Inside Stalin's Kremlin

"In this new book, the first major post-Stalin defector exposes the crimes of Soviet leaders during the critical Cold War period from 1947 to 1954. Inside Stalin's Kremlin is the first comprehensive insider's account of the least-known phase of Soviet history."--BOOK JACKET. "Peter Deriabin was the only known member of the Kremlin Guards Directorate (Stalin's KGB bodyguards) ever to escape the Soviet Union. As a ranking member of this Soviet elite, Deriabin was privy to Kremlin orders and correspondence seen by only a few. He reveals such secrets as how Stalin was almost removed as Soviet leader when it was discovered he had murdered his wife and the fact that Stalin had eavesdropping equipment installed in Mao Zedong's private quarters and offices. He describes Stalin's executioners practicing their craft and how the tables turned as Stalin's ruthless rival, Lavrenti Beria, slowly stripped him of power and protection, and ultimately murdered him in his Kremlin office. Inside Stalin's Kremlin provides new details about Stalin's mysterious death."--BOOK JACKET. "Deriabin's own escape from this nightmare world brings to an exciting conclusion his chilling account of palace intrigue and the brutality of absolute power."--BOOK JACKET.