What Stalin knew about Barbarossa

[Willi Z.]

An interesting read from the CIA's library section;

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-f...talin_Knew.htm

An interesting paragraph;

"In describing how intelligence was collected and reported to Moscow, Murphy chillingly documents what it meant to be an intelligence officer under Stalin by following the careers of three men. NKVD foreign intelligence chief, Pavel Fitin, whose agents reported on German plans for BARBAROSSA right up to the attack, served throughout the war, but was in disgrace afterward. Ivan Proskurov, an air force officer and head of military intelligence during 1939–40, insisted on telling the truth to Stalin. He was shot in October 1941. Proskurov’s successor, Filipp I. Golikov, suppressed or altered intelligence reporting that did not meet the Soviet dictator’s preconceptions. He prospered under Stalin."

[Willi Z.]

And two more of my favorites:

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-f...article02.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-f...Teheran_12.htm

[JanC]

This is also mentionned in the book "Stalingrad" by Antony Beevor

Very good book

[bodes]

Strangely Stalin seemed to admire the nazi dictator.....When France fell quickly, it upset the Russian dictator's time table, as he was banking on a long drawn out struggle between Germany and the western allies...He thought he would have time getting his military in order, following the purges of his officer's corps......Hitler seemed at the time to be the sole person Stalin trusted....Didn't trust his officers, his spies, nor the British.....

Given hindsight we have today, it's hard to understand why Germany did what they did....But at the time, Germany feared facing both Russia and England at the same time....Knocking Russia out would have a domino effect, causing England to sue for peace....This was Hitler's allusion, but had Barbarossa ended quickly, Churchill may have been forced out of office....The peace movement in England was quite strong.......

People also need to remember, with the initial successes of Barbarossa, the west believed it would be over by the winter of 1941....With the strong peace movement in America, it would have been difficult for FDR to convince a reluctant Congress.....We all know though what happened following Pearl Harbor.....Bodes