sergeevna’s communication with Bukharin was to blame, but he could not openly object to their relationship.
Only once, silently approaching Nadya and Nikolai Ivanovich, who were walking along the paths of the park, Stalin dropped the terrible word “I’ll kill.” Bukharin took these words as a joke, but Nadezhda Sergeevna, who knew her husband’s character very well, was frightened. Tragedy occurred shortly after this incident.
On November 7, 1932, widespread celebrations were planned for the fifteenth anniversary of the Great October Revolution. After the parade, which took place on Red Square, all high-ranking party and government officials with their wives went to a reception at the Bolshoi Theater.
However, one day was not enough to celebrate such a significant date. The next day, November 8, another reception was held in the huge banquet hall, which was attended by Stalin and Alliluyeva.
According to eyewitnesses, the Secretary General sat opposite his wife and threw balls rolled from bread pulp at her. According to another version, he threw tangerine peels at Alliluyeva.
For Nadezhda Sergeevna, who experienced such humiliation in front of several hundred people, the holiday was hopelessly ruined. After leaving the banquet hall, she headed home. Polina Zhemchuzhina, Molotov’s wife, also left with her.
Some argue that Ordzhonikidze’s wife Zinaida, with whom the first lady had friendly relations, acted as a comforter. However, Alliluyeva had practically no real friends, except for Alexandra Yulianovna Kanel, the head physician of the Kremlin hospital.
On the night of the same day, Nadezhda Sergeevna passed away. Her lifeless body was discovered on the floor in a pool of blood by Carolina Vasilievna Til, who worked as a housekeeper in the house of the Secretary General.
Svetlana Alliluyeva later recalled: “Shaking with fear, she ran to our nursery and called the nanny with her, she could not say anything. They went together. Mom was lying covered in blood next to her bed, in her hand was a small Walther pistol. Two years before the terrible tragedy, this lady’s weapon was given to Nadezhda by her brother Pavel, who worked in the Soviet trade mission in Germany in the 1930s.
There is no exact information about whether Stalin was at home on the night of November 8–9, 1932. According to one version, he went to the dacha, Alliluyeva called him there several times, but he left her calls unanswered.
According to supporters of the second version, Joseph Vissarionovich was at home, his bedroom was located opposite his wife’s room, so he could not hear the shots.
Molotov claimed that on that terrible night, Stalin, heavily fueled by alcohol at the banquet, was fast asleep in his bedroom. He was allegedly upset by the news of his wife’s death, he even cried. In addition, Molotov added that Alliluyeva “was a bit of a psychopath at that time.”
Fearing information leaks, Stalin personally controlled all messages received by the press. It was important to demonstrate that the head of the Soviet state was not involved in what happened, hence the talk that he was at the dacha and did not see anything.
However, from the testimony of one of the guards the opposite follows. That night he was at work and dozed off when his sleep was interrupted by a sound similar to the knock of a door closing.
Opening his eyes, the man saw Stalin leaving his wife’s room. Thus, the guard could hear both the sound of a door slamming and a pistol shot.
People who study data on the Alliluyeva case argue that Stalin did not necessarily shoot himself. He could provoke his wife, and she committed suicide in his presence.
It is known that Nadezhda Alliluyeva left a suicide letter, but Stalin destroyed it immediately after reading it. The Secretary General could not allow anyone else to find out the contents of this message.
Other facts indicate that Alliluyeva did not commit suicide, but was killed. Thus, Dr. Kazakov, who was on duty at the Kremlin hospital on the night of November 8-9, 1932, and was invited to examine the death of the first lady, refused to sign the suicide report drawn up earlier.
According to the doctor, the shot was fired from a distance of 3–4 m, and the deceased could not independently shoot herself in the left temple, since she was not left-handed.
Alexandra Kanel, invited to the Kremlin apartment of Alliluyeva and Stalin on November 9, also refused to sign a medical report according to which the secretary general’s wife died suddenly from an acute attack of appendicitis.
Other doctors at the Kremlin Hospital, including Dr. Levin and Professor Pletnev, also did not sign this document. The latter were arrested during the purges of 1937 and executed.
Alexandra Canel was removed from office a little earlier, in 1935. Soon she died, allegedly from meningitis. This is how Stalin dealt with people who opposed his will.
I. V. STALIN Y. S. ALLILUEVA
Tell Yasha from me that he acted like a bully and a blackmailer, with whom I have and cannot have anything else in common. Let him live where he wants and with whom he wants.
I. Stalin
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph.
II X physical geography and 6/ IХ Russian language.
Yours Nadya
Ibid., l. 6-7. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Write something about the guys.
Yours Joseph.
Ibid., l. 8. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello Tatka!
I kiss my Tatka.
I. Stalin
Ibid., l. 9. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
How are you doing, how did you arrive?
I'm recovering little by little.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 15. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph.
Agreed on the issue.
Yours Nadya
26/IX.
Nadia
Ibid., l. 16-24. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
Your Joseph
23/IX-29
Ibid., l. 25. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Your Joseph
Tatka!
(120
Kiss.
Your Joseph
25/IX-29
Ibid., l. 26. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph,
Yours Nadya
27/IX-29
Ibid., l. 27. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
I received all three letters
Well, goodbye.
Kiss.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 31, 32. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
I'm recovering little by little.
Your Joseph
Kisses capo.
2.IX-30
Ibid., l. 33. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello Joseph!
Kisses Nadya
Ibid., l. 34, 35. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
I kiss you deeply.
Your JOSEPH
30/I
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello dear Joseph.
Yours Nadya
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
The congress will open on the 26th
Kisses Yours Joseph
Ibid., l. 30. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
How's it going with Vaska? with Satanka?
8/IX-30 Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 36, 37. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Well, good luck.
I kiss the cap's foot.
Your Joseph
24/IX-30
P.S. How are the guys?
Ibid., l. 43-45. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Moscow, 6.X.30
Ibid., l. 48-49. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
I received your letter.
I kiss a very, very captivated one.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 50-51. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka!
9/IX.31
Ibid., l. 52. Autograph.
Hello Joseph.
Kiss. Nadia
Ibid., l. 53-58. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka?
Your Joseph
14/IX-31
Ibid., l. 59. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka!
I received a letter and books.
Yours Joseph
Ibid., l. 60. Autograph.
Notes:
AP RF. F. 45. Op. 1. D. 1550. L. 5. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph.
How is your health, have you recovered and are you feeling better in Sochi? I left with some concern, be sure to write. We arrived well and just in time. On Monday 2/ I X written exam in mathematics, 4/ I X physical geography and 6/ IХ Russian language. I have to admit to you that I'm worried. In the future, things are developing in such a way that I am free until 16/IX, at least that’s what they say now, I don’t know what changes will happen in the future. In short, I can’t make any plans yet, because everything “seems”. When everything is known for sure, I will write to you, and you will advise me how to use the time. Moscow greeted us coldly. We arrived in variable weather - cold and rain. I haven’t seen anyone yet and haven’t been anywhere. I heard that Gorky went to Sochi, he will probably visit you, it’s a pity that without me - it’s very pleasant to listen to him. When I finish my work, I will write to you about the results. I really ask you to take care of yourself. I kiss you deeply, deeply, just as you kissed me goodbye.
Yours Nadya
P.S. Vasya has been going to school since August 28th.
Ibid., l. 6-7. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
On August 28th I sent you a letter to the address: “Kremlin, N.S. Alliluyeva.” Sent by airmail. Received? How you arrived, how are you doing with the Promakademiya, what’s new - write.
I have already taken two baths. I think I'll take a bath at 10. The weather is good. I am now just beginning to feel the huge difference between Nalchik and Sochi in favor of Sochi. I think I will seriously improve.
Write something about the guys.
Yours Joseph.
Ibid., l. 8. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello Tatka!
I received your letter. Did you receive my two letters? It turns out that in Nalchik I was close to pneumonia. Although I feel much better than in Nalchik, I have “wheezing” in both lungs and still have a cough. Damn it...
As soon as you find 6-7 days free, go straight to Sochi. How are things going with the exam?
I kiss my Tatka.
I. Stalin
Ibid., l. 9. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
How are you doing, how did you arrive?
It turns out that my first letter (lost) was received by your mother in the Kremlin .
How stupid do you have to be to receive and open other people's letters?
I'm recovering little by little.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 15. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph.
I received your letter. I'm very glad that things are looking up for you. Everything is going well for me so far, except for today, which made me very excited. Now I will write to you about everything. Today I was in the Pravda cell to get an absentee ballot, and of course Kovalev told me about all his sad news. We are talking about the Leningrad affairs. You, of course, know about them, that is, that Pravda published this material without prior approval from Ts.K., although N.N. Popov and Yaroslavsky also saw this material and not one of them considered it necessary to indicate to the Party department of Pravda about the need to coordinate with the Central Committee. (i.e. Molotov ). Now, after the porridge was brewed, all the blame fell on Kovalev, who, in fact, with the editor. The Bureau agreed on the issue.
It's a pity that you are not in Moscow. I personally advised Kovalev to definitely go to Molotov and defend the issue from a principled perspective, that is, if they think that it needs to be removed, then this should be done without accusations of party inconsistency, Kovalevism, Zinovievism, etc. Such methods cannot be used to talk to such employees. Generally speaking, he now believes that he really should leave, because it is impossible to work under such conditions.
In short, I never expected that everything would end so sadly. He looks like a murdered man. Yes, at this commission with Sergo Krumin stated that he is not an organizer, that he does not enjoy any authority, etc. This is a complete lie.
I know that you really don’t like my interventions, but it still seems to me that you would need to intervene in this obviously unfair matter.
Goodbye, kiss you deeply, firmly. Answer me this letter.
Yours Nadya
P.S. Yes, all these Pravdin cases will be sorted out in P.B. on Thursday.
26/IX.
Joseph, send me rubles if you can. 50, they will give me money only 15/ I X in Promak[academy], and now I’m sitting without a penny. If you send it, it will be good.
Nadia
Ibid., l. 16-24. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
I received a letter to Kovalev’s account. I don't know much about the case, but I think you're right. If Kovalev is guilty of anything, then the Bureau of the Editorial Board, which is the owner of the case,-three times guilty. Apparently they want to have a “scapegoat” in Kovalev. I will do everything that can be done, if it’s not too late. .
Our weather changes all the time.
I kiss my Tatka deeply, very deeply.
Your Joseph
23/IX-29
Ibid., l. 25. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Your Joseph
Tatka!
I forgot to send you money. I'm sending them (120r.) with a comrade leaving today, without waiting for the next courier.
Kiss.
Your Joseph
25/IX-29
Ibid., l. 26. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph,
I’m very glad that you “expressed” confidence in me in the Kovalev case. It would be a shame if nothing could be done to correct this mistake. In your last two letters you haven’t written a word to me about your health or when you’re thinking of returning...
Yours Nadya
27/IX-29
Ibid., l. 27. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
I received all three letters . I couldn’t answer right away because I was very busy. Now I'm finally free. The convention will end at 10-12. I will wait for you, no matter how late you arrive. If your health requires it, stay longer.
I'm sometimes out of town. The guys are healthy. I don't really like the teacher 12 . She keeps running around the area of the dacha and makes Vaska and Tomik run from morning to evening. I have no doubt that she and Vaska will not be able to study at all. No wonder Vaska can’t keep up with her in German. A very strange woman.
During this time I was a little tired and lost a fair amount of weight. I think I’ll take these days to rest and get back to normal.
Well, goodbye.
Kiss.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 31, 32. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
How did you get there? How are you doing? What's new? Write about everything, my Tatochka.
I'm recovering little by little.
Your Joseph
Kisses capo.
2.IX-30
Ibid., l. 33. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello Joseph!
I am sending you the books you requested, but unfortunately not all of them, because I couldn’t find an English language textbook. Vaguely, but I remember as if it should be in those books that are on the table in a small room in Sochi, among other books. If she doesn’t end up in Sochi, then I can’t understand where she could have gone. It's terribly annoying...
Kisses Nadya
Ibid., l. 34, 35. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Got a letter. Did they give you money? Our weather has improved. I think I'll come in a week.
I kiss you deeply.
Your JOSEPH
30/I X-29. Ibid., p. 28. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello dear Joseph.
I received a letter with money. Thank you very much. Now you will probably arrive soon, one of these days, it’s just a pity that you will have a lot of things to do at once, and this is completely obvious. I am sending you an overcoat, because after the south you may catch a bad cold. With the next post (Sunday 29/ I X) I’m waiting for a letter from you. Everything is going well for us so far.
When you come, I'll tell you about everything. The other day Sergo and Voroshilov came by. No one else, Sergo told you that he wrote to you about business and in general that they were waiting for you. Well, come, although I want you to rest, but still nothing will work out longer.
I kiss you hard. Write when you arrive, otherwise I won’t know when I should stay to meet you. Kiss you.
Yours Nadya
1/I X-29. Ibid., p. 29. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
Write something. Be sure to write and go through the NKID addressed to Tovstukha (to the Central Committee) . How did you get there, what did you see, did you see the doctors, what is the doctors’ opinion about your health, etc. - write.
The congress will open on the 26th . Things are going well for us. It's very boring here.
Tatochka. I'm sitting at home alone, like an owl. I haven’t gone to the countryside yet, I have things to do. I finished my work. I’m thinking of going out of town to visit the kids tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
Well, goodbye. Don't stay long, come quickly.
Kisses Yours Joseph
Ibid., l. 30. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Got a letter. Books too. I didn’t have Meskovsky’s English tutorial (based on the Rosendahl method) here. Search well and come.
I have already started dental treatment. The bad tooth has been removed, the side teeth are being ground down and, in general, the work is in full swing. The doctor thinks to finish all my dental work by the end of September.
I haven’t gone anywhere and I don’t plan to go anywhere. I feel better. Definitely getting better. I'm sending you lemons. You'll need them.
How's it going with Vaska? with Satanka?
I kiss the cap, very much.
8/IX-30 Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 36, 37. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
I received a parcel from you. I am sending you peaches from our tree.
I am healthy and feeling my best. It is possible that Ukhanov saw me on the very day when Shapiro sharpened my eight (8!) teeth at once, and my mood then, perhaps, was not good. But this episode has nothing to do with my health, which I consider to have improved radically.
Only people who don’t know the matter can reproach you for anything about taking care of me. The Molotovs turned out to be such people in this case. Tell the Molotovs for me that they were mistaken about you and committed injustice against you. As for your assumption about the undesirability of your stay in Sochi, your reproaches are as unfair as the Molotovs’ reproaches against you are unfair. Yes, Tatka.
I will arrive, of course, not at the end of October, but much earlier, in mid-October, as I told you in Sochi. As a form of secrecy, I started a rumor through Poskrebyshev that I would be able to arrive only at the end of October. Abel apparently became the victim of such a rumor. I just don't want you to call about this. Tyatka, Molotov and, it seems, Sergo know about the date of my arrival.
Well, good luck.
I kiss the cap's foot.
Your Joseph
24/IX-30
P.S. How are the guys?
Ibid., l. 43-45. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Moscow, 6.X.30
I haven't heard from you lately. I asked Dvinsky about the post office, he said that he had not been there for a long time. Probably I was carried away by the quail trip, or I was just too lazy to write.
And in Moscow there is already a snowy blizzard. Now it's circling at full speed. In general, the weather is very strange, cold. Poor Muscovites are chilly because... until 15.X. Moskvotop gave the order not to drown. The sick are visible and invisible. We practice in our coats, because otherwise we need to be shaking all the time. In general, things are going well for me. I feel quite good too. In a word, now I have lost the fatigue from my “around the world” trip, and in general, the things that caused all this fuss have also given a sharp improvement.
I heard about you from a young interesting woman that you look great, she saw you at Kalinin’s dinner, that you were wonderfully cheerful and bothered everyone who was embarrassed by your person. I am very happy.
Well, don’t be angry for the stupid letter, but I don’t know if you should write to Sochi about boring things, which, unfortunately, are enough in Moscow life. Get better. Best wishes.
R.S. Zubalovo is absolutely ready, it turned out very, very well.
Ibid., l. 48-49. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
I received your letter.
You've been praising me lately.
What does it mean? Good or bad?
Unfortunately, I have no news. I live well, I expect better. Our weather has turned bad here, damn it. We'll have to flee to Moscow.
You are hinting at some of my trips. I would like to inform you that I have not gone anywhere (absolutely anywhere!) and have no plans to go.
I kiss a very, very captivated one.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 50-51. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka!
How did you get there, were there no incidents? How are the kids, Satanka?
Zina arrived (without Kirov’s wife). I stayed in Zenzinovka and thought it was better there than in Puzanovka. Well, that’s very nice.
Here everything goes on as before: a game of gorodki, a game of skittles, another game of gorodki, etc. Molotov has already visited us twice, but his wife, it seems, has gone away somewhere. That's all for now. Kiss.
9/IX.31
Ibid., l. 52. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello Joseph.
Arrived well. It is very cold in Moscow, perhaps it seemed so to me after being in the south, but it is thoroughly cool.
Moscow looks better, but in some places it looks like a woman powdering her imperfections, especially during the rain, when after the rain the paint runs off in stripes. In general, in order to give Moscow the real desired look, of course, not only these measures and not these opportunities are required, but for the time being this is progress.
Along the way, I was upset by the same heaps that we came across on the way to Sochi for dozens of miles, although there are somewhat fewer of them, but just a few. I called Kirov, he decided to come to you on September 12, but he is only intensively coordinating the means of communication. He will tell you everything about Grotte himself...
Kiss. Nadia
Ibid., l. 53-58. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka?
Got a letter. It's good that I learned to write detailed letters. From your letter it is clear that the appearance of Moscow is beginning to change for the better. Finally!
I received a “worker’s technical school” in electrical engineering. Send me, Tatka, a “Workers’ College” on ferrous metallurgy. Be sure to come (look at my library, you’ll find it there).
There is nothing new in Sochi. The Molotovs left. They say that Kalinin is going to Sochi. The weather here is still good, even wonderful. It's just boring.
How are you? Let Satanka write something to me. And Vaska too. Keep “informing.”
Your Joseph
14/IX-31
P.S. My health is getting better. Slowly, but getting better.
Ibid., l. 59. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka!
I received a letter and books.
The weather here is still good. Kirov and I checked the temperature last night (at 12 noon) downstairs on Puzanovka and upstairs, where I now live. The result was a difference of 3 degrees reaumur in favor of the new dacha: it turned out that while the temperature below was 14 degrees reaumur (at night at 12 o’clock), at the top it was more than 17 degrees. This means that at the top we have the same temperature as in Gagra and Sukhumi.
I was once (only once?) at sea. I swam. Very good? I think I will continue to go. We had a good time with Kirov. That's all for now. I kiss the cap.
Yours Joseph
Ibid., l. 60. Autograph.
Notes:
1. Dzhugashvili Yakov Iosifovich (1908-1943) - Stalin’s son from his first marriage to Ekaterina Svanidze. Just before the war he graduated from the Art Academy of the Red Army. From the first days of the war he went to the front. On July 16, 1941, Senior Lieutenant Dzhugashvili was captured by the Germans and died in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1943.
Stalin's note addressed to Alliluyeva apparently dates back to the period when, after a suicide attempt, Yakov left for Leningrad and lived there in the apartment of S. Ya. Alliluyev.
AP RF. F. 45. Op. 1. D. 1550. L. 5. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph.
How is your health, have you recovered and are you feeling better in Sochi? I left with some concern, be sure to write. We arrived well and just in time. On Monday 2/ I X written exam in mathematics, 4/ I X physical geography and 6/ IХ Russian language. I have to admit to you that I'm worried. In the future, things are developing in such a way that I am free until 16/IX, at least that’s what they say now, I don’t know what changes will happen in the future. In short, I can’t make any plans yet, because everything “seems”. When everything is known for sure, I will write to you, and you will advise me how to use the time. Moscow greeted us coldly. We arrived in variable weather - cold and rain. I haven’t seen anyone yet and haven’t been anywhere. I heard that Gorky went to Sochi, he will probably visit you, it’s a pity that without me - it’s very pleasant to listen to him. When I finish my work, I will write to you about the results. I really ask you to take care of yourself. I kiss you deeply, deeply, just as you kissed me goodbye.
Yours Nadya
P.S. Vasya has been going to school since August 28th.
Ibid., l. 6-7. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
On August 28th I sent you a letter to the address: “Kremlin, N.S. Alliluyeva.” Sent by airmail. Received? How you arrived, how are you doing with the Promakademiya, what’s new - write.
I have already taken two baths. I think I'll take a bath at 10. The weather is good. I am now just beginning to feel the huge difference between Nalchik and Sochi in favor of Sochi. I think I will seriously improve.
Write something about the guys.
Yours Joseph.
Ibid., l. 8. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello Tatka!
I received your letter. Did you receive my two letters? It turns out that in Nalchik I was close to pneumonia. Although I feel much better than in Nalchik, I have “wheezing” in both lungs and still have a cough. Damn it...
As soon as you find 6-7 days free, go straight to Sochi. How are things going with the exam?
I kiss my Tatka.
I. Stalin
Ibid., l. 9. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
How are you doing, how did you arrive?
It turns out that my first letter (lost) was received by your mother in the Kremlin .
How stupid do you have to be to receive and open other people's letters?
I'm recovering little by little.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 15. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph.
I received your letter. I'm very glad that things are looking up for you. Everything is going well for me so far, except for today, which made me very excited. Now I will write to you about everything. Today I was in the Pravda cell to get an absentee ballot, and of course Kovalev told me about all his sad news. We are talking about the Leningrad affairs. You, of course, know about them, that is, that Pravda published this material without prior approval from Ts.K., although N.N. Popov and Yaroslavsky also saw this material and not one of them considered it necessary to indicate to the Party department of Pravda about the need to coordinate with the Central Committee. (i.e. Molotov ). Now, after the porridge was brewed, all the blame fell on Kovalev, who, in fact, with the editor. The Bureau agreed on the issue.
It's a pity that you are not in Moscow. I personally advised Kovalev to definitely go to Molotov and defend the issue from a principled perspective, that is, if they think that it needs to be removed, then this should be done without accusations of party inconsistency, Kovalevism, Zinovievism, etc. Such methods cannot be used to talk to such employees. Generally speaking, he now believes that he really should leave, because it is impossible to work under such conditions.
In short, I never expected that everything would end so sadly. He looks like a murdered man. Yes, at this commission with Sergo Krumin stated that he is not an organizer, that he does not enjoy any authority, etc. This is a complete lie.
I know that you really don’t like my interventions, but it still seems to me that you would need to intervene in this obviously unfair matter.
Goodbye, kiss you deeply, firmly. Answer me this letter.
Yours Nadya
P.S. Yes, all these Pravdin cases will be sorted out in P.B. on Thursday.
26/IX.
Joseph, send me rubles if you can. 50, they will give me money only 15/ I X in Promak[academy], and now I’m sitting without a penny. If you send it, it will be good.
Nadia
Ibid., l. 16-24. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
I received a letter to Kovalev’s account. I don't know much about the case, but I think you're right. If Kovalev is guilty of anything, then the Bureau of the Editorial Board, which is the owner of the case,-three times guilty. Apparently they want to have a “scapegoat” in Kovalev. I will do everything that can be done, if it’s not too late. .
Our weather changes all the time.
I kiss my Tatka deeply, very deeply.
Your Joseph
23/IX-29
Ibid., l. 25. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Your Joseph
Tatka!
I forgot to send you money. I'm sending them (120r.) with a comrade leaving today, without waiting for the next courier.
Kiss.
Your Joseph
25/IX-29
Ibid., l. 26. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Dear Joseph,
I’m very glad that you “expressed” confidence in me in the Kovalev case. It would be a shame if nothing could be done to correct this mistake. In your last two letters you haven’t written a word to me about your health or when you’re thinking of returning...
Yours Nadya
27/IX-29
Ibid., l. 27. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
I received all three letters . I couldn’t answer right away because I was very busy. Now I'm finally free. The convention will end at 10-12. I will wait for you, no matter how late you arrive. If your health requires it, stay longer.
I'm sometimes out of town. The guys are healthy. I don't really like the teacher 12 . She keeps running around the area of the dacha and makes Vaska and Tomik run from morning to evening. I have no doubt that she and Vaska will not be able to study at all. No wonder Vaska can’t keep up with her in German. A very strange woman.
During this time I was a little tired and lost a fair amount of weight. I think I’ll take these days to rest and get back to normal.
Well, goodbye.
Kiss.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 31, 32. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
How did you get there? How are you doing? What's new? Write about everything, my Tatochka.
I'm recovering little by little.
Your Joseph
Kisses capo.
2.IX-30
Ibid., l. 33. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello Joseph!
I am sending you the books you requested, but unfortunately not all of them, because I couldn’t find an English language textbook. Vaguely, but I remember as if it should be in those books that are on the table in a small room in Sochi, among other books. If she doesn’t end up in Sochi, then I can’t understand where she could have gone. It's terribly annoying...
Kisses Nadya
Ibid., l. 34, 35. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Got a letter. Did they give you money? Our weather has improved. I think I'll come in a week.
I kiss you deeply.
Your JOSEPH
30/I X-29. Ibid., p. 28. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello dear Joseph.
I received a letter with money. Thank you very much. Now you will probably arrive soon, one of these days, it’s just a pity that you will have a lot of things to do at once, and this is completely obvious. I am sending you an overcoat, because after the south you may catch a bad cold. With the next post (Sunday 29/ I X) I’m waiting for a letter from you. Everything is going well for us so far.
When you come, I'll tell you about everything. The other day Sergo and Voroshilov came by. No one else, Sergo told you that he wrote to you about business and in general that they were waiting for you. Well, come, although I want you to rest, but still nothing will work out longer.
I kiss you hard. Write when you arrive, otherwise I won’t know when I should stay to meet you. Kiss you.
Yours Nadya
1/I X-29. Ibid., p. 29. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Tatka!
Write something. Be sure to write and go through the NKID addressed to Tovstukha (to the Central Committee) . How did you get there, what did you see, did you see the doctors, what is the doctors’ opinion about your health, etc. - write.
The congress will open on the 26th . Things are going well for us. It's very boring here.
Tatochka. I'm sitting at home alone, like an owl. I haven’t gone to the countryside yet, I have things to do. I finished my work. I’m thinking of going out of town to visit the kids tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
Well, goodbye. Don't stay long, come quickly.
Kisses Yours Joseph
Ibid., l. 30. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Got a letter. Books too. I didn’t have Meskovsky’s English tutorial (based on the Rosendahl method) here. Search well and come.
I have already started dental treatment. The bad tooth has been removed, the side teeth are being ground down and, in general, the work is in full swing. The doctor thinks to finish all my dental work by the end of September.
I haven’t gone anywhere and I don’t plan to go anywhere. I feel better. Definitely getting better. I'm sending you lemons. You'll need them.
How's it going with Vaska? with Satanka?
I kiss the cap, very much.
8/IX-30 Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 36, 37. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
I received a parcel from you. I am sending you peaches from our tree.
I am healthy and feeling my best. It is possible that Ukhanov saw me on the very day when Shapiro sharpened my eight (8!) teeth at once, and my mood then, perhaps, was not good. But this episode has nothing to do with my health, which I consider to have improved radically.
Only people who don’t know the matter can reproach you for anything about taking care of me. The Molotovs turned out to be such people in this case. Tell the Molotovs for me that they were mistaken about you and committed injustice against you. As for your assumption about the undesirability of your stay in Sochi, your reproaches are as unfair as the Molotovs’ reproaches against you are unfair. Yes, Tatka.
I will arrive, of course, not at the end of October, but much earlier, in mid-October, as I told you in Sochi. As a form of secrecy, I started a rumor through Poskrebyshev that I would be able to arrive only at the end of October. Abel apparently became the victim of such a rumor. I just don't want you to call about this. Tyatka, Molotov and, it seems, Sergo know about the date of my arrival.
Well, good luck.
I kiss the cap's foot.
Your Joseph
24/IX-30
P.S. How are the guys?
Ibid., l. 43-45. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Moscow, 6.X.30
I haven't heard from you lately. I asked Dvinsky about the post office, he said that he had not been there for a long time. Probably I was carried away by the quail trip, or I was just too lazy to write.
And in Moscow there is already a snowy blizzard. Now it's circling at full speed. In general, the weather is very strange, cold. Poor Muscovites are chilly because... until 15.X. Moskvotop gave the order not to drown. The sick are visible and invisible. We practice in our coats, because otherwise we need to be shaking all the time. In general, things are going well for me. I feel quite good too. In a word, now I have lost the fatigue from my “around the world” trip, and in general, the things that caused all this fuss have also given a sharp improvement.
I heard about you from a young interesting woman that you look great, she saw you at Kalinin’s dinner, that you were wonderfully cheerful and bothered everyone who was embarrassed by your person. I am very happy.
Well, don’t be angry for the stupid letter, but I don’t know if you should write to Sochi about boring things, which, unfortunately, are enough in Moscow life. Get better. Best wishes.
R.S. Zubalovo is absolutely ready, it turned out very, very well.
Ibid., l. 48-49. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
I received your letter.
You've been praising me lately.
What does it mean? Good or bad?
Unfortunately, I have no news. I live well, I expect better. Our weather has turned bad here, damn it. We'll have to flee to Moscow.
You are hinting at some of my trips. I would like to inform you that I have not gone anywhere (absolutely anywhere!) and have no plans to go.
I kiss a very, very captivated one.
Your Joseph
Ibid., l. 50-51. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka!
How did you get there, were there no incidents? How are the kids, Satanka?
Zina arrived (without Kirov’s wife). I stayed in Zenzinovka and thought it was better there than in Puzanovka. Well, that’s very nice.
Here everything goes on as before: a game of gorodki, a game of skittles, another game of gorodki, etc. Molotov has already visited us twice, but his wife, it seems, has gone away somewhere. That's all for now. Kiss.
9/IX.31
Ibid., l. 52. Autograph.
N. S. ALLILUEVA TO I. V. STALIN
Hello Joseph.
Arrived well. It is very cold in Moscow, perhaps it seemed so to me after being in the south, but it is thoroughly cool.
Moscow looks better, but in some places it looks like a woman powdering her imperfections, especially during the rain, when after the rain the paint runs off in stripes. In general, in order to give Moscow the real desired look, of course, not only these measures and not these opportunities are required, but for the time being this is progress.
Along the way, I was upset by the same heaps that we came across on the way to Sochi for dozens of miles, although there are somewhat fewer of them, but just a few. I called Kirov, he decided to come to you on September 12, but he is only intensively coordinating the means of communication. He will tell you everything about Grotte himself...
Kiss. Nadia
Ibid., l. 53-58. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka?
Got a letter. It's good that I learned to write detailed letters. From your letter it is clear that the appearance of Moscow is beginning to change for the better. Finally!
I received a “worker’s technical school” in electrical engineering. Send me, Tatka, a “Workers’ College” on ferrous metallurgy. Be sure to come (look at my library, you’ll find it there).
There is nothing new in Sochi. The Molotovs left. They say that Kalinin is going to Sochi. The weather here is still good, even wonderful. It's just boring.
How are you? Let Satanka write something to me. And Vaska too. Keep “informing.”
Your Joseph
14/IX-31
P.S. My health is getting better. Slowly, but getting better.
Ibid., l. 59. Autograph.
I. V. STALIN N. S. ALLILUEVA
Hello, Tatka!
I received a letter and books.
The weather here is still good. Kirov and I checked the temperature last night (at 12 noon) downstairs on Puzanovka and upstairs, where I now live. The result was a difference of 3 degrees reaumur in favor of the new dacha: it turned out that while the temperature below was 14 degrees reaumur (at night at 12 o’clock), at the top it was more than 17 degrees. This means that at the top we have the same temperature as in Gagra and Sukhumi.
I was once (only once?) at sea. I swam. Very good? I think I will continue to go. We had a good time with Kirov. That's all for now. I kiss the cap.
Yours Joseph
Ibid., l. 60. Autograph.
Notes:
1. Dzhugashvili Yakov Iosifovich (1908-1943) - Stalin’s son from his first marriage to Ekaterina Svanidze. Just before the war he graduated from the Art Academy of the Red Army. From the first days of the war he went to the front. On July 16, 1941, Senior Lieutenant Dzhugashvili was captured by the Germans and died in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1943.
Stalin's note addressed to Alliluyeva apparently dates back to the period when, after a suicide attempt, Yakov left for Leningrad and lived there in the apartment of S. Ya. Alliluyev.