Stalin’s Image Can’t Be Rehabilitated

Re “Stalin Has Foot Back on the Pedestal,” May 1: Rehabilitating Josef Stalin is akin to glorifying and building statues to Adolf Hitler. Both brought order to their countries. Both were tyrants.

While Germany has apologized and paid out billions as compensation, Russia continues to reject any responsibility for the 10 million to 20 million that Stalin murdered. What is this talk of “liberation” of Europe by the Soviets? While heads of state visit sites of the killing of Jews, will President Bush honor the victims of Stalin at one of the gulag areas?

I respect the courage of Estonia’s and Lithuania’s presidents not to attend the ceremonies in Moscow this weekend to mark the Allied victory in Europe. Their countries were not “liberated” but occupied by the Soviets in 1945. Only in 1990 did they reestablish their independence.

Roland Giedraitis

Los Angeles

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The article on nostalgia for Stalin mentions that some Russians honor him for inspiring the defeat of Germany in World War II. It should not be forgotten that Stalin signed a nonaggression pact with Hitler, in effect carving up Eastern Europe. It was Hitler’s treachery in invading the USSR in 1941 that enabled Stalin to become a war “hero.”

Jeffrey S. Lee

Newport Beach