“Nevozvrata” Alliluyeva. How Stalin’s daughter fled from the Soviet Union
March 6, 1967 Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva decided not to return to the Soviet Union.
“Kalina-Malina, escaped Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, that family sucks!”, — so responded the folk art of the event, put on the ears of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee and other governing bodies of the Soviet Union.
Beloved daughter of Joseph Stalin, which the foreign media referred to as the “red Princess”, became “nevozvrata”.
Svetlana Iosifovna were a lot of problems even to the Pope.
The stormy temperament of the daughter resulted in a series of novels that began with Svetlana still underage. From choosing the daughter of Stalin was often furious, which fell on the heads of hapless suitors. Filmmaker Alexei Kapler relationship with a girl turned into a long stay in the Gulag.
In 1944, Svetlana married Grigori Morozov, a classmate of her brother, Vasily Stalin. The marriage was born a son, who was named Joseph, but the relationship did not last long. In 1949, Stalin’s daughter was married a second time — this time for the son of a colleague of the leader of Yuri Zhdanov. The marriage lasted three years and it is Svetlana had a second child — a daughter Catherine.
Under the wing of the state
After his father’s death, Svetlana was under the scrutiny of the new leaders of the state. However, unlike his brother Basil, its not locked up either in jail or in a psychiatric hospital. She worked at the Institute of world literature, in the sector for the study of Soviet literature.
Svetlana, now bearing the name Alliluyeva, continued attempts to arrange his personal life.
Another elect lady was an Indian aristocrat and a Communist Brades Raja Singh.
The Soviet authorities are quite wary of the marriages with foreigners. But, first, officially Alliluyeva for Singh I got married, secondly, India was considered a friendly state, and thirdly, the leadership of the countries considered — even better than Stalin’s daughter deals with men, rather than publicly say something unnecessary.
According to the recollections of the then head of the KGB Vladimir Semichastny, Alliluyeva lived by the standards of very good — good salary, pay her and the children. Stalin’s daughter lived in the “house on the embankment”, it was assigned a dacha and a car.
In General, Svetlana Iosifovna could support not only themselves and children, but also the civil husband that all their earnings were transferred to relatives in India.
The guarantee of comrade Kosygin
In the autumn of 1966 Brades Raja Singh died after a serious illness, and Svetlana Alliluyeva wrote a letter to Leonid Brezhnev asking them to allow her a trip to “the homeland of her husband to scatter his ashes on the sacred waters of the Ganges.”
The Politburo pondered what to do. Soviet leaders knew that Alliluyeva finished work on the book “Twenty letters to a friend.” The content of this manuscript was to them well known. Overall, nothing too seditious not seen her — she criticized the father for the repression that is not at odds with the official line of the party. But, at the same time, to allow the publication of his memoirs in the USSR was not going to, and were not eager to have the book published in the West.
Decided that Alliluyeva can be released, instructing the KGB to prevent the export of Stalin’s daughter of the manuscript.
Mikhail Semichastny claimed that Svetlana and not exported it, but still managed somehow to convey her abroad.
The decisive factor to resolve Alliluyeva check-out, became a personal guarantee of head of the Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin, who with Stalin’s daughter had friendly relations.
Confidence to add that the son of Svetlana and Joseph were getting married, and date of the celebration was assigned. The members of the Politburo logically reasoned that it is unlikely that the mother will miss son’s wedding.
KGB warns
The Soviet Ambassador to India Ivan Benediktov was requested to provide Svetlana with all the assistance.
In December 1966, Svetlana Alliluyeva, arrived in India, where the Ambassador he placed her in a separate apartment in the village of employees of the Soviet Embassy.
Ashes over the waters of the Ganges were scattered, but Svetlana Iosifovna Home too slowly. Having permission to stay for seven days, Alliluyeva lived in India a month.
From Moscow mother called the son, wondering when sue will be back. She begged Joseph to postpone the wedding.
Alliluyeva she persuaded the Ambassador Benediktov to solve the question of extension of stay in India for another month. The diplomat agreed, and Martina really gave the go-ahead. While Stalin’s daughter left the native village of the deceased husband for a month and disappeared altogether from the sight of his compatriots. Finally, in early March it was decided that Alliluyeva need to return. Moreover, that Joseph lost patience, and calls his mother, who returned to Delhi were extremely nervous.
And Svetlana Iosifovna asked again to extend the stay in India. But this time, Ivan Benediktov handed Alliluyeva passport and a plane ticket to Moscow on March 8.
Stalin’s daughter began to collect things and to buy gifts, but chief of Soviet intelligence in new Delhi alert — was in her behavior some oddities. The restaurant scout under the guise of a foreigner was able to talk to Svetlana, who leaned on alcohol. The one denouncing the Soviet leadership, including sponsoring for her trip, she let it slip that he wants to stay abroad, and already has “some agreement.”
About the conversation, reported to the Ambassador Benediktov, but he did not believe. Just in case for Svetlana instructed to observe the intelligence officer, who worked at the Embassy. Especially carefully for Alliluyeva had to watch while her traditional evening stroll. The fact that walked Svetlana Iosifovna by the Embassy of the United States.
The gate to the “free world”
Despite these precautions, Svetlana Alliluyeva escaped. Directly into the eyes of his attendant on the evening of 6 March 1967, she “dived” into the territory of the U.S. Embassy through the gate that was usually closed.
That same night, the Americans brought the woman to the airport and she flew to Switzerland, where he requested political asylum. However, it was rejected, first in Switzerland, then in Italy, and transit through Germany, arrived in the United States, where she was provided.
“Huge Hello to all! Very happy to be here! It’s just perfect!” — welcomed Stalin’s daughter journalists at JFK.
And in the USSR at this time were “debriefing”. Kosygin was “flying high”, so his bail would prefer to forget. The main “scapegoat” did Ambassador Benediktov, which withdrew from India, moving to work in Yugoslavia, relations which in that period was very difficult.
Escape Alliluyeva became one of the arguments for offset in may 1967, the head of the KGB Vladimir Semichastny. In addition, punished more than a dozen Soviet officials of lower rank.
Already from abroad Svetlana called the son, trying to explain the reasons for its action. Joseph to understand the mother refused, considering it an act of betrayal. He also did not allow Svetlana to talk to my sister.
New York- Moscow — New York
In his memoirs, Nadezhda Allilueva, was able to cobble together a decent capital, and in 1970 she married American architect William Peters. She took the name Lana Peters, had a daughter who was named Olga, and the birth of the granddaughter of Stalin in the United States was a new sensation for the American press.
But gradually the interest in the U.S. waned. The expected hunt for the fugitive from the KGB was not followed — the new head of the Committee Yuri Andropov decided that Alliluyeva is of no interest.
Lana’s new marriage only lasted a couple of years as an architect, Peters began to complain that, “Lana woke up dictatorial traits, such as her father.”
Having lived a decade with a daughter in the United States, in 1982, Svetlana moved to the UK in November 1984… appeared in the Soviet Union.
This was not an intelligence operation — the daughter of Stalin longed for home.
At a press conference, she was worth the West abused and accused U.S. intelligence agencies: “All these years, I was a real toy in the hands of the CIA!”.
It settled in Tbilisi, it created all the conditions, but two years later, when Mikhail Gorbachev, she again asked permission to travel to the United States. She received it quickly enough — from “the turns” Svetlana Iosifovna, everything is tired. Children abandoned it in the Soviet Union, to forgive her and could not.
Olga Peters changed his name to Chris Evans and now lives in Portland. If she was, unlike the brother and sister close with his mother, known only to her. The last two decades of his life Svetlana Alliluyeva lived almost a hermit, in the US, the UK, rarely giving interviews. She died in November 2011 at the nursing home the American city, Richland, Wisconsin.