1. Nikita Petrov's biography of the 1st #KGB chairman Ivan Serov refers to dozens of never before seen docs from the FSB Central Archive.
One of them - Serov's report to the CPSU Central Committee from 10/21/55 - describes the massive purges began by Mao's regime in July 1955.
One of them - Serov's report to the CPSU Central Committee from 10/21/55 - describes the massive purges began by Mao's regime in July 1955.
2. As quoted by Petrov, the report ends with the statement that "the [KGB] advisory administration is providing assistance but without getting involved in the principal orientation of the campaign." (Petrov, p. 447)
3. However, in his autobiography (whose bona fides are disputed by some scholars, but not, generally speaking, by Petrov), Serov wrote that he suggested to Khrushchev to warn Mao about the likely negative consequences of the purges.
4. Serov compared Mao's purges to the Great Purge of 1937-38 & commented on how carrying out the "idiotic plan of arrests" ran the Soviet Union into the ground.
To Serov's surprise, Khrushchev said: "To hell with them, the worse off they are, the better for us." (Petrov, p. 444)
To Serov's surprise, Khrushchev said: "To hell with them, the worse off they are, the better for us." (Petrov, p. 444)
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