Nikolai Vlasik was born in a family of very poor Belarusian peasants on May 22, 1886. In the village of Bobynichi, where his parents lived, he studied at a parochial school, this was his only education.

Vlasik's work biography begins at the age of 13, when the boy went as a laborer to the landowner, then became a railway digger. The last place of work before being drafted into the army was the Yekaterinoslav paper mill.

Military service

In 1915 he became an infantryman. There was the First World War, the young man showed courage in battles, for which he was awarded the St. George Cross. However, already during the October Revolution, he, like his entire platoon, sided with the revolutionaries.

He served in the Moscow police, in 1918 he returned to the army again and continued to fight.

The young man showed himself well and already in 1919 he entered the service under the direct supervision of Felix Dzherzhinsky himself. At first he was an ordinary employee of a special department, then he headed it.

Stalin's head of security

The biography of Stalin's guard Vlasik Nikolai Sidorovich made a turn in 1927, when he headed the Kremlin's special guards. The official name of his position was constantly changing, but in fact he had been guarding the most important person in the state for all 25 years.

Remaining in the shadow of the leader, he 24 hours a day (even lived in a room next to him) ensured his safety, always lived on the cutting edge and answered with his head literally for his every act. At the same time, he performed duties not only as the head of security - he organized the food and life of the entire family of the leader. If Stalin himself or one of his children or his wife went to the dacha, Vlasik personally checked those who work there.

One of the most famous incidents in his work was the assassination attempt in 1935, when Stalin's boat was fired upon by border guards during a boat trip. Then the head of the border services, Lavrov, claimed that they acted strictly according to the instructions, but he was still tried and sentenced to death.

Personal life

Despite being very busy, the general was still married to Maria Semnovna Vlasik (maiden name unknown). They did not have their own children, the couple raised their adopted daughter Nadia.

Arrest and exile

Gratitude for the fact that Nikolai Vlasik put a quarter of a century of his life in the service of Stalin, he was removed from work, all awards were taken away and sent into exile.

The general was accused of allowing unreliable persons to see Stalin. However, already in 1953, a year after the conviction, this charge was dropped, but another one was added - theft of socialist property - he took cattle and valuables out of Germany.

It is also believed that he was associated with the British spy Vladimir Stenberg.

Finally, the final charge was brought against him in 1955 - then Nikolai Vlasik was sentenced to 10 years of corrective labor in Krasnoyarsk for abuse of office. After the announcement of an amnesty, the term was reduced by half, but he was released from prison already in 1956, having removed his criminal record.

Death and rehabilitation

Stalin's bodyguard died on June 18, 1967 in his apartment from complications caused by lung cancer.

In 2000, he was posthumously rehabilitated, all awards and titles were returned, and the medals were returned to his adopted daughter Nadezhda Nikolaevna in 2001.

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60 years ago, on December 16, 1952, the former head of the Main Security Directorate of the USSR Ministry of State Security, Lieutenant General Vlasik, was arrested. Stalin played a very strange role in the fate of his chief bodyguard. Yevgeny Zhirnov, head of the historical and archival service of the Kommersant Publishing House, understood this mysterious story.

"Being stupid but noble"

Once, in the era of glasnost, which captured not only the press, but also veterans of the authorities and special services, who at that time willingly shared their memories, one of the former state security officers told me about an episode associated with the incredible physical strength of Stalin's chief bodyguard, Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik. My interlocutor, then still a young MGB operative, unexpectedly recognized in the crowd on a Moscow street in a strong man dressed in an excellent coat, the head of the Main Directorate of Security (GUO) of the MGB of the USSR, Lieutenant General Vlasik. The operative noticed that a suspicious type, obviously a pickpocket, was spinning near the high boss, and began to quickly move towards the general. But, approaching, he saw that the thief had already put his hand into Vlasik's pocket, and he suddenly put his powerful five on his coat over his pocket and squeezed the thief's brush so that, as the opera told, the crack of breaking bones was heard. The veteran recalled that he wanted to detain the pickpocket, who had turned white and lost consciousness from pain, but Vlasik winked at him, shook his head negatively and said: "There is no need to plant, he will not be able to steal anymore."

Other veterans recalled that Vlasik was considered one of the most powerful figures in Stalin's entourage, not only in terms of physical strength, but also in terms of influence. It was said that at times the head bodyguard exaggerated his importance, resorting to a simple trick. The door from Stalin's reception room led to a small vestibule, from which the next door opened - to the office. They said that Vlasik could enter this vestibule, stand there, go out and announce that Comrade Stalin did not want to see such and such a petitioner. And a frightened to death official or general began to seek friendship with the all-powerful Nikolai Sidorovich, so that he would help change the leader's anger to mercy.

Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva wrote about the same thing in the book "Twenty Letters to a Friend":

“We have to mention another general, Vlasik, who stayed near his father for a very long time, since 1919. Then he was a Red Army soldier assigned to guard, and later became a very powerful person behind the scenes. He headed all his father’s guards, considered himself almost the closest person to him and, being himself incredibly illiterate, rude, stupid, but noble, in recent years he went so far as to dictate to some artists the "tastes of Comrade Stalin", as he believed that he knew and understood them well. followed this advice... And not a single festive concert at the Bolshoi Theater or in the St. George's Hall at banquets was compiled without Vlasik's sanction ... His impudence knew no bounds, and he favorably conveyed to artists whether he "liked" "himself", whether it was a film , or the opera, or even the silhouettes of the high-rise buildings under construction at that time ... It would not be worth mentioning him at all - he ruined the lives of many, but before that he was a colorful figure that you couldn’t pass him by. "

Many well-known artists at that time tried to get into the companies where Vlasik visited in order to gain his favor. And some became famous thanks to participation in these feasts. One of the participants in such meetings, Vera Gerasimovna Ivanskaya, said:

"I ... several times was at Vlasik's dacha and at his apartment on Gogolevsky Boulevard. I remember that Stenberg was in the companies then, once there was Maxim Dormidontovich Mikhailov and very often Okunev. To be honest, I had no particular desire to meet with Vlasik and in general to be in this company. But Vlasik threatened me, said that he would arrest me, etc., and I was afraid of this. Once at Vlasik's apartment on Gogolevsky Boulevard, I was with my friends Kopteva and another girl. Then there was some then the artist, it seems Gerasimov.

Vlasik behaved as if no Soviet laws and norms of behavior were written for him. Vladimir Avgustovich Stenberg, a Red Square graphic designer who had been friends with him for many years, wrote in his own testimony after his arrest:

"I must say that Vlasik is a morally corrupt person. He cohabited with many women, in particular with Nikolaeva, Ryazantseva, Dokukina, Lokhtionova, Spirina, Veshchitskaya, Gradusova, Averina, Vera Gerasimovna. I believe that Vlasik also cohabited with Shcherbakova, with Gorodnichev sisters: Lyuda, Ada, Sonya, Kruglikova, Sergeeva and her sister and others whose names I don’t remember. Maintaining comradely relations with me, Vlasik soldered me and my wife and cohabited with her, which Vlasik himself later cynically told me about " .

Actually, there was nothing strange about it. Who could stop the leader's main bodyguard, if at times Stalin consulted with him, deciding the fate of his leaders, whose names alone terrified the whole country. In his not very literate letter to the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov, written on April 5, 1955, Vlasik gave an example of such an event:

"The head of government, being in the south after the war, in my presence expressed great indignation against Beria, saying that the state security agencies did not justify their work with proper support. He pointed to individual failures in the work of his leadership and said that he had given instructions to remove Beria from the leadership in the MGB. He asked me how Merkulov, Kobulov worked, and subsequently about Goglidze and Tsanava. I told him what I knew, with the facts that I knew from work, about the shortcomings of the leadership. "

On December 29, 1945, Stalin removed Beria from the leadership of the NKVD of the USSR and oversight of state security, ordering him to focus on the Soviet atomic project. On May 7, 1946, Merkulov lost the post of Minister of State Security of the USSR, only a year later he received the post of head of the Main Directorate of Soviet Property Abroad. The former Deputy Minister of State Security, Colonel General Kobulov, unflatteringly described by Vlasik, ended up in the same department.

The former heads of state security at that time did not yet know about the role that Vlasik played in the collapse of their career. But in 1948, having recovered from the blow, they apparently decided to punish the head of the GUO, who did not influence Stalin's decision in a positive direction for them. Fortunately, the new Minister of State Security of the USSR, Colonel-General Abakumov, although he was their enemy, also sought to get rid of the overly influential chief bodyguard.

"Falsely testified against me"

Judging by the letter of Vlasik Voroshilov, Abakumov used the incident with his subordinate, Beria's security chief, Colonel Sarkisov, to activate the enemies of the head of the Main Security Directorate.

“In the practice of work,” Vlasik wrote, “there were cases, and especially with Sarkisov, that he often went on assignment during his duty, and there was even a case on the operational car, because there was no his economic car, at that time they filed the main car, since Sarkisov has not yet returned with an operational car, the guards were left without a car and lagged behind.

The fact that a member of the Politburo Beria left without a "tail" guard car was an emergency, and Vlasik called Sarkisov for dressing:

“An investigation was carried out on this issue, and a remark was made to him, he stated that, while fulfilling the order of the guarded, he did not have another car. had the right to be interested in what tasks he was carrying out. He was with me later, when he was accused that the main car left without protection, and asked to allocate an economic car, which I did, not only to him, but to everyone attached. We also agreed to entrust all orders to the commandants of the facility. That's how it was."

During the check, an unsightly detail was revealed: Sarkisov used an operational vehicle to transport strangers.

“I,” wrote Vlasik, “reported this to the then minister Abakumov, I could not do otherwise, since it was clear from the material that this applies more to Sarkisov himself than to Beria, and without checking these materials I could not report higher, since unverified material could be mistaken for slander, squabbles, etc. At that time, I myself had no right to check on my own without the sanction, or even the minister, without his official order. government, there is a decision of the Central Committee on this matter. That is why I reported to Abakumov, who said that he himself would check and summon Sarkisov. I took this document and after a long time gave the order to burn it and not conduct any verification. I still did not burn it, but returned it to the head of the Intelligence Department Maslennikov ... I could not foresee that Abakumov would turn out to be an enemy and would not make the appropriate checks or report where he should after the check.

But Abakumov informed Beria that Vlasik was interested in his personal life, and the "Lubyansk Marshal" did not remain in debt:

“I soon noticed that Beria had noticeably changed his attitude towards me. This, of course, alarmed me, I wanted to talk about this with the Head of Government, but I thought that it would be tactless, especially since I did not have any hard data ".

In 1948, Beria, before Stalin, arrived at his Near Dacha in Kuntsevo and found that packages with especially important documents for the leader, which were delivered by field communications, were lying on the table intended for them in disarray. Beria immediately announced that there was a spy among the guards. Soon Fedoseyev, assistant commandant of the dacha, who was on duty that day, was arrested along with his wife. Fedoseev, according to some sources, was placed in the worst prison in the country - Sukhanovskaya, or Sukhanovka, where especially important prisoners were tortured both by conventional methods and by absolute silence, from which a person could go crazy. Since Beria's experienced associates from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, headed by Deputy Minister Serov, dealt with his case, Fedoseev soon surrendered and signed a confession stating that he, along with Vlasik, was going to poison Stalin.

Beria reported on the result achieved to the leader, but the result was not quite the one that Lavrenty Pavlovich counted on.

“Fedoseev,” Vlasik wrote, “gave false testimony against me, and the Head of Government, doubting its plausibility, personally checked this case himself. He called and interrogated him. It was found that this was a false testimony. Beria's observation, after that the case was transferred to the MGB Fedoseev stated that he was forced to give false testimony because he was beaten every day, so he gave such testimony, knowing that he would be called by the Head of Government, where he would ask to be "They didn't beat me. After this check, the Head of the Government himself told me what evidence Fedoseyev had given against me and why he had given it."

Stalin, according to his chief bodyguard, personally figured out another accusation put forward by Beria - in huge embezzlement and misappropriation of products delivered to Stalin's Middle and other dachas:

“Right away we talked about these unfortunate products, for which I am accused of stealing in the protocols. We need to know our former situation of life on the Middle. I explained to the Head of Government on this issue which products and when we really used and which ones I took measures to ensure that there were no more abuses here. He agreed with me and even himself changed his regimen in orders for cooking dinners, etc. I could not, and would not be allowed to, write down the details of our position on the "Middle" and It would be wrong to write about this. You, like other members of the government, are aware that various samples and other things sent were not always considered in time, and we could sometimes do nothing with them. Many facts can be cited about this which I did to the Head of Government, and he could not but agree with me."

It would seem that the history of the persecution of Vlasik could end there. But Beria, as it turned out, was not going to put up with defeat.

Beria, Merkulov and Kobulov (in the photo - from left to right), thanks to Vlasik, from the real heads of state security at the moment they became former

"It was important for them to pollute me"

In 1949, after the successful test of the atomic bomb, Beria again found himself in favor with Stalin:

“It must be said frankly and honestly,” wrote Vlasik, “that when the Head of Government spoke after the war and clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Beria, but he attributed it more to the inability, inability and poor knowledge of the work of state security agencies, but in no case expressed political distrust of him. I understood that. And it all soon passed. The head of the government, on the contrary, praised him very emphatically after completing one of the big tasks of the government. It was clear and understandable to me that he had changed his attitude about past shortcomings in Beria's work by the Ministry of State Security.

One could assume that it was precisely thanks to Stalin's location that Beria had a new chance to get rid of Vlasik. In a letter from the former head of the GDO to Voroshilov, it was said:

“Selecting materials dating back to 1948, which the Head of Government himself had already checked, they, through Abakumov, climbed into all the little things of my intimate life, inflating everything to incredible limits, distorting reality ... All this dirty bouquet, apparently, was reported to the Head of Government, after which the question arose at the Politburo of the Central Committee - about the trouble in the Main Directorate of the Guard.

By decision of the Politburo, a commission was created to verify the activities of the Guo of the MGB of the USSR:

"As a result of the work of the commission chaired by Comrade Malenkov with the most active participation of Beria and other members of P.B., I was expelled from the party, suspended from work without any observance of the proper transfer of the Office and leaving documentation, etc. I was urgently sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the city Asbestos to the Urals to work in the camp - deputy head of the camp administration, which deprived him of the opportunity to defend himself in accusations of trouble, which ended up in the apparatus of the administration. "

Vlasik was removed from his post as head of the GDO in May 1952, and at the end of the year he was arrested. The first accusation, as Vlasik wrote, was that he looked through the killer doctors among the Kremlin doctors:

“I was arrested on December 16, 1952. The investigation of the former MGB on especially important cases charged me with the fact that I, being the head of the Main Directorate of Security of the MGB, did not ensure the timely opening of the spy terrorist organization of doctor-professors of the Kremlin Sanitary Directorate, which was serviced by a trusted me I was also charged with not taking appropriate measures on the signal received from the doctor Timoshuk and did not conduct an investigation into the treatment of the sick comrade Zhdanov, which helped the enemies-professors to hide my evil intention. By this he became an indirect accomplice in the organization of wreckers and enemies of the people. "

To get out of a difficult situation, the head of the Main Directorate of Security had to kowtow to Beria (in the photo, Beria is second from the right, Vlasik is behind him)

The following accusation was not new:

"The second accusation is the use of his official position. He used products at a guarded facility at the expense of the state."

Finally, the third accusation concerned the moral decay of Vlasik and his illegibility in the choice of friends:

"About promiscuous connections and acquaintances. In particular, he kept in touch for a long time with the designer of the Red Square Vladimir Avgustovich Stenberg, who did not inspire political confidence, who was arrested on charges of espionage. After a change in leadership and verification, he was released from custody. By My investigation began on these questions, and on the basis of these false accusations brought against me, a conclusion was drawn up, approved, like my arrest, by the former deputy minister, an enemy of the people, Goglidze, using Article 193 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, as having not justified confidence. the most humiliating checks in almost 25-30 years of all my acquaintances, inflicting interrogations on them, using old materials of already verified cases, as according to Stenberg.

The most curious thing was that Semyon Denisovich Ignatiev, who was appointed Minister of State Security of the USSR after Abakumov's arrest, already understood Vlasik's relationship with Stenberg. But the new state security leadership, headed by Beria, took up Stenberg and Vlasik with all seriousness and force:

“I myself spoke about the Stenberg case during my first interrogation after my arrest. I asked the investigators to write down that the former minister Ignatiev checked this case and reported on it to the Central Committee, moreover, he told me that they wanted to compromise Vlasik in this case, and the Stenberg case does not deserve no attention, they wanted to arrest Stenberg, Ignatiev instructed me to warn Stenberg about chatter, and to hand over the case to the archive, and in case of any misunderstanding refer to him. applied, like me, the strictest regime and unacceptable mockery.

Vlasik described in detail the methods of investigation applied to him, quite common for the department in which he had served for more than three decades:

“Of course, at my age and state of health, I could not stand it. I got a nervous breakdown, a complete shock and lost absolutely all self-control and common sense, and then a heart attack followed, because before these terrible trials, exacerbations of my disease appeared - headaches, sheer hallucinations and nightmares. For months I was without sleep. In this state, pre-prepared protocols were fabricated on me. I was not even able to read my answers compiled by them, just under abuse and threats in sharp handcuffs worn to the bones, I was forced to sign this terrible for I was compromised in every little thing by 90 percent of a painted lie, since at that time the handcuffs were removed and promises were made to let go to sleep, which never happened, because in the cell their tests followed, more disguised, but also more painful, acting morally and physically " .

He hoped that, like Fedoseyev in 1948, Stalin would call him to check his testimony, find out that the testimony was obtained under torture, and release him. But the leader could no longer call him:

“I thought about everything when I faced the fact of such an investigation, and especially when I was summoned for interrogation to Beria and Kobulov, where they showed me a newspaper about the death of the Head of Government, which I did not know about. I just found out that they again stood at the leadership of the MGB. It was important for them to pollute me, which they did and achieved their goal. "

But the most amazing discovery awaited Vlasik ahead. Before interrogating Beria, he was summoned by the head of the Investigative Unit for Particularly Important Cases of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lieutenant General Vlodzimirsky:

"He demanded that I testify that I told what kind of conversations I had with the Head of Government about the former leadership of the MGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He said that I gave characteristics according to which large leaders of operational work were removed from work in the MGB, which caused damage to the state, meaning the removal of Merkulov, Kobulov, Beria, myself and others. I categorically refused to give any evidence on this issue ... And now I am finally convinced that this conversation between me and the Head of Government became him for sure known, I was amazed by that. That's why they removed me and expelled me from the party."

But much more important and striking was something else:

"Apparently, he himself told them about my conversation with the Head of Government when they reported to him these dirty materials about me."

Even under fear of new torture, Vlasik did not testify against his old colleague, the head of the secretariat, Stalin Poskrebyshev (pictured in the center)

"Threatened to repeat the basement"

It turned out that Stalin, who had previously defended his faithful bodyguard and looked through his fingers at his adventures and abuses, suddenly gave Vlasik to be torn to pieces by his worst enemies. And further encouraging them.

“Then I realized,” Vlasik wrote, “that, apart from death, I have nothing more to wait for ... They demanded evidence against Poskrebyshev, Kobulov called twice more in the presence of Vlodzimirsky, I refused, saying that I had no data to compromise Poskrebyshev no, he just said that the Head of Government at one time was very dissatisfied with the work of our bodies and the leadership of Beria, he cited the facts that the Head of Government told me about failures in work, which he accused Beria of, to which Kobulov told me that I I forgot about it, I didn’t remember it anywhere else. For refusing to testify against Poskrebyshev, he said bluntly, you would die in prison. He threatened to repeat the basement.”

In a letter, Vlasik said that Kobulov's prediction had almost come true:

“In such a serious condition, I was again sent at night to Lefortovo, where I had a heart attack - a heart attack. It was, I don’t remember exactly, on May 19 or 18, 1953, and therefore the interrogation promised to me was not carried out, as Kobulov said the night before I was sent to Lefortovo prison, that tomorrow you will be interrogated. I lay on my back for a whole month in a cell, then I was sent to Butyrka prison in June, where I lay in a hospital cell with service and improved nutrition. They began to treat me, but the moral the impact was not removed, and my health did not improve in any way, but, on the contrary, worsened, although my heart improved, my head and the general state of the nervous system worsened every day. I felt terrible. Insane thoughts came into my head, from which I could not get rid of in the regime in which I was kept all the time. Several times I was transferred back to the inner prison, but I did not feel any glimpse of anything. I was deprived of newspapers, that is, I never received and knew nothing. All the time he was waiting for his end, almost two years."

But he was unexpectedly lucky. Beria and his associates were arrested. It would seem that after that, given that the case of the killer doctors was recognized as fabricated and the main charge against Vlasik fell away, he could be released. But the case was not stopped, and the new head of state security, Colonel General Serov, took over.

“Finally,” Vlasik wrote, “Serov called me, I was still in the same condition. After two interrogations, he announced to me that Beria and all this bastard had been exposed. They improved my nutrition, began to treat me again, but the investigation was again delayed, although Serov promised finish quickly. I could not wait and again got a severe deterioration of the nervous system, again delusions, nightmares, since the moral regimen was not removed from me, I cannot bring it here, but it drove me completely crazy, madness climbed into my head, I I didn’t even believe Serov’s promises made to me. Why the new leadership of the investigation again does not trust me, painfully experiencing this. Why two years in solitary confinement with such a regime and no trial, do not finish the investigation, again all sorts of nightmares and stupid thoughts climbed into my head. I am alive only because the enemies were exposed, saved from a painful death, and suddenly there was no progress in my case. Finally, I waited for the investigation and soon the court. don't delay. I could hardly stand it, it's true, the trial did not last very long with two breaks. At the trial, I was not only unable to defend myself against all this data, but I could not connect a few logical phrases. But I hoped for the fairness of his decision in relation to me, since I was sure that such a lengthy check was enough for the investigation to check all the doubts in my questions that were not clear to the investigation. However, although the investigation announced to me before the court that any accusation on the issue of the doctors of Sanupr was dropped. The Kremlin, since this case was not confirmed during the check and the professors were all released from custody and fully rehabilitated. Also, Stenberg was released from custody. They didn't even change the articles on the charges against me. According to her, the court ruled. Deprive of military rank, deprive of government awards, seize items illegally acquired, and deport to remote areas for 5 years. The term shall be calculated from the day of arrest, that is, from December 15, 1952."

Soon after the verdict on January 17, 1955, Vlasik was taken to the place of exile - to Krasnoyarsk, from where he wrote a letter to the head of the Soviet state, Marshal Voroshilov. He was not satisfied with the outcome of the case:

“No matter how hard it was for me to go through all this morally and physically, especially since the investigation and the court expressed some distrust of me, I attribute this to those complex and confusing circumstances, not only in my making mistakes in this whole case, but also in my illness and nervous shock. I was not able to state all the reasons and circumstances logically for the last investigation, even at the trial I refused the last word of the defendant. "

Vlasik was glad that he managed to survive Beria and his team:

"Dear Kliment Efremovich, allow me here to bring deep, sincere gratitude to you and in your person to the party and government, to which I owe my life, although I have not long to use it, but I am morally satisfied, as the enemies of the people have been exposed and punished according to their deserts ".

But most importantly, he repented and asked for mercy:

“I swear to you, dear Kliment Efremovich, with full responsibility to the party and the government, that in all the mistakes I made there is not and never was any intent or political misunderstanding, and connections with all sorts of reptiles, as well as with this gang enemies of the people. I ask you to take into account my extremely serious state of health. Deprived not only of treatment, but also of proper care, living without a family, in this state I have very little life left, although by a court decision I have to be in exile for another two years and nine months It means to die away from the family, with such heavy feelings and in a completely helpless state, not to mention the deprivation that cannot but excite me, having worked for thirty-three years in the state security agencies, twenty-four of them in the protection of the Head of Government. Having honestly given up all my health, I am deprived of the right to even a piece of bread, not to mention a pension. Forgive me my mistakes, give me the opportunity to get my Moscow passport in order to live my last days near my family.

"I was completely honest with him"

In 1956, Vlasik was pardoned and allowed to return to Moscow, but neither the title, nor the awards, nor the membership card was returned. In 1960, he tried to be reinstated in the CPSU, and he almost succeeded. The certificate of his party affairs stated:

"On behalf of the Central Committee of the CPSU, on April 13, 1960, the Party Control Committee considered the application of Vlasik N. S. to reinstate him in the party and rehabilitate him in court. Then the following decision was made: "Enter the Central Committee of the CPSU with the proposal of the Party Control Committee under the Central Committee of the CPSU about the restoration of Comrade Vlasik in the party "".

But the decision on Vlasik was not approved in the Central Committee of the CPSU, and the CCP considered his case again:

"Due to the fact that this decision was returned to the Party Control Committee, a re-check of Vlasik's case was carried out and the question of his party membership was again discussed ... According to Vlasik's statement, the USSR Prosecutor's Office checked his case and confirmed the correctness of the charges brought by the court. Vlasik's party membership, it turned out that for a long time (from the 30s) he led a depraved and riotous life, arranged drunkenness and revelry, cohabited with a large number of casually familiar women... Moreover, he often used his high position, intimidated women, forcing them to cohabitation. Moral unscrupulousness led to a loss of political vigilance. Vlasik brought his cohabitants to government theater boxes, gave them passes to Red Square, uncovered some secret objects ... Having considered Vlasik's case at a meeting on October 12, 1962, the Party Control Committee changed earlier decision refused Vlasik's petition to the Central Committee of the CPSU to reinstate him in the party.

The main reason for the refusal was the result of an additional interrogation of Vlasik by party investigators. He admitted that he hid from Voroshilov:

“It was also established that Vlasik N. S. kowtowed before Beria, “was with him,” as Vlasik said, “he was frank to the end,” “personally informed him about the mood of I.V. Stalin,” “Beria valued his opinion even then, when he no longer worked as a People's Commissar "".

There is no doubt that it was precisely because of this that Stalin not only agreed to his arrest, but also set Beria against him. Perhaps the faithful bodyguard ceased to be faithful out of fear, after in 1948 the "Lubyansk Marshal" took up arms against him. But it is more likely that Vlasik began to inform Beria after Stalin's health deteriorated.

Due to his illiteracy, he did not know that for many millennia, aging rulers who felt unwell resorted to the standard method of checking their environment. From time to time they mimic a sharp exacerbation of the disease. And then they get rid of those who began to develop some kind of illegal activity, be it the chief bodyguard or the minister of defense. And there is no doubt that this technique will be in demand in the future. Wherever the limitation of the term of office of the first person is nothing more than a convention.

Until recently, private pictures of the leader of all nations were not available to the general public. About ten years ago, the surviving archives of Vlasik were "opened" by his relatives and even his diaries were published. But the rest of the materials about Stalin's life confiscated by Lubyanka, and in huge quantities, including photos, video, and audio, are not yet available.

Let's start in order, with a biography.

Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik (May 22, 1896, the village of Bobynichi, Slonim district, Grodno province (now Slonim district, Grodno region) - June 18, 1967, Moscow) - figure in the security agencies of the USSR, head of security of I. Stalin, lieutenant general.

Member of the RCP(b) since 1918. He was expelled from the party after being arrested in the doctors' case on December 16, 1952.

Born into a poor peasant family. By nationality - Belarusian. He graduated from three classes of a rural parochial school. He began his career at the age of thirteen: a laborer for a landowner, a digger on a railway, a laborer at a paper mill in Yekaterinoslav.

In March 1915 he was called up for military service. He served in the 167th Ostroh Infantry Regiment, in the 251st Reserve Infantry Regiment. For bravery in the battles of the First World War he received the St. George Cross. In the days of the October Revolution, being in the rank of non-commissioned officer, along with a platoon, he went over to the side of Soviet power.

In November 1917, he entered the service of the Moscow police. Since February 1918 - in the Red Army, a participant in the battles on the Southern Front near Tsaritsyn, was an assistant company commander in the 33rd working Rogozhsko-Simonovsky infantry regiment.

In September 1919, he was transferred to the bodies of the Cheka, worked under the direct supervision of F. E. Dzerzhinsky in the central office, was an employee of a special department, senior commissioner of the active department of the operational unit. From May 1926 he became a senior commissioner of the Operational Department of the OGPU, from January 1930 - assistant to the head of the department there.

In 1927, he headed the Kremlin's special guards and became the de facto chief of Stalin's guards. At the same time, the official name of his position was repeatedly changed due to constant reorganizations and reassignments in the security agencies. From the mid-1930s - head of the department of the 1st department (protection of senior officials) of the Main Directorate of State Security of the NKVD of the USSR, from November 1938 - head of the 1st department in the same place. In February - July 1941, this department was part of the People's Commissariat for State Security of the USSR, then it was returned to the NKVD of the USSR. From November 1942 - First Deputy Head of the 1st Department of the NKVD of the USSR.

Since May 1943 - head of the 6th department of the People's Commissariat of State Security of the USSR, since August 1943 - first deputy head of this department. Since April 1946 - Head of the Main Security Directorate of the USSR Ministry of State Security (since December 1946 - Main Security Directorate).

In May 1952, he was removed from the post of head of Stalin's security and sent to the Ural city of Asbest as deputy head of the Bazhenov forced labor camp of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.

December 16, 1952 Vlasik was arrested. He was accused of embezzling large amounts of state money and valuables, "indulging pest doctors", abuse of office, etc. L. Beria and G. Malenkov are considered the initiators of Vlasik's arrest. “Until March 12, 1953, Vlasik was interrogated almost daily (mainly in the case of doctors). The audit found that the accusations against the group of doctors are false. All professors and doctors have been released from custody. Recently, the investigation into the Vlasik case has been conducted in two directions: the disclosure of secret information and theft of material assets ... After Vlasik's arrest, several dozen documents marked "secret" were found in his apartment ... Being in Potsdam, where he accompanied the government delegation of the USSR, Vlasik engaged in hoarding…”(Certificate from the criminal case).

On January 17, 1953, the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR found him guilty of abuse of office under especially aggravating circumstances, sentencing him under Art. 193-17 p. "b" of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR to 10 years of exile, deprivation of the rank of general and state awards. Sent to serve exile in Krasnoyarsk. Under an amnesty on March 27, 1953, Vlasik's term was reduced to five years, without loss of rights. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 15, 1956, Vlasik was pardoned with the removal of a criminal record. He was not restored in military rank and awards.

On June 28, 2000, by a decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Court of Russia, the 1955 verdict against Vlasik was canceled and the criminal case was dismissed "due to the lack of corpus delicti".

Vlasik lasted the longest in the protection of Stalin. At the same time, almost all the domestic problems of the head of state lay on his shoulders. In essence, Vlasik was a member of the Stalin family. After the death of N.S. Alliluyeva, he was also a teacher of children, an organizer of their leisure, an economic and financial manager.

Stalin's summer residences, along with the security staff, maids, housekeepers and cooks, were also subordinate to Vlasik. And there were many of them: a dacha in Kuntsevo-Volynsky, or "Near Dacha" (in 1934-1953 - the main residence of Stalin, where he died), a dacha in Gorki-tenths (35 km from Moscow along the Uspenskaya road), an old manor along Dmitrovskoye Highway - Lipki, a dacha in Semenovsky (the house was built before the war), a dacha in Zubalovo-4 ("Far Dacha", "Zubalovo"), 2 dacha on Lake Ritsa, or "Dacha on the Cold River" (at the mouth the Lashupse River, which flows into Lake Ritsa), three dachas in Sochi (one is not far from Matsesta, the other is behind Adler, the third is before Gagra), a dacha in Borjomi (Liakansky Palace), a dacha in New Athos, a dacha in Tskhaltubo , a dacha in Myusery (near Pitsunda), a dacha in Kislovodsk, a dacha in the Crimea (in Mukholatka), a dacha in Valdai.

"He N. S. Vlasik] simply prevented Beria from getting to Stalin, because his father would not let him die. He would not wait a day outside the door, like those guards on March 1, 1953, when Stalin “wakes up” ..."- the daughter of N. S. Vlasik Nadezhda Vlasik in the newspaper "Moskovsky Komsomolets" dated 05/07/2003

Unfortunately, this interview turned out to be sad consequences for Nadezhda Nikolaevna. Here is how an employee of the Slonim Museum of Local Lore tells this story:

“The personal belongings of Nikolai Sidorovich were transferred to the museum by his adopted daughter, his own niece Nadezhda Nikolaevna (there were no children of her own). This lonely woman sought the rehabilitation of the general all her life.

In 2000, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dropped all charges against Nikolai Vlasik. He was posthumously rehabilitated, restored to his rank, and the awards were returned to his family. These are three orders of Lenin, four orders of the Red Banner, orders of the Red Star and Kutuzov, four medals, two honorary Chekist badges.

At that time, - says Irina Shpyrkova, - we contacted Nadezhda Nikolaevna. We agreed on the transfer of awards and personal belongings to our museum. She agreed, and in the summer of 2003 our employee went to Moscow.

But everything turned out like a detective story. An article about Vlasik was published in Moskovsky Komsomolets. Many called Nadezhda Nikolaevna. One of the callers identified himself as Alexander Borisovich - a lawyer, a representative of the State Duma deputy Demin. He promised to help the woman return Vlasik's priceless personal photo archive.

The next day he came to Nadezhda Nikolaevna, supposedly to draw up documents. Asked for tea. The hostess left, and when she returned to the room, the guest was suddenly about to leave. She didn’t see him anymore, like 16 medals and orders, the general’s gold watch ...

Nadezhda Nikolaevna had only the Order of the Red Banner, which she handed over to Slonimsky local history museum. And also two pieces of paper from my father's notebook. "

Here is a list of all the awards that disappeared from Nadezhda Nikolaevna (except for one Order of the Red Banner):

George Cross 4th class

3 orders of Lenin (04/26/1940, 02/21/1945, 09/16/1945)

3 orders of the Red Banner (08/28/1937, 09/20/1943, 11/3/1944)

Order of the Red Star (05/14/1936)

Order of Kutuzov, 1st class (02/24/1945)

Medal of the twentieth years of the Red Army (22.02.1938)

2 badges Honorary Worker of the Cheka-GPU (12/20/1932, 12/16/1935)

In his memoirs, Vlasik wrote:

« I was severely offended by Stalin. After 25 years of impeccable work, without any reprimand, but only encouragement and awards, I was expelled from the party and thrown into prison. For my boundless devotion, he gave me into the hands of enemies. But never, not for a single minute, no matter what state I was in, no matter what bullying I was subjected to while in prison, I did not have anger in my soul against Stalin.»

According to his wife, Vlasik was convinced until his death that L.P. Beria “helped” Stalin to die.

Well, now let's move on to Vlasik's activities as a photographer. Here is what he writes in his memoirs:

« A few days before the November holidays in 1941, Comrade Stalin called me and said that it was necessary to prepare the premises of the Mayakovskaya metro station for the solemn meeting.

There was very little time, I immediately called the deputy chairman of the Moscow Council, Yasnov, and agreed to go with him to Mayakovsky Square. Arriving and inspecting the metro station, we made a plan. It was necessary to build a stage, get chairs, arrange a rest room for the presidium and organize a concert. We quickly organized all this, and at the appointed time the hall was ready. Coming down the escalator to the Ceremonial Meeting, Comrade Stalin looked at me (I was wearing a bekesha and hat) and said: “Here you have a star on your hat, but I don’t have it. Still, you know, it’s uncomfortable - the commander-in-chief, but he’s not dressed in uniform, and there’s not even a star on his cap, please get me a star.

When Comrade Stalin left for home after the meeting, a star shone on his cap. In this cap and in a simple overcoat without any insignia, he performed at the historic parade on November 7, 1941. I managed to photograph him successfully, and this photo was distributed in large numbers. The soldiers attached it to the tanks and with the words: “For the Motherland! For Stalin!" — went into fierce attacks. »

The very famous photo of N. Vlasik, taken on November 7, 1941, during the parade on Red Square.

“At the conference in Tehran, which took place at the end of November 1943, from November 28 to December 1, in addition to Comrade Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov and the head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff Shtemenko were present.

During his stay in Tehran, Comrade Stalin paid a visit to the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, in his truly fabulous crystal palace. I personally managed to capture this meeting in a photograph.

December 1, 1943, Tehran. The USSR delegation headed by Stalin and Shahinshah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, on the eve of the conversation in the Shahinshah's palace. It is possible that this photograph was taken by N. Vlasik.

At the Tehran conference, I again had to act as a photojournalist. Together with other photojournalists, I photographed the Big Three, who specially posed for the press. The photographs turned out to be very successful and were published in Soviet newspapers.»

November 29, 1943, Tehran. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. It is possible that one of these photos belongs to N. Vlasik.

« On August 19, 1947, the Molotov cruiser under the command of Admiral I.S. Yumashev, accompanied by two destroyers, left the port of Yalta.

On board the cruiser, in addition to Comrade Stalin, were: A. N. Kosygin, who was invited by I. V. T. A. N. Kosygin, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky, who was resting at that time in Yalta, and others. This trip made an unforgettable impression on me. The weather was great and everyone was in high spirits. Tov. Stalin, under the incessant greeting "Hurrah!" the cruiser bypassed the entire crew. The faces of the sailors were joyful and enthusiastic. Having agreed to the request of Admiral Yumashev to be photographed together with the personnel of the cruiser, Comrade Stalin called me. I ended up, one might say, in photojournalists. I already took a lot of pictures, and Comrade Stalin saw my pictures. But despite this, I was very worried, because I was not sure about the film.

Tov. Stalin saw my condition and, as always, showed sensitivity. When I finished shooting, having taken a few photos to guarantee, he called a security officer and said: “Vlasik tried so hard, but no one took him off. Take a picture of it with us." I handed the camera to the employee, explaining everything that was necessary, and he also took a few pictures. The photographs turned out to be very successful and were reprinted in many newspapers. »

A series of photographs taken on August 19, 1947 by various authors. Some photos could have been taken by N. Vlasik:

In this photo, the shadow of a photographer in a cap is visible on Stalin's trousers. Therefore, with a high probability we can say that the photo was taken by N. Vlasik.

"For a snack", but past the topic - as usual, based on Stalin's majestic visits to something, court socialist realist artists wrote agitation. This time, the artist V. Puzyrkov wisely fussed.

Fragments of the court session on January 17, 1955, mostly about Vlasik's passion for fixing Stalin's life:

The presiding judge, opening it, announced that a criminal case was being considered on charges of Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik of committing crimes under Article 193-17 p "b" of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR.

presiding. Defendant Vlasik, did you keep secret documents in your apartment?

Vlasik. I was going to compile an album in which the life and work of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin would be reflected in photographs and documents, and therefore I had some data in my apartment for this.

I thought that these documents were not particularly secret, but, as I see now, I had to deposit some of them with the MGB. I kept them locked in the drawers of the table, and my wife made sure that no one climbed into the drawers.

Court member Kovalenko. Defendant Vlasik, show the court about your acquaintance with Kudoyarov.

Vlasik. Kudoyarov worked as a photojournalist back in the period when I was attached to the protection of the head of government. I saw him on the set in the Kremlin, on Red Square, I heard about him as a great photographer. When I bought myself a camera, I asked for a photo consultation. He came to my apartment. Showed how to handle the camera, how to shoot. Then I visited several times in the photo lab on Vorovskogo street

Court member Kovalenko. And what can you say about the fourteen cameras and lenses you had?

Vlasik. Most of them I received through my career. I bought one Zeiss apparatus through Vneshtorg, another apparatus was presented to me by Serov.

Court member Kovalenko. Where did you get the telephoto camera from?

Vlasik. This camera was made in Palkin's department especially for me. I needed it for filming I. V. Stalin from a long distance, because the latter was always reluctant to allow photography.

Court member Kovalenko. Where did you get your movie camera from?

Vlasik. The film camera was sent to me from the Ministry of Cinematography especially for the filming of I. V. Stalin.

Court member Kovalenko. And what kind of quartz devices did you have?

Vlasik. Quartz devices were intended for illumination during photo and filming.

Based on Art. 331 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR property discovered during a search in Vlasik’s apartment, such as: ... a movie camera No. 265, ..., cameras No. 102811 with a lens No. 1396, No. 16690, No. 331977, No. 2076368, No. 318708, No. 151429, No. 3112350, No. 1006978, No. 240429, No. 216977, Talbot camera, 14 different photo lenses, two quartz devices, ... indicated in the search report of December 17, 1952, Nos. 41, 42, 43, 46 and 47, ... - as acquired by criminal means - to withdraw and turn into state revenue.

The equipment confiscated during the search on December 17, 1952 is a significant collection of photographic equipment. Let's see how Vlasik used it. And along the way we will try to restore the chronological order.

Summer 1935. Most likely "near dacha". The private life of a dictator. Photographs not only Vlasik, but also him.

Vlasik with Vasily and Joseph Stalin. Please note that Vlasik has a camera hanging around his neck (I hope that experts will be able to determine the model). It was with this camera that the photo session was made, which follows below.

Stalin with his daughter Svetlana. Well known photo.

Stalin with children - Vasily and Svetlana.

The same, but the composition has changed.

A lesser-known photo of Stalin, where he jokes twice as hard.

A very private photo of Stalin taken by Vlasik. The same 1935, Tiflis. Stalin with his mother, Beria and an unknown Georgian communist.

A large series of photographs taken by Vlasik on April 29, 1936 in the Kremlin. Stalin, Molotov, Mikoyan, Ordzhonikidze, I.A. Likhachev and others inspect a new brand of Soviet car - ZiS-101.

Here is what the website of the magazine "Behind the wheel" wrote about this event:

“These were two cars, black and cherry. Preparing them, engineers Aleksey Alekseevich Evseev and Nikolai Timofeevich Osipov did not leave the workshop for two days, checking every detail with the assemblers many times. And now the limousines sparkling with varnish froze under the windows of the Kremlin apartment of one of the most popular people's commissars of the country, Grigory Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze. The director of the ZiS plant, Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev, and the old coachbuilder Evseev went upstairs with a report. It turned out that Ordzhonikidze was walking around the Kremlin at that hour. And when the ZiS people again went out to the cars, Comrade Sergo was already enthusiastically getting acquainted with the new products. Despite on this effect of surprise, the show developed successfully.

Sergo Ordzhonikidze driving one of the ZiS-101

The mood of all members of the government that morning was excellent. Looking at Likhachev's ironed jacket, Stalin joked: "Comrade Sergo, buy Likhachev half a dozen good shirts, otherwise he, apparently, does not have enough salary for decent shirts."

Of the remarks made by the leader, the most significant related to the form of the decorative bonnet design. The massive mascot depicting a waving banner will subsequently be replaced by a laconic and less material-intensive flag."

V.Ya. Chubar, I.A. Likhachev, N.S. Khrushchev G.K. Ordzhonikidze, I.V. Stalin, V.I. Mezhlauk, L.M. Kaganovich, V.M. Molotov

I.V.Stalin, V.M.Molotov, A.I.Mikoyan, G.K.Ordzhonikidze and I.A.Likhachev at one of the ZiS-101 samples. There is a slight falsification - the first deputy chairman of the USSR State Planning Committee, V.I.

Grigory Konstantinovich (aka Sergo) Ordzhonikidze, who recently admired the ZiS-101, died on February 18, 1937. Whether he shot himself or died due to illness is still unknown. Vlasik again took a very valuable photo in historical terms. At Sergo's deathbed are relatives and associates: wife Zinaida Gavrilovna Ordzhonikidze, comrades Molotov, Yezhov, Stalin, Zhdanov, Kaganovich, Mikoyan and Voroshilov:

The following photos have already been used in the material "The Third Coming of Stalin". Let me remind you that this is April 22, 1937, a visit by Stalin and the construction company of the Moscow-Volga Canal:

Voroshilov, Molotov, Stalin, Khrushchev and Yezhov

Voroshilov, Moltov, Stalin and Yezhov at Gateway No. 3

There. Voroshilov, Moltov, Stalin are already without Yezhov, who was removed from the photo after his arrest.

A little-known but very important meeting between Harry Hopkins and Stalin at the very beginning of the war, on July 30, 1941, was also recorded by Vlasik on film.

G. Hopkins, as a representative of the American government and personally President Roosevelt, repeatedly visited Moscow, where he negotiated with Stalin, Molotov and other Soviet leaders. He first arrived in the Soviet capital on July 30, 1941 to clarify Moscow's position on the demand for the necessary military supplies, as well as to clarify the intentions of the USSR regarding participation in the war. The message delivered by Hopkins to the American administration promised US support for the supply of weapons to Moscow, as well as a proposal to convene a trilateral conference (US, USSR and Great Britain) at which the positions of the three parties and theaters of war would be discussed. For Stalin, the main goal was to open a second front, but he supported the offer of American assistance, including on the Soviet-German front.

Hopkins gave a positive account of the negotiations with Stalin, concluding that the Soviet Union was ready to fight to the bitter end. On August 2, 1941, an exchange of notes took place between the USSR and the USA: Washington declared its readiness to provide all possible economic assistance to the USSR.

On March 28, 1947, another new car of the Soviet automobile industry was brought to the Kremlin. This time it was the legendary "Victory". Stalin and members of the government visiting Pobeda. Photo by N. Vlasik, published in the magazine "Technique-Youth":

As we have already seen, the not always technically perfect photographs of N.S. Vlasik are of great historical value, showing the life of Stalin and his entourage from completely unexpected angles. For example, a photo of drunk Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, in a Ukrainian vyshyvanka of a dancing hopak at the Middle Dacha.

Where are the archives of Vlasik now?

Fragments of the conversation between the compiler of the book “Shadows of Stalin General Vlasik and his associates” Vladimir Loginov with the daughter of N. S. Vlasik Nadezhda Nikolaevna Vlasik-Mikhailova.

Nadezhda Nikolaevna Vlasik-Mikhailova, the daughter of Nikolai Sergeevich Vlasik, lives in a small two-room apartment not far from the Belorusskaya metro station. After the death of her mother, she handed over, according to her father's will, his suicide notes-memoirs about Stalin to Georgy Aleksandrovich Egnatashvili with a large number of photographs from the personal archive of Nikolai Sidorovich.

« A lot of things were taken from us and a lot of everything that was connected with the father's archive. As a matter of fact, the main part. And what was left, my mother saved until her death. In 1985, people from Gori came to us with a letter from the Council of Ministers of Georgia with a request to transfer everything that was left to the Stalin Museum in Gori. I have it, I can show it to you. And I handed over one hundred and fifty-two photographs, five smoking pipes of Stalin, Nadezhda Alliluyeva's student card, the original of her letter, and something else. And what was left, I gave to Bichigo, as my mother bequeathed to me. I only have personal photos...

- But besides just human qualities, he was also very talented in many ways?

- Not that word. It was just a nugget. Whatever he undertook, he succeeded. Judge for yourself, because he went through life from a shepherd to a lieutenant general! Take his passion for photography. The Pravda newspaper constantly published his pictures. I remember which number you take: "Photo by N. Vlasik." After all, he had a special dark room equipped at home. Everything - from exposure and shooting to developing, printing and glossing - he did exclusively by himself, without anyone's help.

Have all the awards been confiscated?

- Absolutely everything! Four Orders of Lenin, Kutuzov, the Red Banner, medals, titles... All films and recordings of Stalin's voice were taken away... And a huge number of photographs, cameras...

- Please tell us how you lived without a father.

- Lived badly. My father was arrested the day after my mother's birthday - December 16th. We took it very hard. And they didn’t even feel sorry for the confiscated services and cameras - this can be experienced. It was terrible that the father's archive was ruined. »

So, most of the archive and personal belongings of Vlasik are now in the archives of the NKVD. Some of the belongings (photo equipment, etc.) were sold after being seized immediately after the arrest. What survived in the family in 1985 was partially transferred to the Stalin Museum in Gori (including about 150 photographs), most of the orders and medals were stolen in 2003, the surviving order and a few personal items were transferred to the Slonim Museum of Creed Studies in the same year (at the place of birth of N.S. Vlasik), and the rest was given by will to a certain Bichigo. Who is Bichigo?

From the memoirs of Lavrenty Ivanovich Pogrebny (recorded by V.M. Loginov):

- Georgians accept without evidence the version expressed by Anatoly Rybakov in the novel "Children of the Arbat": the true father of Stalin was Yakov Georgievich Egnatashvili, who was cleaned and washed by Ekaterina Georgievna Dzhugashvili - Joseph's mother. So, he also had children and grandchildren. And one of them is Georgy Alexandrovich Egnatashvili, my old comrade nicknamed Bichigo. When I worked with Shvernik, he was his head of security.

Here is the turn of events! Another almost detective story!

Explanation of Georgy Alexandrovich Egnatashvili himself (recorded by V.M. Loginov):

"The memoirs of Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik, dictated by him before his death and recorded by his wife Maria Semyonovna Vlasik, were handed over to me by the daughter of General Nadezhda Nikolaevna Vlasik-Mikhailova, according to the will of her mother, along with a large number of photographs, which captured I. V. Stalin with his own camera, the head of the Main Directorate protection."

It remains only to hope that the documents of the era will not dissolve in time and space and that people will be puffed up who will be able to study and describe in more detail and professionally the photographic heritage of not only the personal security guard, but also the photographer of Stalin, Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik.

Not being a Stalinist, however, I believe that the Stalin era should be studied objectively and thoroughly. And it’s hard to find anything more objective than photographs.

Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik - the head of Stalin's security from 1927 to 1952, whose duties included not only ensuring the security of the first person of the state, but also taking care of the life of his family, and after the death of Nadezhda Alliluyeva - also about children. Just 10-15 years after his appointment to this position, he became a powerful figure in Stalin's inner circle, heading a huge structure with broad powers, a large area of ​​​​responsibility and large-scale tasks - the security department with a budget of 170 million.

The thorny path of Nikolai Vlasik: from the parochial school to the Cheka

Left without parents early, Nikolai Vlasik, after graduating from three classes of the parish church school, gets a job as a laborer. Later he will master the work of a bricklayer. In 1915 he participated in the battles of the First World War. After being wounded, he serves in Moscow, commanding an infantry regiment. He joined the Bolsheviks, fought in the Civil War.

In 1919, he was sent to work in the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Espionage, in the central apparatus headed by F. Dzerzhinsky. Since 1926 he has been working in the operational department of the OGPU, holding the position of senior commissioner.

Vlasik's "know-how", or what security measures the main bodyguard developed

In 1927, after a terrorist attack near the commandant's office in the center of Moscow, a special structure was created to ensure the security of the highest echelon of power. It was headed by N.S. Vlasik. Having accepted the post of head of Stalin's security, he thoroughly undertakes to ensure security and improve the life of the general secretary.

At first, Stalin resisted the innovations introduced by this native of Belarus, perhaps fearing accusations of philistinism from his associates in the revolution and the party nomenklatura. But soon he already looked approvingly at such changes - Vlasik organized for him not only an established life, but also security, about which one could say that "the mouse will not slip through."

The head of security worked almost around the clock, without holidays and days off. Stalin was bribed in him by honesty, truthfulness, rationality, the ability to thoroughly and sensibly organize the work entrusted to him.

Vlasik developed measures to ensure the security of the first secretary during his stay in the Kremlin or in the country, trips around the country, various official events and summits with international leaders (including at the Potsdam Conference).

It was he who came up with a way to move Stalin in "encrypted escorts": several identical cars drove along different routes. In which of them was the general secretary, and in which of his doubles no one knew, except for the chief of security himself or the one to whom he instructed the departure of the chief secretary that day. It was the same with flights on a government plane - several flights were being prepared, but only Stalin himself at the last minute indicated which one he would fly. To control the food safety of the leader, a special laboratory was created, where food was checked for the presence of poisons.

Gradually, Vlasik organized several dachas in the Moscow region and in the south of the country, which were always in full readiness to receive the general secretary. Of course, these facilities were also protected and provided properly.

The incident near Gagra, or how Nikolai Sidorovich earned Stalin's trust

The incident in Gagra in 1935 only strengthened Stalin's confidence in his head of security. It was a simple pleasure trip on a boat, but, due to a misunderstanding, the ship was fired upon by border guards.

Vlasik covered himself with the head of the country. Both remained alive. The officer who gave the order to shoot was sentenced to 5 years, and in 1937 he was shot.

Clash with Chekists, trophy cows, arrest and exile

Numerous attempts to eliminate the leader of the peoples, undertaken by the inner circle and Western intelligence services, failed while Vlasik was responsible for his safety. However, Beria and other close associates from the party nomenclature could not forgive him for his closeness to Stalin, the power of his security empire. Consistently and relentlessly, they undermined Stalin's confidence in Nikolai Vlasik. In order to get to the chief of security of the first secretary, people from his inner circle were arrested (one of the first was the commandant of the "Near Dacha" Ivan Fedoseev).

For some time, Stalin resisted the attacks on Vlasik and did not believe in the accusations. But after the statement of a certain Timashuk about sabotage, the so-called "doctors' case" opens. Since the safety of the treatment of the first persons of the state was also Vlasik's area of ​​​​responsibility, he is charged with insufficient vigilance. Attempts by Nikolai Sidorovich himself to explain that he did not find any confirmation of Timashuk's version were unsuccessful.

Then a special commission of the Central Committee began a financial audit of the activities of the department headed by Vlasik. The responsibility for the revealed shortage of budgetary funds falls on the shoulders of the head of the department - he was removed from his post and sent to the Urals to the post of head of a forced labor camp.

In 1952 he was arrested, stripped of all awards and titles. In addition to previous accusations of financial violations, he was accused of illegal self-enrichment in the occupied territory of Germany, which was confirmed during a search of the general - carpets, crystal vases and valuable sets, cameras were found. In addition, he took out two horses, three cows and a bull for his relatives from Belarus. The village they lived in was burned down by the Germans, and the few survivors were in poverty.

Despite sophisticated torture, Nikolai Vlasik did not admit any charges against himself, except for embezzlement of funds, did not give false testimony to anyone. In 1955, the term of imprisonment was reduced to 5 years, and in 1956 he was pardoned and his criminal record removed. However, the awards and military ranks were not returned to him. By his own admission, despite what he experienced during his imprisonment, he never held a grudge against Stalin himself, because he well understood the degree of influence on him from Beria and other party comrades who hated not only Vlasik, but also himself Stalin.

Vlasik died in Moscow in 1967 from lung cancer. He was buried at the New Donskoy Cemetery. It is interesting that in 2001 the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation rehabilitated Nikolai Sidorovich: the 1955 sentence against him was canceled. In addition, military ranks were returned to Vlasik.

The subsequent leaders of the USSR treated their guards with undisguised irritation. And some, like Khrushchev and Gorbachev,

Arrest of Poskrebyshev and Vlasik

Not a single modern historian has yet considered the arrest of Stalin's personal secretary A.N. Poskrebyshev and the head of security N.S. Vlasik as links of one chain that preceded the elimination of the leader. The task is rather difficult, but we will try anyway. To begin with, let's turn to the memoirs of P. A. Sudoplatov.

Lieutenant General Vlasik, - said Pavel Anatolyevich, - the head of the Kremlin guard, was sent to Siberia to the post of head of the camp and secretly arrested there. Vlasik was charged with concealing the famous letter of L. Timashuk, which Ryumin used to start the "doctors' case", as well as in suspicious ties with foreign intelligence agents and secret collusion with Abakumov.

After the arrest, Vlasik was mercilessly beaten and tortured. His desperate letters to Stalin about his innocence went unanswered. Vlasik was forced to admit that he abused his power, that he allowed suspicious people to attend official receptions in the Kremlin, on Red Square and at the Bolshoi Theater, where Stalin and members of the Politburo were, who, thus, could be exposed to terrorist attacks. Vlasik remained imprisoned until 1955, when he was convicted now for embezzling funds for the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, and then amnestied. Despite the support of Marshal Zhukov, his requests for rehabilitation were denied.

The dismissal of Vlasik did not mean at all that Beria could now change people in Stalin's personal guard. In 1952, after the arrest of Vlasik, Ignatiev personally headed the Kremlin Security Directorate, combining this position with the post of Minister of State Security.

Even before the conversation with P. A. Sudoplatov, I learned that Vlasik was arrested on December 15, 1952. But his trial took place two years after Stalin's death - on January 17, 1955.

Excerpt from court testimony:

presiding. When did you meet the artist S.?

Vlasik. In 1934 or 1935. He worked on the decoration of Red Square for the festive holidays.

presiding. What brought you closer to him?

Vlasik. Of course, the rapprochement was based on joint drinking and meeting women ...

presiding. Defendant Vlasik, you exposed secret agents of the MGB before S. He testified: “I learned from Vlasik that my friend Krivova is an agent of the authorities, and that his cohabitant Ryazantseva is also cooperating.”

Recognizing this, Vlasik shows:

But in matters of service, I was always in place. Drinking and meeting women was at the expense of my health and in my spare time. I admit, I had a lot of women.

Did the head of government warn you about the inadmissibility of such behavior?

Yes, in 1950 he told me that I was abusing relationships with women.

You showed that Sarkisov reported to you about Beria's debauchery, and you said: "There is nothing to interfere in Beria's personal life, we must protect him."

Yes, I got away from this, because I thought that it was not my business to interfere in this, because it is connected with the name of Beria.

How could you allow a huge overspending of public funds in your administration?

My literacy suffers greatly, my whole education consists in three classes of the parish school.

Defendant Vlasik, tell the court what of the trophy property you acquired illegally, without payment?

As far as I remember: a piano, a grand piano, three or four carpets.

What can you say about fourteen cameras? Where do you get crystal vases, glasses, porcelain dishes in such quantity?

It's enough. Pianos, carpets, cameras - this is nothing more than an excuse. The main thing is completely different. And A. Avtorkhanov speaks about this main thing, referring to the situation in the early fifties: “Two people are regaining their former importance: Lieutenant General A. N. Poskrebyshev and Lieutenant General N. S. Vlasik. No one can have access to Stalin without these persons, not even members of the Politburo. There were exceptions, if Stalin himself called someone, most often for drinking dinners. Stalin not only managed current affairs through these two persons, but he entrusted them with his personal security. An outside force could sneak up on Stalin only through the crisis of this ideal service of his personal security. In other words, no one could remove Stalin before they remove these two persons. But no one could remove them either, except Stalin himself.

Avtorkhanov gave an unflattering description of Poskrebyshev. Yes, by nature a helper. Yes, not an independent figure. What was another temporary worker of Stalin, General Vlasik? According to the researcher, it was Arakcheev and Rasputin in one person: a soulless martinet and a cunning peasant. In the Russian and Soviet armies, A. Avtorkhanov writes, this is probably the only case when an illiterate, simple soldier, bypassing all sorts of courses and schools, reached the rank of lieutenant general. Moreover, he acted as an interpreter of Stalin's views on cultural issues. Vlasik broke the record for the duration of his service with Stalin - he is the only one who managed to hold out from 1919 until almost the death of Stalin.

Chechens say: a wolf marching to a mountain top risks his life. So many "Stalin's wolves" died - at the hands of Stalin himself. But, sacrificing such wolves as Poskrebyshev and Vlasik, Stalin did not know that for the first time in his life he had become an instrument of someone else's will.

The opinion of a foreign political scientist of Soviet origin, who, by the way, never saw Vlasik, and the opinion of Stalin's daughter, although she knew her father's main bodyguard from childhood, do not differ in many respects:

General Nikolai Sergeevich Vlasik stayed near his father for a very long time, since 1919. Then he was a Red Army soldier assigned to guard, and then became a very powerful person behind the scenes. He headed all of his father’s guards, considered himself almost the closest person to him, and, being himself incredibly illiterate, rude, stupid, but noble, in recent years he went so far as to dictate to some artists the “tastes of Comrade Stalin” ... And the figures listened and followed these tips ... His impudence knew no bounds ... It would not be worth mentioning him at all - he ruined the lives of many - but before that he was a colorful figure that you would not pass by him. During my mother's lifetime, he existed somewhere in the background as a bodyguard. At his father’s dacha, in Kuntsevo, he was constantly and “supervised” from there all the other residences of his father, which became more and more over the years ... Vlasik, with the power given to him, could do anything ...

Significant details in the portrait of N. S. Vlasik are added by the writer K. Stolyarov, who, judging by his works, studied the Lubyanka characters well:

Protecting Stalin was a troublesome and nervous task, because, according to Vlasik, there were always intriguers nearby who tried to remove him from this work. The first such attempt took place in 1934. And in 1935, he, Vlasik, covered Stalin with his body when the pleasure boat was fired upon from the shore by a border guard post, and, not at a loss, organized a return machine-gun fire, after which the shots at the boat stopped. The leader was imbued with confidence in Vlasik, for ten years Nikolai Sergeevich was not disturbed by intrigues, and then the unrest began again ...

However, Vlasik himself spoke about this episode in a letter from the places of punishment: “In 1946, my enemies slandered me, and I was removed from the post of head of the Security Directorate of the USSR Ministry of State Security. But Comrade Stalin reacted to this with all sensitivity, he himself sorted out all the charges against me, which were absolutely false, and, convinced of my innocence, restored my former trust.

In 1948, Fedoseev, commandant of the Blizhnaya dacha, was arrested. The investigation was led by Serov under the direct supervision of Beria. Testimony was taken from Fedoseyev against me that I supposedly wanted to poison Comrade Stalin. T. Stalin doubted this and personally verified it by summoning Fedoseyev for interrogation, where he stated that this was a lie, which he was forced to sign by beatings. The Fedoseev case was transferred from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the MGB ...

Soon Serov summoned Orlov, the new commandant of the Blizhnaya dacha, for interrogation and also demanded that he sign a false protocol against me, but Orlov refused. And Serov could not get a sanction for the arrest of Orlov ... "

“Big troubles befell Vlasik in the spring of 1952,” we read from the writer K. Stolyarov, “when the commission of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, chaired by G. Malenkov, revealed blatant outrages: taking advantage of the lack of control, the faithful bodyguards of the Kremlin elite at the master’s dachas ate black caviar with centners and balyks intended for nomenclature stomachs! In response to the question: “Where did you look?” - Vlasik explained that, due to his illiteracy, it was difficult for him to engage in financial and economic activities, so he entrusted control over this side of the work of the head office to his deputy. As for those cognacs and balychki that were brought from Stalin's dacha for his personal consumption, Nikolai Sergeevich answered: “Yes, there were such cases, but sometimes I paid money for these products. True, there were cases when they got it for free.

Apparently, Nikolai Sergeevich had no idea why he was being pestered because of some fish ?! If, according to his position, for decades he had been eating for free with Stalin, then - mother-to-be! - Is there a big difference: will he eat half a kilo of caviar in front of the leader, or will he take the same caviar with him, so to speak, "dry rations"?

In fairness, I note that there was no clear regulation in this regard, except for the old lackey rule: servants are allowed to take for themselves only what the owners themselves and the persons invited by them did not finish at the table - fruit from vases, salmon cut into petals, salmon, ham , although full, but already uncorked bottles of alcoholic beverages, etc. But, on the other hand, was General Vlasik obliged to be guided by the norms of behavior for lackeys, since he himself had long ago turned from a poor day laborer, if not into a socialist count , then at least a baron or a viscount, because he had his own chic state dacha with a personal chef, whom Nikolai Sergeevich terrorized in a uniform way and with whom, according to the testimony of witness P., “he spoke exclusively with the use of a selective obscenity, not embarrassed by the women present” ?

According to K. Stolyarov, they did not want to hang a label on Vlasik as a non-sent, but they punished him approximately by expelling him from the party and shamefully appointing him not to a general, but to an officer’s position as deputy head of a forced labor camp in the Urals, in the city of Asbest. He served there for only six months, and in December 1952 he was arrested for treason - it turns out that it was he, Vlasik, who in 1948 did not properly respond to Lydia Timashuk's denunciation about the villainous murder of A. Zhdanov.

When it turned out that the killer doctors were only doctors, but by no means murderers, Beria, as already mentioned, was in no hurry to release Vlasik. Those who replaced Beria did the same. During the investigation, some facts were discovered that made it possible to call Vlasik to account. For example, during a search in his house, they found a trophy service for 100 people, 112 crystal glasses, 20 crystal vases, 13 cameras, 14 photographic lenses, 5 rings and - as it is written in the protocol - a “foreign accordion”, which Vlasik acquired illegally without payment. In addition, Vlasik admitted that in 1945, at the end of the Potsdam Conference, “he took three cows, a bull and two horses out of Germany, of which he gave a cow, a bull and a horse to his brother, a cow and a horse to his sister, a cow to his niece; the cattle was delivered to the Slonim district of the Baranovichi region by train of the Security Department of the Ministry of State Security of the USSR.

But that is not all. The investigation established that Vlasik was morally decomposed, systematically drank and cohabited with women who received passes from him to the stands of Red Square and government theater boxes, and also kept in touch with persons who did not inspire political confidence, disclosed in conversations with them secret information relating to protection of the leaders of the party and the Soviet government, kept official documents in his apartment that were not subject to disclosure.

Despite the fact that Vlasik fervently argued that drinking and countless relationships with women occurred only in his spare time, the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR on January 17, 1955 issued a verdict:

“Vlasik Nikolai Sergeevich be deprived of the rank of lieutenant general, on the basis of Article 193-17, paragraph “b” of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, using Article 51 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, exile for 10 (ten) years in a remote area of ​​the USSR. By virtue of Article 4 of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 27, 1953 on amnesty, to reduce this punishment by half, that is, to 5 (five) years, without loss of rights.

Deprive Vlasik of medals: “For the defense of Moscow”, “For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945”, “In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow”, “XXX years of the Soviet Army and Navy”, two badges of honor “VChK - GPU."

File a petition before the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to deprive Vlasik of government awards: three orders of Lenin, four orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of Kutuzov 1st degree and the medal "XX Years of the Red Army".

The verdict is final and not subject to cassation appeal.

The hastily incriminated article on treason was absent in the verdict, it was replaced with abuse of office. Vlasik soon fell under an amnesty and returned to Moscow. He failed to achieve rehabilitation, despite the intercession of such influential people as the famous marshals Zhukov and Vasilevsky.

And here is the conclusion that A. Avtorkhanov came to: “In the decisive moments, there was no one near Stalin: neither the“ old guard ”of Stalin - the Molotovites, nor the“ most faithful squire ”Poskrebyshev, nor the life guard Vlasik, nor the devoted son Vasily, not even Vinogradov's personal doctor. The death of Stalin guards and regulates Beria with the constant presence of his three accomplices - Malenkov, Khrushchev, Bulganin, who betrayed Stalin, Beria, and themselves.

And now about another person closest to Stalin - A. N. Poskrebyshev, without whose report no one could enter the leader's office. Says the former employee of the Kremlin guard S. P. Krasikov:

The personal office of the leader - a special sector - for a long time was headed by Major General Alexander Nikolaevich Poskrebyshev, whom the owner called "chief", thus making it clear that all issues relating to himself should first be agreed with Poskrebyshev.

About a year before Stalin's death, Beria, with the help of Malenkov, disbanded the well-coordinated personal guard of the leader. Nikolai Sergeevich Vlasik was accused of squandering public funds and trying to embezzle and conceal important government documents. After one of the meetings of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, which took place at Stalin's dacha in Volynsky, Vlasik, examining the premises, found a top secret document on the floor and put it in his pocket in order to pass it on to Poskrebyshev. But, by order of Stalin, when leaving the house he was detained and searched, then suspended from work. Whether the leader himself threw incriminating material to Vlasik or at the prompt of someone, but the car was given a move. Poskrebyshev was accused of losing his vigilance...

And now about one tenacious legend. After the death of Poskrebyshev, there were rumors that he left either diary entries about the years of work with Stalin, or almost completed memoirs. During the years of my work in the Central Committee of the CPSU, I was interested in many old-timers whether this was so. I remember one of the veterans of the general department retold the words of his former boss K. U. Chernenko:

Poskrebyshev could not keep diary entries due to the specifics of working for “himself” and because of the peculiarities of his secretive nature. After his death, we found nothing. And if I don’t know, our department was engaged in the seizure of archives at that time.

Konstantin Ustinovich at that time was in charge of the General Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

However, this does not mean that Poskrebyshev really did not leave any memoirs behind him. The fact that they have not yet been discovered is not yet evidence that they do not exist.

And yet Poskrebyshev, for all the importance of his post, was a "paper" general. Documents for signature, regulation of visitors. Another thing is Vlasik, who was directly responsible for the safety of the leader. Why was it removed? Who was the developer of the ingenious multi-move?

S. P. Krasikov, while preparing his notes for publication, talked with people who were well aware of this very mysterious matter, but who did not want to disclose their names. He gives one of these conversations in his book "Near the Leaders" in the form of questions and answers.

Question. Were the abuses of the “nine” (the Ninth Directorate of the KGB of the USSR, which was responsible for the security of the top Soviet leadership) so strong? N. Z.), that it was necessary to arrest the head of the personal guard of the leader N. Vlasik?

Answer. The reason for his dismissal was the “doctors' case”. Vlasik was accused of hiding a letter from Lydia Timashuk since 1948, where Voroshilov, Mikoyan and Molotov were to become the main defendants.

Question. Don't you think that Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov deliberately disarmed his benefactor in order to doom him to defenselessness and loneliness? Did Beria help him in this? I remember that on the eve of the leader's illness, his personal guards were disbanded into different units. And some were even sent to where, as they say, Makar did not graze calves. Those who tried to resist lawlessness were shot on the spot. And all this while Joseph Vissarionovich was alive.

Answer. I remember. All the main guards were then discouraged by such a turn of events ... The veterans of the security service were dispersed, and the fledgling youth were only able to tremble before the members of the Politburo, and not demand from them the impeccable observance of the rules of official regulations. According to the stories of Colonel S. V. Gusarov, who at that time served in the protection of I. V. Stalin, the sudden death of the leader, who had felt quite tolerably the day before, gave rise to various rumors. One version of his sudden death was a premeditated murder.

The same Colonel Gusarov did not exclude the possibility that this heinous act was committed by someone from his inner circle.

Question. But who could be interested in this? Beria? At that time he was on the hook of Malenkov and knew that his every step was being watched, or Khrushchev? There was no reason for Malenkov to send the father of the leader to the forefathers, who, in fact, handed over to him the leadership of the party and the country ...

Answer. It seems that he bequeathed something, but he did not give it away. He teased his appetite, but he lives and gets on well, rules the country, leads the party. It is not known when it will turn up. Georgy Maximilianovich is beyond suspicion, he holds the cards in his hands.

Question. A game not for life, but for death, love and hate?

Answer. Don't know. But on the night of February 28 to March 1, Sergei Vasilyevich Gusarov stood at his post at the entrance to the main house of the dacha, saw Malenkov, Beria and Khrushchev leaving at about four o'clock in the morning. He remembered that Malenkov then breathed a sigh of relief, and they all went home.

Question. What are you implying? Imagine breathing a sigh of relief. What follows from that?

Answer. Nothing. However, some heaviness from the soul, it turns out, Malenkov removed. Which one? ... When Molotov was asked the question: “Could it be that they (Malenkov, Beria and Khrushchev) poisoned Stalin when they drank tea with him on the last day before the illness?” - he answered without a shadow of a doubt: “Could be. It could be ... Beria and Malenkov were closely connected. Khrushchev joined them and had his own goals ... "

Question. But Khrushchev, in his memoirs, claims that the only person interested in Stalin's death was Lavrenty Beria.

Answer. In this situation, G. M. Malenkov was also interested in Stalin's death. It was not Beria who dispersed the Stalinist guards and brought Vlasik and Poskrebyshev under arrest, namely G. M. Malenkov, but, like a cunning fox, he did it with the hands of L. P. Beria so that the mosquito would not undermine his nose. And as soon as Stalin went to the forefathers, he immediately concocted a case against Beria and got rid of him.

Question. Terrible suspicions. Could it be?

Answer. There are more than enough reasons for this, in my opinion. During the interrogation by the chief of the KGB L.P. Beria, the head of Stalin's personal guard Vlasik, Nikolai Sergeevich got the impression that Beria knew thoroughly about his purely personal conversations with I.V. Stalin. Which once again gives reason to assume that the services of L.P. Beria were listening to the office and apartment of the Secretary General. By the way, the son of Lavrenty Pavlovich Sergo Lavrentievich mastered the eavesdropping system to perfection, about which he shared his memories in the book “My father is Lavrenty Beria”.

It is appropriate here to cite the answers of L. M. Kaganovich to the questions of the writer F. Chuev:

It seems that Stalin was killed?

Can not say.

Molotov was inclined to this. Do you know what he told me?

At the mausoleum on May 1, 1953, the last time Beria was, he told Molotov: "I removed him." “But Beria could not deliberately slander himself in order to give himself weight,” said Molotov. - And Beria said: “I saved you all!” - Above Molotov also hung ...

May be.

But you don’t admit, Lazar Moiseevich, that if Stalin had lived a little longer, they could have dealt with you, with Molotov ...

Can not say. You can’t do this: if yes, if only ...

And in conclusion - a fragment from the exclusive interview of S. I. Alliluyeva to the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Sovershenno sekretno" Artem Borovik. The interview took place in London in the summer of 1998. It was already a completely different woman - tired, extremely sincere, weighing her every word.

When a stroke happened to him late in the evening, - she said, - in the morning of the next day they told me to come to the dacha without notifying me of what had happened. And the day before, I tried all the time to get to him. I felt like I should have been there. I think he called me somehow, without words. Some cry from the heart. I called the security guards several times. But since they knew he was unconscious, they didn't let me in. I tried to get through all night. Then, late at night, I went to the Shverniks, not knowing where to go. To the cottage. They played movies there. An old film with Moskvin "The Stationmaster". This completely threw me off track. Because the movie was silent. Silent Russian classic. Such a touching film about the love of an old father for his daughter, who was kidnapped by a passing officer and taken away. And the poor old man decided to go to the city and froze. Then, a few years later, a beautiful cab arrives. A beautiful metropolitan lady comes out of it and goes to the grave. And there she cries. I watched this movie that night. I was offered to stay overnight. But I couldn't. Went home quickly. And in the morning they called me. Turns out he had a stroke last night.

I had an absolute feeling that he was calling me, that he wanted me to be there, to have one of his own there.

And they didn't let me. They did what they wanted. They didn't let me in. Doctors were not called. It was a much greater crime that they did not call doctors. The doctor was in another room. They could have called, but they didn't.