Struggle in Soviet Russia - Chapter 643

Victor also got up in the national security system, and he also held a position in the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs. Because of this, during the Great Patriotic War, every army general who dealt with him seemed to him. They didn’t like him much. Of course, it was not him that the generals were hostile to, but the department behind him.

But in recent years, especially after leaving the People’s Commissariat for National Security, among the cadres that Viktor came into contact with, there were no people who still regarded him as a member of the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs. , this is a big change.

Logically speaking, after leaving the NKVD and the People’s Commissariat of State Security, Victor was able to eliminate the hostility of others to him, and Comrade Beria also left the NKVD, but why people were hostile to him Not only did it not decrease at all, but it seemed to be getting stronger and stronger?

The reasons for this are of course many.

First of all, in the anti-revolutionary enlargement movement in the mid-to-late 1930s, Victor’s status was still too low. What kind of presence can a sergeant have? What kind of case could he be related to? But Comrade Beria is different, and no matter what role he played in the anti-revolutionary enlargement movement, at least he was in a high position at that time. Therefore, even if he did nothing, it is inevitable that some people will Take anger at him.

Secondly, Viktor’s rise to prominence occurred during the entire Great Patriotic War, or more precisely, after he was in charge of the entire People’s Commissariat for National Security. During this period, the main energy of the alliance was spent on foreign wars, and its internal contradictions, especially political contradictions, were completely overshadowed by the contradictions of foreign wars. The main functions of the national security department also turned to war. Externally, its main function in state institutions is completely different from that during the period of anti-revolutionary enlargement.

To put it bluntly, when Victor was in charge of the People’s Commissariat for National Security, this department basically did not conduct any form of internal investigation, at least, it was not used as a tool to persecute a certain group of people. Most importantly, when Viktor was the chairman of the People’s Commissariat of National Security, he attached great importance to the image promotion of national security work. A movie, a novel, portrayed the agents of the People’s Commissariat of National Security as a combatant in the A national hero on the hidden front, and the People’s Committee for National Security as an institution, its external image is completely different from that of the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs.

Of course, to be realistic, some departments of the People’s Commissariat for National Security are by no means as bright as their propaganda shows. For example, the Internal Intelligence Bureau and the Ideological Defense Bureau, their functions are still internal. , to a large extent, they actually took over the original functions of the NKVD, but the propaganda work has always been like this, hiding the ugly side, while doing everything possible to expose the bright side, so as to spread the All eyes are on the glossy side, and that is successful publicity.

Finally, and most importantly, Victor is not like Comrade Beria, who is overly greedy for his influence in the national security sector, and he has never used the power of the national security sector as a tool to fight against political enemies and exclude dissidents. In addition, he did not occupy a too critical position in the power core of the current alliance. At least, he did not pose any threat to those comrades in the Politburo.

Viktor’s current development ideas are actually very clear. He honestly hides in the camp of Comrade Malenkov and Comrade Beria and develops in a low-key manner. Pay, and use this to build a sense of presence in front of Comrade Stalin. He is only in his early thirties, and he has already entered a department directly under the Central Committee as a leader. The Central International Department is a foreign affairs agency directly under the leadership of the Central Committee. As the chairman of the Central International Department, Victor’s position in his position is actually higher than that of the Council of Ministers. The top leader of a subordinate state ministry is higher.

In addition, he held important positions in the key departments of the party, the Secretariat of the Central Committee. If he can work in such a position for a few years in peace, and can still maintain the image of “his own person” in front of Comrade Stalin, then if it is fast, it will be about five or six years, or even three or four years later, He might be able to get a more important position in the Central Committee, such as a member of the Organization Bureau. At that time, he even entered the front position of the second echelon.

“Lavrendi, perhaps, you should carefully consider Victor’s suggestion,” Comrade Malenkov didn’t know what Victor was thinking, but the suggestion that Victor made was very sound. After thinking about it, Comrade Beria, who had an ugly face, said, “Perhaps, it will be helpful for you to regain the trust of Comrade Stalin by being silent for a while.”

Indeed, no matter how many impression points Comrade Beria lost in Comrade Stalin, as long as he can settle down and keep a low profile for a while, Comrade Stalin will return his trust to him.

Why? The reason is very simple. Comrade Beria has too many enemies in the central leadership of the Union. Except for Comrade Malenkov, he is so arrogant that he has no friends. As I said before, for a person like him, Comrade Stalin hardly needs to use any tricks. As long as he finds an excuse to criticize him at the meeting of the Central Committee, he can easily be pressed into the mud. go.

At the same time, it is precisely for this reason that Comrade Beria is one of the most trustworthy people in the eyes of Comrade Stalin, because the fate of the other party is firmly in his hands.

So, in that case, why did Comrade Stalin target Comrade Beria and do everything in his power to suppress his influence in the state security services? There are many reasons for this. Although there is Comrade Stalin’s fear of Comrade Beria, it also has the influence of the political struggle of the reasonable power level. Perhaps, it can also be regarded as Comrade Stalin’s preparation for Bailey. Comrade Ya reminded him to figure out his position, which is similar to hitting a stick and then giving him a wrist to eat.

Of course, it is undeniable that Comrade Stalin, after all, is old, and he may not be so comprehensive when he thinks about problems. His relationship with Comrade Zhdanov is unusual. As the old comrades of the Politburo are getting old and incompetent, Comrade Zhdanov’s performance is naturally more and more bright, and to a certain extent, it has deepened Comrade Stalin’s confidence in him.

Look at how quickly the Leningrad faction led by Comrade Zhdanov expanded in the period after the end of the Great Patriotic War? They have mastered the Planning Commission, the State Security Department, and the propaganda and agitation departments, and even extended their tentacles to the leadership of the Russian republics and the decision-making level of the Council of Ministers.

Why did Victor choose to compromise and cooperate with Comrade Zhdanov? Wasn’t it because the opponent’s momentum was too strong that he had to dodge?

But Victor believes that Comrade Stalin is not old and confused after all. His trust in Comrade Zhdanov in a short period of time may exceed his trust in everyone, even to an unimaginable level, but in a long time Now, when Comrade Zhdanov’s reputation reaches a certain level, Comrade Stalin will naturally be vigilant.

For example, it’s like the old emperor gave way to the prince when he was alive. He may feel that he is old, and on a whim, he is ready to hand over the imperial power to the crown prince and abdicate himself to take care of his life. But after he really abdicated, as the object of worship of the ministers became the prince, the target of everyone’s compliments was no longer him, and it would not be long before he would regret it.

Think about it, what is the mentality of those retired officials? Don’t think that they can all be light. To be honest, the psychological gap brought about by people taking tea and cooling is really not something that ordinary people can accept calmly.

Therefore, Victor gave Comrade Beria an idea to leave Moscow in a short time and go out to avoid the limelight. Viktor believes that when there is no voice against Comrade Zhdanov in the core of power in Moscow, and there is no force against the Leningrad faction, Comrade Stalin will soon feel abnormal, and he may not be right. Comrade Zhdanov is jealous, and he may not deliberately suppress the influence of the Leningrad faction, but out of an instinct, he will turn against the Leningrad faction who used to be against Comrade Zdanov and oppose the Leningrad faction. A person or force was re-promoted.

Because he needs to form a basic balance in the Politburo, in the core of power in Moscow, if the whole of Moscow is the voice of Comrade Zhdanov and the Leningrad faction, then for the alliance, maybe it will be a disaster.

In order to know how to advance and retreat, the most important thing is to understand that “retreat” is not “exit” in many cases, but a detour. The so-called “retreat as advance” means this.

In front of the two comrades Beria and Malenkov, Viktor did not speak so clearly, because he knew that these two comrades are not really unsmart, as long as they can calm down, they can think of the questions they should think of. .

In the face of Comrade Malenkov’s persuasion, Comrade Beria was silent for a long time. In the end, he didn’t say anything. He just stretched out his hand to take the document, fumbled through his pocket, and took out a pen he was carrying with him. With two swipes, he signed his name at the bottom of the document.

“The day after tomorrow I will apply to go to the Far East,” Beria said, throwing the documents on the coffee table in front of him, “I hope the situation there will not be too complicated.”