Alexander Poskrebyshev
Encyclopedia
Alexander Nikolaevich Poskrebyshev was a Soviet
Major-General. USSR political, state and communist party functionary. Member of Soviet Communist Party since march 1917. Chief of the special department of Central Committee of Communist Party (Personal chancellery of Stalin, 1928—1953).
in the Russian Empire
, the son of a shoemaker. Mother — Nadezhda Efimovna, brother - Ivan, sisters – Olga and Alexandra . He studied to become a medical assistant, graduating in 1918.
(Bolsheviks) (RSDLP(b), March 1917). Member of the political committee of the Special Turkestan Army (1918–1919), chairman of the regional Military Revolutionary Committee and regional Council of Workers and Peasants Deputies (Zlatoust, 1919–1921), work for the Bolshevik party in Ufa (1921–1922). He moved to Moscow in 1922 within the Central Committee of the CPSU and by 1923 he had become Director of the Administrative Bureau of the Committee.
From 1924 on he worked with Stalin , when he was assigned to the Kremlin
. He became an administrator in the Secret Section of the Central Committee shortly thereafter, which would later become the Special Section. Between 1924 and 1929 he was a Manager of the office of General Secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of the Soviet Union
(CPSU).
In 1927 Poskrebyshev graduated in Law and Economics from the Department of Administration and Law of Moscow State University.
May 1929, Poskrebyshev became a Deputy of Ivan Tovstukha - Chief of Secret Section of Central Committee of CPSU. On July 22, 1930 Poskrebyshev was promoted to the Chief of Secret Section of Central Committee of CPSU. In 1934 Secret Section has been reorganized to Special Section of Central Committee of CPSU, and March 10, 1934 Poskrebyshev A.N. became the Chief of Special Section of Central Committee of CPSU.
In 1934, Poskrebyshev was elected a candidate member of the Central Committee at the 17th Congress of the CPSU. At the next two Congresses
, he was made a full member.
In 1935 Poskrebyshev A.N. became the Director of Administration of the General Secretary of Central Committee of CPSU, by replacing Ivan Tovstukha who died of tuberculosis.
On the basis of Stalin's short thesis, Poskrebyshev N.A. wrote texts of "the Constitution of Soviet Union" (1936)
and "Short course of CPSU history" (1938)
Since 1938 he was elected as a delegate of the first, and later of the second (1946) and third (1952) Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
He stayed in Moscow, working with Stalin, during the Second World War. Poskrebyshev A.N. have been also involved in planning of military operations. He prepared documents for Tehran
, Yalta
and Potsdam
conferences, and participated in the work of the last two.
According to his daughter Natalia:
After Second World War Poskrebyshev A.N. actively participated in the rebuilding of the economy of the Soviet Union.
The apex of Poskrebyshev's political career came in 1952, when he was appointed Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee, thereby gaining a seat in the Politburo. At the 19th Party Congress that year, Poskrebyshev was a keynote speaker, and he headed the Secretariat of the Congress. However, a few months later Lavrentiy Beria
accused Poskrebyshev of losing secret documents, and he was removed from the position by Stalin. Although these documents were later found, Poskrebyshev was not reinstated in this position due to Stalin's death.
He would be briefly reinstated after the death of Stalin, but his removal from this position at the end of 1952 essentially marked the end of Poskrebyshev's political career.
, Secretariat of Central Committee, Organizational Bureau of Central Committee
and Encryption Bureau.
The staff of the Secret/Special Section included Chief of Special Section, Deputy Chief of Special Section and Office manager, Deputies of members of Secretariat of Central Committee with their office administrations, Offices Administrations of Political Bureau (Presidium, Politburo) of Central Committee
, of Orgburo, Encryption Bureau, Archive, Registration Office. The number of staff members of Secret/Special Section was growths during the time and was exceeded 100 persons.
The primary work duties of the Secret/Special Section was management of Communist Party and Soviet Union documents including top secret documents, preparation of documents for Politburo, Secretariat of Central Committee, Orgburo, preparation of resolutions of these Communist Party Units and control of realization of these resolutions. By this reason the staff members of Secret/Special Section have been under conspiracy. The job duties and job functions of staff members of Secret/Special Section have been also secret information even for relatives. The leaking of any information related to job duties and/or secret documents has been the reason for punishment of staff member of Secret/Special Section without civil trial.
The work duties of Secret/Special Section did also included the control of conditions for storing of secret documents and their use, investigation of violation related management, using and storing of secret documents, in collaboration with GPU and NKVD
to do investigation of facts of leaking of secret information, developing instruction for handling of secret documents, encryption, archiving and others duties related to handling of secret information.
In 1933 the Special Section of Central Committee was assigned to work under directions of Stalin I.V. or Kaganovich M.M. when Stalin I.V. was not available.
Since 1935 Poskrebyshev A.N. has been also acted as the Director of Administration of the General Secretary, succeeding Ivan Tovstukha on his death. In this position, all of Stalin's documents passed through his hands. This was a position of considerable trust and importance. Nicolaevsky, B is guessing that Poskrebyshev was given a rubber stamp
with which he could affix Stalin's signature to documents.
The Special Section received information from the NKVD and supervised a pyramid of district Special Sections which reported Party information. It was fundamentally responsible for secret communications and security issues within the Party, and was therefore a position of considerable importance.
The importance of Poskrebyshev A.N. increased during and following the Second World War, where he served an important role as Stalin's organizer and as a point of contact for generals such as Georgy Zhukov
.
does not exist. The basis for speculations of Western historians/analysts and Khrushchev, that Poskrebyshev had played a fundamental role in the Great Purge
of 1936–1938 is not clear. According to investigations of group "Memorial" the lists of convicted were not managed by Special Sector of Central Committee. Тче "Memorial" Group says that Nikolai Yezhov
personally visitед all members of Politburo
to get their endorsement of the lists of convicted.
Nikolaevsky suggested that Poskrebyshev had been responsible for "liaison with Stalin and supervising the removal of top figures whom Stalin, for one reason or another, did not want openly arrested", and for "surveillance of the Party Secretariat"; It is not clear what document or reference has been used as source of this allegation, and whom would Stalin remove using Poskrebyshev and Special Sector of Central Committee. The prosecution of individuals was outside of scope of work duties of Special Sector of Central Committee, unless these persons were members of Special Sector. Even in later case, the number of members of Special Sector was limited and the fate of most of them was not known due to secrecy.
These speculations are also in contradiction with history of life of his second wife and her relatives, as well as with evidence of his daughter Natalia . Her mother Bronislava Poskrebysheva
was arrested in 1939. At this time Poskrebyshev, much like other prominent members of the Communist Party (For example, Vyacheslav Molotov
and Mikhail Kalinin
) was not able to help his wife. She was accused by Lavrenty Beria of counter-revolutionary liaisons with Leon Trotsky and was executed in 1941. Such cases are unlikely to have arisen in the case of individuals who were playing a leading role in the conduct of the purges. In contrast, the leading role of Lavrenty Beria in Purges is much more logical and evident. Arrest of Poskrebyshev's wife would have allowed him to remove Poskrebyshev from Stalin's inner circle and replace him with an individual controlled by Beria. In this case scenario next step would have been a total control of Stalin by Beria.
Although Poskrebyshev was not an ally of Nikolai Yezhov
but some collaborative government business is expected due membership of Nikolai Yezhov in Secretariat of Central Committee. Probably he had garnered the animosity of Lavrenty Beria by spearheading corruption investigations in the Georgian apparatus of the NKVD—then controlled by Beria—in 1938.
The involvement of Poskrebyshev N.A. in the prosecution of Party officials was assumed by Parrish based on case of Mager M.P.. "On June 6, 1941, Poskrebyshev wrote a report to the Central Committee indicting
M. P. Mager, the Chief of Staff of the Leningrad Military District
, who had already been arrested once in 1938." However, the role of Poskrebyshev N.A. in this case is not clear. According to records of commission of Presidium of Central Committee of Communist Party Mager M.P. was arrested under resolution of Ministry of Defense of USSR affirmed by Semyon Timoshenko
(March, 1941). He was accused in military conspiracy against Soviet Union. May 15, 1941 he did wrote letter to Stalin I.V. with statement of his innocence. June 6, 1941 letter was directed to attention of Poskrebyshev A.N. and most probably delivered to Stalin. However, in spite of this, July 20, 1941, Supreme Military Court of USSR did made decision regarding Mager M.P. case - sentence to death. (He was rehabilitated 1955)
Noticeably, Alexander N. Poskrebyshev did help to many artists and scientist of USSR to avoid Purge and/or execution.
In contrast, participation of Poskrebyshev A.N. in work of presidium of the first "Philisophic Discussion" (January, 1947) related to publication of book "History of western philosophy" written by Soviet philosopher Georgi Fedorovich Aleksandrov (called best Soviet philosopher by «Washington Post» August 20, 1948) is known fact. The neutral conclusions of first "Philisophic Discussion" have been criticized by Andrei Zhdanov
few months later (April, 1947), early after publication of resolution of Council of Ministers of USSR and Central Committee of VKP(b) "Concerning courts of honor at Ministries of USSR and States Departments" (March 28, 1947) introduced Court of Honor in USSR.
Andrei Zhdanov
unsatisfied by conclusions of first "Philosophic Discussion" did organized second "Philosophic Discussion" (June 16-25, 1947) with participation of Suslov M.A. and Kuznetsov A.A. The name of Poskrebyshev A.N. in presidium of second "Philosophic Discussion" is not mentioned. The conclusions of second "Philosophic Discussion" have been more radicals. Georgi Fedorovich Alexandrov as Director of Bureau of Propaganda and Agitation of Central Committee of Communist Party has been replaced on Suslov M.A.
Comparison of theses facts is rather characterizing Poskrebyshev A.N as emotionally balanced statesmen, who is not inclined to radicalism.
The name of Poskrebyshev A.N. is also mentioned in connection with works of Soviet Scientists Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I., who known as participants of one of the first cases of Court of Honor in USSR (June, 1947). In April 1946 Poskrebyshev A.N. did successfully focusing attention of Stalin I.V. on technical problems in scientific research of anti-cancer drug mentioned by Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I. As results of Stalin attention to this case, in April 22, 1946 it has been created the special laboratory for studying anti-cancer drugs, and it has been ordered new equipment though Council of Ministers of USSR.
Initially, the letter regarding the needs of Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I. for scientific research has been sent to Andrei Zhdanov
and considered by Secretariat of Central Committee of Communist Party. Most probably, the reason for sending of letter by Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I. to Central committee has been their willing to overcome bureaucracy of Ministry of Health of USSR. The official letter with final resolution ("to do all what is need and report results to Central Committee") has been sent to Minister of Health of USSR, Miterev G.A. (April 3, 1946) However, by unknown reason the similar letter has been sent later to attention of Poskrebyshev A.N.
in Turkestan
, and served in the political department of the district Revolutionary Military Committee between 1918 and 1919. During the Second World War, Poskrebyshev attended most of the meetings of the Soviet High Command, and maintained liaison between Stalin and the Soviet Generals. Poskrebyshev was promoted to the rank of Major-General in July 1946.
in 1937. In 1934 he married Bronislava Poskrebysheva
, with whom he was to father two daughters, Galya and Natasha. While his marriage to Bronislava Poskrebysheva
was stable, she was arrested in 1939 and executed in 1941. Stalin ignored Poskrebyshev's second time pleas for her release. This led to his third marriage (1942). In this marriage he fathered his third daughter, Elena.
According to evidences of Natalia Poskrebysheva (daughter of Alexander N. Poskrebyshev) the relations between Stalin and her father were friendly outside of work. In work they were respectful and collaborative.
The reported speculation of unknown eyewitnesses concerning routine humiliation of Poskrebyshev by Stalin must be considered as simple gossips that probably introduced by Khruschev to manipulate with political opinions of peoples/Party Official and remove politics from competition in Communist Party. Because of this perceived submissiveness, Poskrebyshev became the butt of a series of jokes among Party officials.
As part of his job as private secretary, Poskrebyshev took down Stalin's dictations and organized his schedule. He was also the first point of call for anyone wishing to see the Soviet leader. When Stalin was at his dacha
s in the Caucasus
, the only visitors would be those specifically allowed by Poskrebyshev and Nikolai Vlasik
, Stalin's chief bodyguard.
in March 1939 for "many years of exemplary service". (For contribution to Constitution of USSR 1936 and History of CPSU) 1938) He received the Order of Lenin
a second and third times in 1944 and 1945 for services rendered during the War. The fourth Order of Lenin
Poskrebyshev A.N has received in August 6, 1951 (60 years anniversary and in honor of his work for Communist Party and Soviet Union). As a four-time recipient of ones of the highest awards by the Soviet Union , Poskrebyshev's reputation as a confidant of Stalin was further reinforced.
Poskrebyshev A.N. has been also awarded by :
Medal For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945
Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 Medal
Speculations of Rappaport as to whether Poskrebyshev was awarded the Order of Lenin due to his services in the Great Purge are not supported historically (see above "Great Purge"), chronologically (to receive award like order Lenin it is required long time to be nominated, considered and awarded) and logically (see history of his second wife Bronislava Poskrebysheva
).
after coming into connection with the Doctor's Plot—he had been a medical student and had also administered Stalin his medicines. He was implicated as being part of a conspiracy with Viktor Abakumov
.
After the deaths of Stalin and Beria, Poskrebyshev was rehabilitated
and given a post in the Presidium of the Central Committee, but this was not to last. Following the 20th Congress
in 1956—where he was denounced in passing by Khrushchev, Poskrebyshev retired permanently and lived out the remainder of his days in Moscow, dying there in 1965. He received an entry in the First and Second Great Soviet Encyclopedia
, but was not included in Third Edition.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Major-General. USSR political, state and communist party functionary. Member of Soviet Communist Party since march 1917. Chief of the special department of Central Committee of Communist Party (Personal chancellery of Stalin, 1928—1953).
Early life
Poskrebyshev was born on 7 August 1891, in the village of Uspenskoe near the city of VyatkaVyatka
Vyatka may refer to:*Vyatka River, a river in Russia*Vyatka, former name of the city of Kirov, Kirov Oblast, Russia*Vyatka Region, an informal name of Kirov Oblast of Russia*Vyatka Motor Scooter, a Russian copy of Italy's Vespa Motor Scooter...
in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, the son of a shoemaker. Mother — Nadezhda Efimovna, brother - Ivan, sisters – Olga and Alexandra . He studied to become a medical assistant, graduating in 1918.
Political career
Poskrebyshev was involved at an early stage in the activities of the Communist Party. He was elected secretary of the local division of the Bolshevik party (1917–1918) soon after joining the Russian Social Democratic Labour PartyRussian Social Democratic Labour Party
The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party , also known as Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party or Russian Social Democratic Party, was a revolutionary socialist Russian political party formed in 1898 in Minsk to unite the various revolutionary organizations into one party...
(Bolsheviks) (RSDLP(b), March 1917). Member of the political committee of the Special Turkestan Army (1918–1919), chairman of the regional Military Revolutionary Committee and regional Council of Workers and Peasants Deputies (Zlatoust, 1919–1921), work for the Bolshevik party in Ufa (1921–1922). He moved to Moscow in 1922 within the Central Committee of the CPSU and by 1923 he had become Director of the Administrative Bureau of the Committee.
From 1924 on he worked with Stalin , when he was assigned to the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
. He became an administrator in the Secret Section of the Central Committee shortly thereafter, which would later become the Special Section. Between 1924 and 1929 he was a Manager of the office of General Secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
(CPSU).
In 1927 Poskrebyshev graduated in Law and Economics from the Department of Administration and Law of Moscow State University.
May 1929, Poskrebyshev became a Deputy of Ivan Tovstukha - Chief of Secret Section of Central Committee of CPSU. On July 22, 1930 Poskrebyshev was promoted to the Chief of Secret Section of Central Committee of CPSU. In 1934 Secret Section has been reorganized to Special Section of Central Committee of CPSU, and March 10, 1934 Poskrebyshev A.N. became the Chief of Special Section of Central Committee of CPSU.
In 1934, Poskrebyshev was elected a candidate member of the Central Committee at the 17th Congress of the CPSU. At the next two Congresses
18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (b)
The 18th Congress of the Russian Communist Party was held during 10-21 March 1939 in Moscow. This is the first Congress to be dominated by the "purified" leadership of the Soviet Union after the Great Purge...
, he was made a full member.
In 1935 Poskrebyshev A.N. became the Director of Administration of the General Secretary of Central Committee of CPSU, by replacing Ivan Tovstukha who died of tuberculosis.
On the basis of Stalin's short thesis, Poskrebyshev N.A. wrote texts of "the Constitution of Soviet Union" (1936)
1936 Soviet Constitution
The 1936 Soviet constitution, adopted on December 5, 1936, and also known as the "Stalin" constitution, redesigned the government of the Soviet Union.- Basic provisions :...
and "Short course of CPSU history" (1938)
Since 1938 he was elected as a delegate of the first, and later of the second (1946) and third (1952) Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
He stayed in Moscow, working with Stalin, during the Second World War. Poskrebyshev A.N. have been also involved in planning of military operations. He prepared documents for Tehran
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference was the meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill between November 28 and December 1, 1943, most of which was held at the Soviet Embassy in Tehran, Iran. It was the first World War II conference amongst the Big Three in which Stalin was present...
, Yalta
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
and Potsdam
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
conferences, and participated in the work of the last two.
According to his daughter Natalia:
«Poskrebyshev worked almost 24 hours a day during the Second World War. He came home at 5 am and returned to work at 10 am. People who knew Poskrebyshev AN called him the living encyclopedia. He always had the answer to anything.»
After Second World War Poskrebyshev A.N. actively participated in the rebuilding of the economy of the Soviet Union.
The apex of Poskrebyshev's political career came in 1952, when he was appointed Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee, thereby gaining a seat in the Politburo. At the 19th Party Congress that year, Poskrebyshev was a keynote speaker, and he headed the Secretariat of the Congress. However, a few months later Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian Soviet politician and state security administrator, chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus under Joseph Stalin during World War II, and Deputy Premier in the postwar years ....
accused Poskrebyshev of losing secret documents, and he was removed from the position by Stalin. Although these documents were later found, Poskrebyshev was not reinstated in this position due to Stalin's death.
He would be briefly reinstated after the death of Stalin, but his removal from this position at the end of 1952 essentially marked the end of Poskrebyshev's political career.
Special Section
Poskrebyshev's most notable office was that of Chief of the Secret/Special Section of the Central Committee, to which he was promoted in 1930. The scope of work duties of Secret/Special Section of Central Committee of Communist Party was the coordination of the work of Political Bureau (Presidium, Politburo) of Central CommitteePolitburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Politburo , known as the Presidium from 1952 to 1966, functioned as the central policymaking and governing body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.-Duties and responsibilities:The...
, Secretariat of Central Committee, Organizational Bureau of Central Committee
Orgburo
The Orgburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union existed from 1919–52, until the 19th Congress, when the Orgburo was abolished and its functions were transferred to the enlarged Secretariat....
and Encryption Bureau.
The staff of the Secret/Special Section included Chief of Special Section, Deputy Chief of Special Section and Office manager, Deputies of members of Secretariat of Central Committee with their office administrations, Offices Administrations of Political Bureau (Presidium, Politburo) of Central Committee
Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Politburo , known as the Presidium from 1952 to 1966, functioned as the central policymaking and governing body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.-Duties and responsibilities:The...
, of Orgburo, Encryption Bureau, Archive, Registration Office. The number of staff members of Secret/Special Section was growths during the time and was exceeded 100 persons.
The primary work duties of the Secret/Special Section was management of Communist Party and Soviet Union documents including top secret documents, preparation of documents for Politburo, Secretariat of Central Committee, Orgburo, preparation of resolutions of these Communist Party Units and control of realization of these resolutions. By this reason the staff members of Secret/Special Section have been under conspiracy. The job duties and job functions of staff members of Secret/Special Section have been also secret information even for relatives. The leaking of any information related to job duties and/or secret documents has been the reason for punishment of staff member of Secret/Special Section without civil trial.
The work duties of Secret/Special Section did also included the control of conditions for storing of secret documents and their use, investigation of violation related management, using and storing of secret documents, in collaboration with GPU and NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
to do investigation of facts of leaking of secret information, developing instruction for handling of secret documents, encryption, archiving and others duties related to handling of secret information.
In 1933 the Special Section of Central Committee was assigned to work under directions of Stalin I.V. or Kaganovich M.M. when Stalin I.V. was not available.
Since 1935 Poskrebyshev A.N. has been also acted as the Director of Administration of the General Secretary, succeeding Ivan Tovstukha on his death. In this position, all of Stalin's documents passed through his hands. This was a position of considerable trust and importance. Nicolaevsky, B is guessing that Poskrebyshev was given a rubber stamp
Rubber stamp
Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved or vulcanized, onto a sheet of rubber. The rubber is often mounted onto a more stable object such as a wood, brick or an...
with which he could affix Stalin's signature to documents.
The Special Section received information from the NKVD and supervised a pyramid of district Special Sections which reported Party information. It was fundamentally responsible for secret communications and security issues within the Party, and was therefore a position of considerable importance.
The importance of Poskrebyshev A.N. increased during and following the Second World War, where he served an important role as Stalin's organizer and as a point of contact for generals such as Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
.
Purges
Direct evidence of involvement of Poskrebyshev A.N. in Great PurgeGreat Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
does not exist. The basis for speculations of Western historians/analysts and Khrushchev, that Poskrebyshev had played a fundamental role in the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
of 1936–1938 is not clear. According to investigations of group "Memorial" the lists of convicted were not managed by Special Sector of Central Committee. Тче "Memorial" Group says that Nikolai Yezhov
Nikolai Yezhov
Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov or Ezhov was a senior figure in the NKVD under Joseph Stalin during the period of the Great Purge. His reign is sometimes known as the "Yezhovshchina" , "the Yezhov era", a term that began to be used during the de-Stalinization campaign of the 1950s...
personally visitед all members of Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
to get their endorsement of the lists of convicted.
Nikolaevsky suggested that Poskrebyshev had been responsible for "liaison with Stalin and supervising the removal of top figures whom Stalin, for one reason or another, did not want openly arrested", and for "surveillance of the Party Secretariat"; It is not clear what document or reference has been used as source of this allegation, and whom would Stalin remove using Poskrebyshev and Special Sector of Central Committee. The prosecution of individuals was outside of scope of work duties of Special Sector of Central Committee, unless these persons were members of Special Sector. Even in later case, the number of members of Special Sector was limited and the fate of most of them was not known due to secrecy.
These speculations are also in contradiction with history of life of his second wife and her relatives, as well as with evidence of his daughter Natalia . Her mother Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Solomonovna Metallikova - Poskrebysheva was born in Proskurov . She was the wife of Alexander Poskrebyshev, Joseph Stalin's personal assistant for many years....
was arrested in 1939. At this time Poskrebyshev, much like other prominent members of the Communist Party (For example, Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, an Old Bolshevik and a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from the Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...
and Mikhail Kalinin
Mikhail Kalinin
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin , known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych," was a Bolshevik revolutionary and the nominal head of state of Russia and later of the Soviet Union, from 1919 to 1946...
) was not able to help his wife. She was accused by Lavrenty Beria of counter-revolutionary liaisons with Leon Trotsky and was executed in 1941. Such cases are unlikely to have arisen in the case of individuals who were playing a leading role in the conduct of the purges. In contrast, the leading role of Lavrenty Beria in Purges is much more logical and evident. Arrest of Poskrebyshev's wife would have allowed him to remove Poskrebyshev from Stalin's inner circle and replace him with an individual controlled by Beria. In this case scenario next step would have been a total control of Stalin by Beria.
Although Poskrebyshev was not an ally of Nikolai Yezhov
Nikolai Yezhov
Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov or Ezhov was a senior figure in the NKVD under Joseph Stalin during the period of the Great Purge. His reign is sometimes known as the "Yezhovshchina" , "the Yezhov era", a term that began to be used during the de-Stalinization campaign of the 1950s...
but some collaborative government business is expected due membership of Nikolai Yezhov in Secretariat of Central Committee. Probably he had garnered the animosity of Lavrenty Beria by spearheading corruption investigations in the Georgian apparatus of the NKVD—then controlled by Beria—in 1938.
The involvement of Poskrebyshev N.A. in the prosecution of Party officials was assumed by Parrish based on case of Mager M.P.. "On June 6, 1941, Poskrebyshev wrote a report to the Central Committee indicting
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
M. P. Mager, the Chief of Staff of the Leningrad Military District
Leningrad Military District
The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:...
, who had already been arrested once in 1938." However, the role of Poskrebyshev N.A. in this case is not clear. According to records of commission of Presidium of Central Committee of Communist Party Mager M.P. was arrested under resolution of Ministry of Defense of USSR affirmed by Semyon Timoshenko
Semyon Timoshenko
Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko was a Soviet military commander and senior professional officer of the Red Army at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.-Early life:...
(March, 1941). He was accused in military conspiracy against Soviet Union. May 15, 1941 he did wrote letter to Stalin I.V. with statement of his innocence. June 6, 1941 letter was directed to attention of Poskrebyshev A.N. and most probably delivered to Stalin. However, in spite of this, July 20, 1941, Supreme Military Court of USSR did made decision regarding Mager M.P. case - sentence to death. (He was rehabilitated 1955)
Noticeably, Alexander N. Poskrebyshev did help to many artists and scientist of USSR to avoid Purge and/or execution.
Eradication of cosmopolitanism
The participation of Poskrebyshev A.N. in presidium of Court of Honor during 1947 and 1948 mentioned by Parrish is not supported by other sources. The origin of the claim by Parrish is also not clear. The author does not provide any reference to official documents or referees.In contrast, participation of Poskrebyshev A.N. in work of presidium of the first "Philisophic Discussion" (January, 1947) related to publication of book "History of western philosophy" written by Soviet philosopher Georgi Fedorovich Aleksandrov (called best Soviet philosopher by «Washington Post» August 20, 1948) is known fact. The neutral conclusions of first "Philisophic Discussion" have been criticized by Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov was a Soviet politician.-Life:Zhdanov enlisted with the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1915 and was promoted through the party ranks, becoming the All-Union Communist Party manager in Leningrad after the assassination of Sergei Kirov in 1934...
few months later (April, 1947), early after publication of resolution of Council of Ministers of USSR and Central Committee of VKP(b) "Concerning courts of honor at Ministries of USSR and States Departments" (March 28, 1947) introduced Court of Honor in USSR.
Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov was a Soviet politician.-Life:Zhdanov enlisted with the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1915 and was promoted through the party ranks, becoming the All-Union Communist Party manager in Leningrad after the assassination of Sergei Kirov in 1934...
unsatisfied by conclusions of first "Philosophic Discussion" did organized second "Philosophic Discussion" (June 16-25, 1947) with participation of Suslov M.A. and Kuznetsov A.A. The name of Poskrebyshev A.N. in presidium of second "Philosophic Discussion" is not mentioned. The conclusions of second "Philosophic Discussion" have been more radicals. Georgi Fedorovich Alexandrov as Director of Bureau of Propaganda and Agitation of Central Committee of Communist Party has been replaced on Suslov M.A.
Comparison of theses facts is rather characterizing Poskrebyshev A.N as emotionally balanced statesmen, who is not inclined to radicalism.
The name of Poskrebyshev A.N. is also mentioned in connection with works of Soviet Scientists Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I., who known as participants of one of the first cases of Court of Honor in USSR (June, 1947). In April 1946 Poskrebyshev A.N. did successfully focusing attention of Stalin I.V. on technical problems in scientific research of anti-cancer drug mentioned by Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I. As results of Stalin attention to this case, in April 22, 1946 it has been created the special laboratory for studying anti-cancer drugs, and it has been ordered new equipment though Council of Ministers of USSR.
Initially, the letter regarding the needs of Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I. for scientific research has been sent to Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov was a Soviet politician.-Life:Zhdanov enlisted with the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1915 and was promoted through the party ranks, becoming the All-Union Communist Party manager in Leningrad after the assassination of Sergei Kirov in 1934...
and considered by Secretariat of Central Committee of Communist Party. Most probably, the reason for sending of letter by Klueva N.G. and Roskin G.I. to Central committee has been their willing to overcome bureaucracy of Ministry of Health of USSR. The official letter with final resolution ("to do all what is need and report results to Central Committee") has been sent to Minister of Health of USSR, Miterev G.A. (April 3, 1946) However, by unknown reason the similar letter has been sent later to attention of Poskrebyshev A.N.
Military service
Poskrebyshev's work in the military consisted entirely of political work. He began as a political commissarPolitical commissar
The political commissar is the supervisory political officer responsible for the political education and organisation, and loyalty to the government of the military...
in Turkestan
Turkestan
Turkestan, spelled also as Turkistan, literally means "Land of the Turks".The term Turkestan is of Persian origin and has never been in use to denote a single nation. It was first used by Persian geographers to describe the place of Turkish peoples...
, and served in the political department of the district Revolutionary Military Committee between 1918 and 1919. During the Second World War, Poskrebyshev attended most of the meetings of the Soviet High Command, and maintained liaison between Stalin and the Soviet Generals. Poskrebyshev was promoted to the rank of Major-General in July 1946.
Personal life
He is said to have worked sixteen to eighteen hours a day, a phenomenal organizer, and to have followed Stalin wherever he went. Nevertheless he married three times, and fathered three daughters.Marriages
He was first married to a Polish revolutionary, Jadwiga, in 1919-1929, who died of tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1937. In 1934 he married Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Solomonovna Metallikova - Poskrebysheva was born in Proskurov . She was the wife of Alexander Poskrebyshev, Joseph Stalin's personal assistant for many years....
, with whom he was to father two daughters, Galya and Natasha. While his marriage to Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Solomonovna Metallikova - Poskrebysheva was born in Proskurov . She was the wife of Alexander Poskrebyshev, Joseph Stalin's personal assistant for many years....
was stable, she was arrested in 1939 and executed in 1941. Stalin ignored Poskrebyshev's second time pleas for her release. This led to his third marriage (1942). In this marriage he fathered his third daughter, Elena.
Relationship with Stalin
He enjoyed a very close relationship with Stalin—according to Harford Montgomery Hyde, "if Stalin ever trusted anyone, it was Poskrebyshev",According to evidences of Natalia Poskrebysheva (daughter of Alexander N. Poskrebyshev) the relations between Stalin and her father were friendly outside of work. In work they were respectful and collaborative.
The reported speculation of unknown eyewitnesses concerning routine humiliation of Poskrebyshev by Stalin must be considered as simple gossips that probably introduced by Khruschev to manipulate with political opinions of peoples/Party Official and remove politics from competition in Communist Party. Because of this perceived submissiveness, Poskrebyshev became the butt of a series of jokes among Party officials.
As part of his job as private secretary, Poskrebyshev took down Stalin's dictations and organized his schedule. He was also the first point of call for anyone wishing to see the Soviet leader. When Stalin was at his dacha
Dacha
Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence...
s in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, the only visitors would be those specifically allowed by Poskrebyshev and Nikolai Vlasik
Nikolai Vlasik
Nikolai Vlasik was a Soviet security official and General, best known as a head of Joseph Stalin's personal security from 1931 to 1952....
, Stalin's chief bodyguard.
Awards
Poskrebyshev was awarded the Order of LeninOrder of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
in March 1939 for "many years of exemplary service". (For contribution to Constitution of USSR 1936 and History of CPSU) 1938) He received the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
a second and third times in 1944 and 1945 for services rendered during the War. The fourth Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
Poskrebyshev A.N has received in August 6, 1951 (60 years anniversary and in honor of his work for Communist Party and Soviet Union). As a four-time recipient of ones of the highest awards by the Soviet Union , Poskrebyshev's reputation as a confidant of Stalin was further reinforced.
Poskrebyshev A.N. has been also awarded by :
Medal For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945
Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 Medal
Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 Medal
The Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 Medal was a civilian award awarded in the USSR. It was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 6 June 1945. Its image was designed by the artists IK Andrianov and EM Romanov. There were approximately...
Speculations of Rappaport as to whether Poskrebyshev was awarded the Order of Lenin due to his services in the Great Purge are not supported historically (see above "Great Purge"), chronologically (to receive award like order Lenin it is required long time to be nominated, considered and awarded) and logically (see history of his second wife Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Poskrebysheva
Bronislava Solomonovna Metallikova - Poskrebysheva was born in Proskurov . She was the wife of Alexander Poskrebyshev, Joseph Stalin's personal assistant for many years....
).
Downfall, retirement and death
Stalin removed Poskrebyshev from his position in the Special Section and from his role as personal secretary in 1952, under the pressure of Lavrenty Beria. In 1953 he was removed from active political life and forcibly retiredRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
after coming into connection with the Doctor's Plot—he had been a medical student and had also administered Stalin his medicines. He was implicated as being part of a conspiracy with Viktor Abakumov
Viktor Abakumov
Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov , was a high level Soviet security organs official, from 1943 to 1946 the head of SMERSH in the USSR People's Commissariat of Defense, and from 1946 to 1951 Minister of State Security or MGB . Abakumov was a notoriously brutal official who was known to torture prisoners...
.
After the deaths of Stalin and Beria, Poskrebyshev was rehabilitated
Political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace, is restored to public life. It is usually applied to leaders or other prominent individuals who regain their prominence after a period in which they have no influence or...
and given a post in the Presidium of the Central Committee, but this was not to last. Following the 20th Congress
20th Congress of the CPSU
The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was held during 14– 25 February 1956. It is known especially for Nikita Khrushchev's "Secret Speech", which denounced the personality cult and dictatorship of Joseph Stalin....
in 1956—where he was denounced in passing by Khrushchev, Poskrebyshev retired permanently and lived out the remainder of his days in Moscow, dying there in 1965. He received an entry in the First and Second Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia is one of the largest and most comprehensive encyclopedias in Russian and in the world, issued by the Soviet state from 1926 to 1990, and again since 2002 .-Editions:There were three editions...
, but was not included in Third Edition.