At Stalin’s Side: His Interpreter’s Memoirs by Valentin Berezhkov

Although Valentin Berezhkov was not Stalin’s primary interpreter, he attended numerous important meetings with Stalin during the Second World War, including Yalta and the talks in Moscow. With a natural flair for languages, Berezhkov found himself chosen for important work by Molotov, the number two man in the country, and was suddenly thrust into the middle of history making events. His memoirs, which run from the October Revolution to the fall of the dictator’s empire, are valuable because they capture the mindset of suspicion, fear and ambition at the very highest levels of Soviet government. The leaders of the State were constantly looking over their shoulders and testing the ground beneath their feet while their leader, Stalin, the consummate politician and absolute ruler, watched them for any inkling of disloyalty or lack of duty.

The Need to Show Absolute Loyalty

Those same leaders had to submit to the grossest demands. Molotov’s wife, Polina, was arrested and sent to the Gulag. When Molotov went to Stalin for help, Stalin pointed out that all of his own relatives were also in prison. In fact, almost all the relatives of Stalin’s first and second wives were either in prison or had been shot. The same was true for the wife of the Soviet President, Kalinin, and for Stalin’s chief assistant, Poskrebyshev. To add salt to the wound, Beria, the feared head of the Soviet secret police, would whisper to Molotov from time to time, “Polina is still alive.”

Living in such an atmosphere was obviously stressful, and the stress increased when Beria suggested, during the Second World War, that Berezhkov’s parents might still be alive in Kiev, which had been overrun by the Nazis. Anyone living in an occupied area was automatically suspected of collaboration, and so Berezhkov, being so close to Stalin, could be seen as a threat.

Survival in Stalin’s Inner Circle

Fortunately for Berezhkov, Stalin never uttered those dreaded words, “he knows too much,” in his direction. He was spared arrest, the Gulag, and death by car accident, which was one of the favorite methods of disposing of potential threats, real or imagined. Allowed to take other work, he survived the Stalin years and ended up as a senior researcher at the Institute of USA and Canada Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He later taught political science at Claremont College and at the Monterey Institute of International Studies before his death in the late 1990s.

Opinion: Is the Book Worth Reading?

This is a fine book, tracing his early life and his belief in the Communist ideal through to his awakening about the reality of the Soviet state. We see through his eyes the hopes and dreams of a better life, and the realization of the terrible cost that hundreds of millions paid for their participation in the Communist experiment. In the end the problem was not Stalin, but rather a system which claimed to be based on “science” and which allowed men like Stalin and Beria to rise to the top of the State machinery.

Professor Rodger’s two earlier volumes on the naval history of Britain began in the seventh century and carried the story through to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. This third volume opens with the Royal Navy at the height of its power and traces its decline from around 1840, taking in the difficult transition from sail to hybrid sail-and-steam ships and on into the modern era. The scope of such a work is immense, yet the author goes beyond the expected and creates a history that carries the reader into territory other British naval histories leave untouched.

At times, the work can border on eye-blurring, particularly when he details the personalities and politics of the British naval bureaucracy of the mid-nineteenth century. The individuals, with their foibles and political battles, can be hard to keep straight, and the prime movers of the Royal Navy are by now dusty figures receding into history. Yet those passages bring home a striking point: the politics and decision-making of that distant age were, in reality, no different from the political and economic battles we see today.

On the other hand, the book is a treasure trove of facts and struggles that are at once fascinating and genuinely enriching, giving the reader a wider and deeper understanding of the innovations and sacrifices that shaped the twentieth century.

The Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS)

One example, and a tribute, is his writing on the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS). At a time when women were still primarily occupied in the home, the naval establishment not only welcomed the creation of the WRNS but placed its founding and day-to-day running entirely in the hands of women. The first director, Dame Katharine Furse, who had resigned from the Red Cross, was given a free hand, choosing her own staff and building the organization without male supervision. As the First World War wore on, the responsibilities of the WRNS continued to grow, and when the service was disbanded in 1919, its 438 officers and 5,054 ratings, all women, were reluctant to return to civilian life. Many formed the Association of Wrens, which later served as a foundation for the service’s reconstitution. Moving into the Second World War, the WRNS took up the challenge again, performing efficiently and at times heroically, freeing up much-needed manpower for other duties.

Breaking Enigma: The Government Code & Cypher School

Then there is the history of the Government Code & Cypher School (GC&CS), which, having learned much about German signals procedures from the Poles, was able to read a great deal of the traffic from captured Enigma machines. This intelligence played a decisive role in routing convoys around German submarines and in misleading the enemy about sailing routes and dates. Admiral Karl Dönitz never grasped the scale of the intelligence disaster he had suffered,

and as terrible as the losses were in the Battle of the Atlantic, the work of the GC&CS contributed mightily to the eventual victory.

The Small Facts That Change the Picture

Rodger also has a gift for dropping in those wonderful tidbits of history that make the reader stop and reread a passage. While discussing the siege of Malta in the Second World War, for instance, he notes that the total tonnage of German bombs dropped on Malta was greater than that dropped on London during the Blitz. Anyone who has visited Malta will grasp the weight of that single fact at once, and it casts the battle for the island in an entirely new light.

Is It Worth Reading?

I should say that the book is lengthy, more than 600 pages before the numerous appendices, with the footnotes alone running to ninety-one pages, and it can be heavy going in places. That, however, is bound up with its great strength: it is loaded with fascinating facts, presented in a way that keeps the reader reluctant to put it down. I would suggest that any newcomer adjust to the idea that you may read fewer pages per sitting than you expect, but you will come away knowing you have read a treasure of history, and one of the finest single volumes ever written on the naval history of Britain.

It is generally acknowledged that against the Western Allies, on a man to man basis, Germans outkilled British and American troops by a factor of about fifty percent (the ratio on the Eastern Front was much higher).  How was it that an army that did not have control of the air, was outnumbered materially by large margins and was worn down by years of combat was able to not only achieve such a high kill ratio, but continue to offer effective resistance up to the closing days of the war?

In his book, Fritz begins with where it all starts; basic training and continues through dealing with how the Wehrmacht dealt with battle in all the various climates, dealing with difficulties of supply, etc.  The average German soldier was subject to the same strains (excessive combat, break down of nerves, etc.) as other soldiers, but that due to high unit cohesion, higher quality and fewer officers, and twelve years of National Socialism with its stress on the Volksgemeinschaft (national community). German youth from the age of to-14 could join the Deutsches Jungvolk (Germa Youngsters of the Hitler Youth) and then the Hitler Youth from 14-18. After that, one could go into the Labor Front or the military. Each stage was designed to inculcate the individual with their being an integral part of the national community. As a result, disobedience was seen as a hostile political act against the nation. Thus, the individual soldier believed that he was defending the nation against the aggressors of the world.  As is documented elsewhere, the average German saw themselves as the victims of the war and this helped the average German soldier to fight longer and harder to defend his community.

During basic training, bonds of comradeship were formed at the most basic level.  Hardness was stressed as “sweat saves blood” was pounded into the recruits.  And while the training was hard (and resulted in deaths), the donning of the uniform after basic training gave many soldiers a sense of esteem and self-worth which would be difficult to imagine in the British or American armies, except for elite units.  Unlike the Western allies, the top human material was not skimmed off for elite units (except for the best of the Waffen-SS units) and consequently at the very basic combat unit level, the best human material could be found to bolster the weaker members.

Constant references are made to diaries and letters from front-line soldiers and as you would expect, they are filled with the usual (and understandable) complaints about the weather or the food or the stubbornness of the enemy. They are also filled from the beginning of the war right up to the end of individuals’ inner reflections on the war and what it means to society and individuals. Many of the comments reflect an above average level of knowledge as common infantrymen examine their lives in the war from a philosophical level. Despite terrible losses in North Africa and Stalingrad, despite the merciless Allied bombing campaign and the constant retreating in the East, many soldiers continued to believe in Hitler and their National Socialistic beliefs. The interwar writings of Ernst Junger with his vision of a new society, “a new world in which the worker and soldier made one by the energy of technology and the vitalism of war” seemed to have struck a deep vein in many soldiers outlooks.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in understanding the mindset of the average Wehrmacht soldier and will help you understand why despite six years of war and millions of casualties, the Wehrmacht was still a potent fighting force up to the end.

For over two thousand years, the name of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus has stood for outstanding leadership in time of war, service to the State, Civic Virtue and the ability to turn and walk away from all honors of the populace and State, knowing that one has done one’s duty.  George Washington was and is often referred to as a colonial Cincinnatus for his thoughtful deliberation on setting precedents for our nation, his service and shunning of great honors and titles.  I believe after reading this third volume of Pogue’s massive biography of Marshall, that he was a modern-day Cincinnatus.  Offered foreign titles and national acclaim, a huge sum for his memoirs (in 1947 he was offered a minimum of $1,000,000 for a book which is equal to over $11,000,000 today) which he refused,  he guided the United States military through the dangerous times of the Second World War and was able to work with the President, Congress, the struggles between the armed services and the pressures from such a great man as Churchill and the not so easy to work with DeGaulle to mobilize, equip, train and pick the top officers who would take the United States from an army of less than 200,000 to a force of nearly 9,000,000 in just over two years.

Showing loyalty to the President and with a clear understanding of his duties to the Congress, Marshall stood above politics.  He could be heartless in demoting career officers who could not adjust to the stresses of modern warfare, while he had the utmost concern for the morale and well being of the average soldier.  A visionary, he grasped the key to victory as control of the air (it was not until after WWII that the Air Force became a separate service, during the war it was known as the “Army Air Force”) and pushed many officers out of the service who could not understand this direction.  When contacted by old friends and fellow officers for special favors, he would, in most cases, tell them that he could not help them unless an officer was asking for posting to a more dangerous position.  If the petitioned continued, Marshall would cut them off from all further contact.  The reason?  He had seen from prior wars the high cost of favoritism and was determined that the American soldier would not be wasted due to political or personal contacts being used to “feather one’s nest”. 

I came away with a deeper admiration for Marshall and a bit of sadness as I view the exact opposite actions by many of our politicians.  Marshall retired to a quiet life and unlike some of our former Presidents or current leaders in Congress, did not exit “public service” a millionaire many times over.  Even though he wished for a quiet life, he was called to duty again on a totally futile mission to China and he is credited with the “Marshall Plan” which resurrected a destroyed Western Europe and helped to stop the take over of Western Europe by the Soviet Union.

This can be a difficult book to read in that the detail is tremendous and may be difficult for anyone not conversant with the historical timeframe, conditions, etc.  I looked forward to the book each time I picked it up and have just started on Pogue’s prior book on Marshall which covers the time from 1939-1942.  The detail in these books is excellent, especially when one realizes that Marshall was a very private man.  I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to seriously understand the importance of a modern day “the invisible hand” and modern Cincinnatus.

I must admit that there are times when I feel like I live in an alternative universe, where my basic core beliefs are outside of the norm and that people, especially government officials seem determined to make life as miserable as possible. Here is one example:

On December 1^st, 2025, New York decided to not honor ICE detainers on prisoners already in New York jails. As a result, they released 6,947 criminal illegal aliens onto the streets of New York. They were all gone by January 20. The known crimes these individuals have committed include:

• Twenty-nine homicides
• Two-five hundred assaults
• One-hundred ninety-nice burglaries
• Three-hundred five robberies
• Three-hundred ninety-two dangerous drug offenses
• Three hundred weapons offenses
• Two-hundred and seven sexual predatory offenses

Another who is still in custody, is Roman Amatitla, an illegal from Mexico who is charged with arson and eight counts of second-degree murder. Four individuals were killed, including a 3-year-old girl, when he allegedly set fire to an apartment building. Despite ICE’s efforts, the New York Department of Corrections has vowed to not co-operate with ICE and will not provide updates to ICE if he is ever released.

Given that career criminals commit anywhere between 50 to 100 crimes for everyone they are charged, the total numbers are pretty scary.

As I look at that list, I am trying to understand how New York officials could believe that releasing these individuals will make life better, easier, or safer for anyone, be they resident or visitor. How exactly does releasing these criminals who prey overwhelmingly on minority communities both legal and illegal, fulfill the oaths of office which include upholding the laws of New York? Do they honestly believe that honoring the ICE detainers will harm these career criminals? And what about the lives of those who work, abide by the rules, and pay taxes? All those people try to create a good life. Do they really need the government to create barriers to their future wellness and happiness?

In the end, we must ask if such actions serve the public or only the ideology of career politicians who live in a world very different from the average citizen. Or, to put it another way, it would be nice to see our public officials put the needs and concerns of citizens before the feelings of foreign nationals who prey on U.S. citizens.

I have studied many aspects of the period from 1932-1945 such as military, mobilization, campaigns, politics, etc., but this book brings a neglected aspect of national power into sharp focus.  Other histories have hinted at the fringes of the subject, but in this single volume we are able to examine how the economy, the quest for raw materials, how reserves of foreign exchange, etc. impact and drive both domestic and foreign policy.

Hitler was not a fool economically; he fully understood the long-term German economic and geo-political situation and he outlined it in Mein Kampf.  In the long run, Germany could not win a war of attrition as it had neither the population, land mass, agricultural basis, raw materials, etc. of its combined potential adversaries, such as the Soviet Union, the British Empire or the United States.  As a result, time was a crucial factor for Hitler as he sought to fulfill his goals.  While his generals were supportive of his goals, they lacked the understanding of economics which forced Germany to fight wars that would be short and brutal. 

An example of this need was Hitler’s demand that within a few weeks of the defeat of Poland, that his armed forces be able to strike in the West.  His generals were filled with doubt; the British and French were much stronger than Poland and were in fact stronger than the German military; if the weather would not be perfect, the Luftwaffe could not be used to the best purpose; would it not be better to be on the defensive and let the enemy come to the Germans; the original plan for an invasion of the West was a re-warmed Schliffen plan that did not aim at a knock out punch but rather committed Germany to a possible replay of the First World War.  Hitler understood that time was not on Germany’s side.  The British were rearming, they were buying military hardware from the U.S., his war machine ran on oil and his supply was limited and a replay of the First World War could not come out any differently.  Above all, economically, Germany could not afford to be on the defensive, nor could Germany afford to a war of attrition in the West.  Thus, the appeal of von Manstead’s Sickle Plan.

In attacking the Soviet Union, while the racial hatred was a factor, the main goal of the war was to gain access to the oil, grain and minerals needed by Germany so that it could be able to hold off the power of the British Empire and the United States.  Again, Germany needed a short, sharp, brutal war, one which could be won in six to eight weeks as after that, time, distance and economics would work against a German victory.

I recommend this excellent book to any serious student of Nazi Germany; it brings fresh information and an excellent viewpoint to any discussion of that time.  After reading this book, you may have a second opinion of your perceptions of that time period.

Near the end of World War 1as the war was lost, the Imperial German Naval leaders created a plan for the entire Imperial navy to said out to seek a final, apocalyptic battle with the British fleet. It was to be apocalyptic in that the German admirals knew they could not win such a battle, but the defeat of the Imperial navy would save the “honor” of the Imperial navy. Fortunately, the crew of the fleet got wind of the proposed battle and mutinied thus not only stopping the battle but also acted as the spark which ended up forcing the Kaiser to step down from his throne and go into exile.

Let’s have some fun and bring the story above up to date and replace the players. For the German admirals with the mad plan, let’s have the state assemblies of the United States who are constantly thinking up new taxes. For the crew of the fleet, we shall use the citizens of those states. In our little scenario, the assemblies of many states decide to institute a state income tax and a surtax on the “wealthy” all in the name of equity but in reality, to collect more taxes for the ever-growing largess of the states. Next, we examine the effects of higher taxes.

The results are truly amazing and glaring and include the following points which are only a sample of the changes:

1. Eleven states have instituted income taxes since 1960.  These states are West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Maine, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ohio, New Jersy and Connecticut. While as late as 1970 these states accounted for about one third of national production, they now only provide about one fifth of national production.
2. The taxes of those states are aimed not only at the “wealthy”, but also at the middle class. In California for example, the”9.3% income tax rate starts at an income of $72,724 which is less than the median income in the state for a single earner ($76,190)”.
3. In a failed attempt to battle homelessness and fund universal pre-school, Portland’s Multnomah county placed surtaxes on those who are already paying the states 9.3% top tax rate (for singles, $125,000), which is the average salary of a Portland police officer. Since then, homelessness has increased and employment has declined.
4. On the other hand, low tax states have been welcoming hundreds of thousands of new residents fleeing the high tax states. Major corporations such as Tesla, Chevron, Oracle and others have moved to these states and as a result, these states report strong growth rates, such as Texas (10%), Florida (8.5%), Alabama (4.3%, etc., while New York reports a growth rate of -1.3%, Oregon of -3%, California -1.2%.

Like the common sailors of the Imperial fleet, the average citizens of high tax states have taken themselves out of harms way. With each citizen that leaves a high tax state, that state comes perilously close to entering a death spiral. Each productive citizen takes his or her expertise and tax dollars with them, leaving behind those lower on the productivity ladder and even those who depend on the largess of the state which will refuse to learn the lessons of their actions. Most likely, rather than correcting the error of their ways, they will double down on raising taxes which will only lead to an increased scramble for the exit doors.

Sources: The Growing State Tax and Jobs Divide, WSJ, A14, 4/15/2926 and How to Hollow Out Your State’s Economy, WSJ, A13, 3/18/2026

The attached article is truly frightening in that the situation in most of Europe has gotten so out of hand. One has to wonder what these national “leaders” have been doing for the past several years. Suddenly they are concerned. Suddenly they care. And, now that the problems are so large, are we to believe that they will regain control of their no go zones, that they will stop the plague of rapes, eliminate the daily bombings as drug gangs fight for control of their markets and expel the criminals who are responsible for fifty to sixty percent of the crimes in their countries?

These “leaders” should hang their heads in shame. They have failed to serve their citizens and failed in their sworn duties. Shame on them.

European conservative lawmakers warn of ‘no-go zones’ tied to mass immigration and Islamization

One of the nice things about histories by Figes is that they are so readable.  Like two of this other histories I have read, (“The Whisperers” and “A People’s Tragedy”), Figes has the ability to bring the past alive and make you feel as if you are part of the action.  He does not concentrate on battle scenes (although battles are covered), but he centers on the lives of the ordinary soldiers.  In this book he gives short shift to Florence Nightingale but point out the breakthrough of a Russian surgeon, Dr. Nikolai Pirogov who used an early form of triage as well as anesthesia.

     Despite the common view of the war, it was the French who supplied most of the troops, not the British and it was the French, not the British who better supplied their men with everything, from tents, to food to warm coats for the cold Crimea winter, etc. 

     It is also interesting to note that there were very real plans for a coalition whose goals was the breakup of the Russian Empire, including invasions of Russia from the Baltic, uprisings in Poland and an invasion from the Crimea into the area of Kiev.  But as the causalities began to mount, the enthusiasm for such great plans began to wane and in the end a settlement was made.

     For all the loss of blood and lives, Russia was able to regain her position within 25 years and continue to create problems in the Balkans.  Her meddling and ambitions led to World War I thanks to a system that refused to believe that the world was changing and was all too often in the hands of a single man who could be unbelievably foolish.

     A big book (about 500 pages) but an interesting one which never goes off into tangents that do not serve to tell the main story.

Anyone who has ever seen the 1941 movie, “That Hamilton Woman” staring Lawrence Olivier and Vivian Leigh remembers that perfect looking couple working together to save the British Empire in the face of the ogre, Napoleon.  In some ways, the movie was historically accurate; Nelson was a brilliant, innovative naval commander who through his daring, saved the British position in the Mediterranean and of course, was responsible for the famous victory at Trafalgar.  He was also vain, stubborn and a romantic who while still loving his wife, threw her over for Lady Hamilton.  While the movie showed Lady Hamilton as a converted trollop who became well educated thanks to her husband, apparently the actual Lady Hamilton conformed more to Richard Burton’s description of his wife Elizabeth Taylor: “Her arms are too fat, her legs are too short, and she is too big in the bust”.  Yet the real Lady Hamilton captured the soul of Nelson and almost caused him to lose his position and worse still, for England to lose the services of their best Admiral as he used poor judgment in attempting to prop up the weak King of Naples.

The real Lady Hamilton loved to gamble, drink and spend money and her husband, Lord Granville was apparently happy to have Nelson love his wife; they travelled together and must have presented a strange threesome upon their return to England.  Poor Granville did lose many of his works of art while in transport but he and then Lord Nelson remained friends until Granville’s death.

Unlike other naval captains, Nelson spent most of his time destroying enemy fighting vessels rather than concentrating on trading ships.  Given the prize rules of the day, this deprived him (and his crews) of much wealth.  Despite this, his crews were dedicated to him and he appears to be a man out of his time in the way he handled his crews and was associated with them.  He certainly did not mingle with them, but they had confidence in his skills and knew that he would not use them for his own ends. The proof of this was his hard fought and very near destruction of the Danish fleet, a battle which he could and perhaps should have lost.  His men never tired and always believed in his lucky star and despite a terrible pounding and high losses, he and his men won through in the end.

Because he concentrated on enemy warships, he died in debt and Lady Hamilton managed to run through the money left to her by her husband.  She did die in poverty in Calais.

This is a well written book which makes the times and characters come alive in an easy manner.  The test for me was that I can still watch the movie and not pick it apart as being historically inaccurate.  Yes, it is the movie version of history, but aside from the depiction of Fanny, Nelson’s wife, it is within a stone’s throw of actual history.  So, enjoy the movie and the book.