Question by A B: Did stalin intended to use Hydrogen Bombs in Korean war?
It is often being said that stalin deliberately started korean war because soviet union had just made its first nuclear bomb and just before the end of korean war had constructed hydrogen bomb and stalin was planning to use these bombs in order to eliminate the Allies and turn the communists into world rulers. All preparations had been made for such an attack and the world was very close to a nuclear holocaust because of a madman. Thankfully the people around stalin (especially Beria )saw his plans and alledgedly murdered him to prevent such a mammoth disaster. This is story that i heard from a few people. The question is this all true? If yes then please give me further details.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Tim D
It’s nonsense. The USSR constructed atomic and hydrogen bombs to match those of the US. Both sides effectively deterred the other for many years after that. Any nuclear attack on the US would’ve been suicidal. Stalin was murdered to prevent a planned new purge.
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Slava T says
No. Putting in a nutshell: 1) there are no evidences that Stalin planned to attack the USA and its allies using nuclear weapon. Firstly, even if he'd wanted to do so he wouldn't've been able to realize his plans because the USSR had just 50 a-bombs by 1952 in comparison to the American 1005 a-bomb arsenal at that time. Secondly, the USSR did not possess reliable means to deliver the bombs to the American territory at that time (the task was solved later under Khrushchev with construction of ballistic missiles in the end of 1950s). 2) The historians scrutinised Stalin's death by minutes. Any suggestions about Stalin's assassination by Beria are still highly hypothetical. 3) Indeed Stalin encouraged Kim Il-sung to attack South Korea. At the same time the USSR did not veto the UN Security Council’s decision to send UN troops (headed by the USA) to Korea. It was done on purpose to make China involved into the conflict (Mao and Stalin divided their spheres of influence putting China in charge of the “socialist revolutions” in Asia) with the USSR as an impartial arbiter. Stalin promised both Mao and Kim Il-sung substantial Soviet military help. He did not keep any of his promises. After many pleas from North Koreans and the Chinese he sent only a few Soviet jet air-wings to North-Eastern China. (The Soviet military personnel was banned by Stalin from Korean territory). Stalin badly needed some ways to control Mao who started to show dangerous signs of the independence.
Randy says
I suggest that such is not often said. The reason is that Russia had nothing to do with the Korean Conflict. It was a conflict between North and South Korea with South Korea backed by the United Nations primarily led by the United States and with North Korea backed by China.