Chapter 187 List
When we came out of the Kremlin, it was already four o'clock in the morning, but the sky was still completely dark, without even a trace of dawn. It could be said to be the darkest time of the day.
Considering that he had to meet with Khrushchev who was staying in Moscow after dawn, Yuri did not return to his apartment, but went directly to the General Staff Headquarters and took a nap in the lounge of his office.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Arseny woke him up on time, had a simple breakfast, and then went to the reception office of the Military Committee where Khrushchev was staying.
The victory of the Battle of Kursk, especially the complete liberation of the left-bank region of Ukraine, made Khrushchev, who was the First Secretary of Ukraine before the war, quite excited. Especially a month ago, at the meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, it was decided that after the liberation of Ukraine, Khrushchev would once again serve as the First Secretary of Ukraine. This comrade People's Commissar, who seemed to have a stern face all day long, finally had a smile on his face.
Ukraine is the largest republic in the Soviet Union except Russia. Being able to serve as the first secretary of the republic is a symbol of his status in the Soviet Communist Party. Of course, Khrushchev would not be satisfied with this position. He had higher aspirations, such as the position of secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party.
Khrushchev was well versed in the art of politics. Therefore, on the one hand, he paid attention to the situation on the battlefield at the front, and on the other hand, he did not relax his attention to Moscow. Even if the war on the front was tense, he would definitely return to Moscow every two weeks to report his work to Comrade Stalin in person.
In recent times, Khrushchev has been going to Moscow more frequently. The reason is very simple. Stalin is preparing to attend the summit meeting of the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain in the near future. On the one hand, Khrushchev has to show his concern for Stalin's personal safety, and on the other hand, he has to actively ask for instructions on work issues, so... the old man is very busy.
After the Battle of Moscow, the reception of the Military Committee moved to a three-story building near the Kiev Railway Station, next to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This place will be very famous in later generations, because after Stalin's death, during Khrushchev's administration, this small building and part of the adjacent buildings will be demolished, and a magnificent Gothic skyscraper will be built on the original foundation. This new building is the famous Moscow Ukraine Hotel.
No matter what kind of person Khrushchev will be in the future, at least for now he is still very low-key and pays great attention to his style. At the reception desk, he only occupies a guest room on the second floor with a small bathroom. Moreover , it is not a suite, but a small room of less than 20 square meters, with simple furnishings, and nothing luxurious.
"The diplomatic department has finalized the attendance list," Khrushchev said as he sat on the sofa with his back to the window in the small room at the reception. He scratched his nose with one finger and looked at Yuri sitting opposite him. "Comrade Stalin personally named you, and you are the only officer going to Tehran this time. This is very important and explains a lot."
"Is this the list?" Yuri was looking at a list in his hand and asked directly without looking up.
"Well," Khrushchev nodded and said, "besides the guards and entourage who are necessary, there are only Voroshilov, Litvinov, Maisky and you."
Yuri nodded in understanding. The finalization of this list was reasonable. Stalin asked him to go with him because this meeting would inevitably involve some military issues, such as introducing the current situation of the Soviet battlefield and predicting the changes in the battlefield in the future. As the Minister of Operations, he was obviously the most suitable person to do this.
Voroshilov, this old man has become a symbolic figure of the Soviet Red Army, and it is reasonable for him to attend this meeting. In addition, in September, in order to deal with a series of post-war issues, according to the order of the Supreme Command, two new departments were established in the subordinate institutions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, namely the "Committee on Peace Treaty and Post-War Arrangements" and the "Committee on Armistice Issues", and Voroshilov , as a member of the National Defense Committee, served as the chairman of the "Committee on Armistice Issues".
As for Litvinov, that is, Maxim Litvinov, he is not only the Deputy People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs, but also the Chairman of the "Committee on Peace Treaty and Post-War Arrangements". In addition, he also served as the Soviet Ambassador to the United States, although for a very short time.
There is also Maisky, that is, Ivan Maisky. This person may be relatively unfamiliar to many people in later generations, just like Yuri, who had never heard of this name in his previous life. However, this unknown guy should not be underestimated. He is a real diplomat and served as the Soviet ambassador to London for more than 10 years. In addition, he has a memorandum, the so-called "Maisky Memorandum", which is also very famous in later generations. In the late Soviet-German War, he submitted a report on "The Best Basic Principles for Future Peace" to Molotov, who was serving as Foreign Minister. It was under the influence of this report that Stalin once tried to cooperate with the United States in the early post-war period. It was formally adhering to this view that the United Nations was successfully established and its headquarters was established in New York. It was also adhering to this view that China had the Kuomintang-Communist negotiations after the Anti-Japanese War.
Maisky's name was included in the list not only because of his report, but also because he had served as British ambassador for a long time.
Some people may ask why Gromyko, who served as the US ambassador, did not appear on the list? The reason is simple, because Gromyko's anti-Western attitude is very clear, he is firmly opposed to cooperation with the United States - Yuri can see from this list that Stalin actually had the idea of establishing a cooperative relationship with the United States at this time. Of course, the more significant proof is the dissolution of the Communist International in May.
In today's Soviet Union, Comrade Stalin's opinion is the collective opinion of the entire Soviet Central Committee, his attitude is the attitude of the Soviet Central Committee Politburo, the attitude of the entire country, and the line and direction he wants to take is the line and direction that everyone must follow. No matter who you are, you can't stand against him, otherwise you will destroy yourself.
Yuri saw many problems in this list, and of course, Khrushchev could see them too. However, Yuri could not tell Khrushchev's true attitude on this matter, but judging from what Khrushchev did in his previous life, he probably would not agree with Stalin's position.
Yes, at least for now, the Americans are friendly to the Soviet Union, and their support for the Soviet Union is also in place, but this is just an expedient measure for the Americans. They, to be precise, are the Anglo-American Allied Forces, and they are not capable of fighting fascist Germany alone. They need the Soviet Union and the Soviet Red Army to fight bravely on the Eastern Front. Under the premise of this main contradiction, the ideological contradiction is naturally not so conspicuous and not so important . But once Germany is defeated and the main contradiction of anti-fascism disappears, will the Americans and their allies maintain their current position on the issue of the Soviet Union? Whether from a logical or a factual point of view, this is impossible - Comrade Stalin is too optimistic.
"What do you think of this list?" Khrushchev asked calmly after Yuri finished reading the list.
He didn't give Yuri any hints, didn't explain what this opinion was about, but Yuri knew very well what he wanted to ask.
"Why is there no name of Comrade Andrei Gromyko?" Yuri thought for a moment and asked, "Don't we need a comrade who knows America better to participate in this meeting?"
"I think Comrade Stalin may think he is too young." Khrushchev still looked calm.
This can be considered a reason. Gromyko is indeed very young today. He was born in 2009 and is only in his thirties. He has not served as the Soviet ambassador to the United States for a long time.
"What about Comrade Umansky?" Yuri asked immediately. Umansky is not young. He served as ambassador to the United States for several years before Litvinov. "Why is his name not on the list?"
"That's the problem," Khrushchev said, his mouth twitching, a faint smile flashing across his cheeks, like mockery, or like he pulled the corners of his mouth unintentionally. "Perhaps in the eyes of Comrade Stalin, Umansky is too old, and Gromyko is too young. Among those who are experienced and have a full understanding of the situation in the United States, there is obviously only one person who can be used, Litvinov."
At this point, Khrushchev's tone clearly showed a hint of gloating: "I think Comrade Stalin is also somewhat dissatisfied with the work of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and this may not be good news for some people."
Yuri suddenly understood that Khrushchev was not considering Stalin's attitude towards the United States, but only the internal affairs of the power circle in Moscow.
The Foreign Affairs Committee was undoubtedly Molotov's territory and his base. Litvinov was expelled from the Foreign Affairs Committee by Molotov, and his close friends were also killed in the subsequent purge. To put it bluntly, Litvinov and Molotov were complete enemies. This time, Litvinov's name appeared on the list decided by Stalin. No one knew what Stalin was thinking, but it can be concluded that Molotov would definitely not feel very comfortable.
