Selected text
I remember the day of Stalin’s death in 1953. Before that there were regular rounds-up on his state of health. The Estonian telegraph agency in Tallinn received those rounds-up from Moscow and sent it to all papers and radio stations. In the wee hours of the morning we got the message on his death. We did not leave the office until dawn, and in the morning the message came out in the papers. I do not think we were grieving over that event. We took it as mere fact.
After the Twentieth Party Congress, where Nikita Khrushchev [45] held the speech revealing Stalin’s cult, my belief in the Party was considerably shattered. I did not take Khrushchev serious. When he mentioned in his speech, that for 20 years we would outrun the USA in production of food products, well such a statement made me laugh. Then I crossed out those words in the articles which I was to edit and I was twice reprimanded for that by the chief editor of the radio programs. I thought that if he wanted those words to be the in the text he should insert them and sign after that. Such a statement made by Khrushchev sounded like a sneer.
After the Twentieth Party Congress, where Nikita Khrushchev [45] held the speech revealing Stalin’s cult, my belief in the Party was considerably shattered. I did not take Khrushchev serious. When he mentioned in his speech, that for 20 years we would outrun the USA in production of food products, well such a statement made me laugh. Then I crossed out those words in the articles which I was to edit and I was twice reprimanded for that by the chief editor of the radio programs. I thought that if he wanted those words to be the in the text he should insert them and sign after that. Such a statement made by Khrushchev sounded like a sneer.
Period
Year
1953
Location
Talinn
Estonia
Interview
Isaac Serman