At the meeting of the Presidium, Beria made a very precise assessment of the situation in East Germany. The future Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, who took part in the meeting, said that Beria spoke with an unquestionable sneer: "GDR? What kind of product is it? It was not even a real state - it was maintained entirely by Soviet troops, although we also called it the 'German Democratic Republic'. ”

"I protest against the treatment of friendly countries with such an attitude." Molotov was on fire. The other speakers also responded enthusiastically to Molotov. Gromyko, now that Germany is part of socialism, Comrade Beria, please pay attention to your words and deeds! ”

"Words and deeds?" Beria looked at the opponents around him indifferently, just like he looked at the people waiting for trial in the Lubyanka building, "My words and deeds? In today's world, it has been divided into two camps, and I believe you all know that I have proposed the reunification of the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, so that the United States can be forced to withdraw from the German mainland, and we can provide a buffer for our friendly countries in Eastern Europe. You were all against me at first, weren't you? ”

"Beria, your opinion is unrealistic!" Khrushchev coughed and said, "First of all, the Germans provoked two world wars, and it was too risky to unify them without restrictions, and even if we agree now, do you think the Americans will agree!" ”

"Hypocrisy!" Beria's deeply sunken eyes glanced deeply at the crowd, "And now?" Since the idea of creating a buffer zone is no longer possible, the immediate task of the USSR is to immediately establish a loyal friend, and the present situation in Germany must be stabilized! It's a pity that we have only a third of Germany, and we have to make the most of that third, knowing that this is the only country in our hands that can help the Soviet Union with the quality of its citizens and its scientific and technological capabilities......"

"If nothing else, can I go first? The Ministry of Internal Affairs still has something to deal with! Beria put on his gloves and walked out of the conference room without waiting for an answer.

Boom......

"Bastard, who does he think he is? Do you think you are Stalin? Khrushchev suddenly got up and threw the one in front of him to the ground, and said viciously, "The USSR is not an independent kingdom for anyone!" ”

The empty conference room was audible, everyone had experienced the storms of the Stalin era, and the Great Purge was undoubtedly a nightmare in everyone's heart, and although no one mentioned it on the surface, everyone knew that no one wanted an uncontrolled Ministry of Internal Affairs to threaten them.

No one spoke, and there was no need for superficial communication, just a look, Malenkov, Molotov, Khrushchev all knew that there were some things that they had agreed upon.

Beria's days were numbered, although Beria did not expect such a day in the slightest. The plot to oust Beria was led by Nikita Khrushchev, who was initially supported by Defense Minister Bulganin and his deputy, Marshal Zhukov. They assured the support of the armed forces for his actions. In just two months, Khrushchev pulled Georgu Malenkov, who succeeded Stalin as chairman of the Council of Ministers, to his side.

Khrushchev also received crucial support from one of his aides, Sergei Koruglov. An extraordinary meeting of the Bureau is scheduled for 26 June. Khrushchev came to the venue with a pistol in his pocket.

Beria sat down, leaned back in his seat, and asked, 'Hey, what's going on today's agenda?' Why was the decision to convene such a meeting so suddenly?

Khrushchev stepped on Malenkov's foot under the table and whispered to him: 'Have a meeting, and then let me speak.' Malenkov's face was pale, and I saw that he couldn't even open his mouth.

So Khrushchev stood up and said: 'Today's agenda is to discuss only one issue: the separatist behavior of Beria, the agent of imperialism. It is now proposed that he be removed from his posts as a member of the Central Committee and the Presidium, that he be expelled from the party and sent to a military court. Do you agree? ”

Molotov, Bulganin, and others spoke one after another criticizing Beria. Before the formal vote on Khrushchev's proposal, Malenkov pressed a button under the table. Zhukov led a detachment of heavily armed officers into the venue, arrested Beria and escorted him out of the room. In Beria's bag, he found a piece of paper with two words written in red pen on it, "Alert", which he had hoped to use to call for help.

Fearing that the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs would rescue his superiors, Zhukov transferred two divisions to Moscow, one tank and one motorized infantry, which, if necessary, would be able to quell the actions of the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was only a few days later that the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were told: Beria had been arrested.

At the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Malenkov, on behalf of the Presidium of the Central Committee, made a report on Beria's "attempt to put the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR above the Soviet government and the Soviet government" and to carry out ** and anti-state activities. The meeting decided to treat Beria as "an enemy of the Soviet people," to remove him from all posts inside and outside the party, and to refer the case to the Supreme Court for trial.

For many, the harbinger of Beria's downfall was first manifested in the disappearance of his hanging image. In early July, when 14-year-old Gordievsky was on vacation in Ukraine, he received a letter from his father, which said: "Yesterday an incredible thing happened, the portrait of our boss was taken down. A few days later, the second letter arrived: "The leader has been arrested and entered the class. ”

The news of Beria's arrest was officially announced on July 10. Khrushchev led the coup d'état, and now he is the main figure in the leadership, although officially it is still called collective leadership. In September, he became the first secretary of the Party Central Committee. On 24 September, it was announced that the Supreme Court had convicted Beria and six of his subordinates (including Merkulov - the former head of the People's Commissariat for State Security and Dekanozov - the former head of the Foreign Bureau) for their involvement in a conspiracy aimed at restoring capitalism.

During the secret trial in Beria, the Supreme Court was informed that a piece of paper with the names and telephone numbers of the four women had been found at one of Beria's guards. It was one of the hundreds of women who were dragged to Beria's quarters to be taken to his **, including a 16-year-old girl.

The biggest of Beria's charges was his association with British intelligence. The only evidence provided in court of his links to British intelligence came from his personal file, which reportedly showed that he worked for the nationalist Mushavat counterintelligence unit in Baku during the civil war, which at the time was under British control.

A witness in Beria's case later admitted that there was nothing in that personal file about the assignment given to Beria and how he had fulfilled it. However, official sources on the trial of Beria say that from the beginning of the twenties until his arrest, he did not stop but also expanded his secret contacts with foreign spy services".

In this way, Beria followed in the footsteps of Yagoda and Yeruo, who were hanged in the 30s, and became the third KGB leader to be hanged on charges of working for British intelligence.

After Stalin's death, Molotov returned to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Perhaps at his suggestion, diplomat Alexander Semenovich Panyushkin took the post of head of the foreign bureau. Molotov wanted to restore his special influence on foreign reconnaissance work when the Intelligence Committee was created. From 1947 to 1957, Panyushkin served as ambassador to Washington, during which time he also served as ambassador to Beijing.

Panyushkin was not only the legal head of the secret service in Washington during the activities of the Intelligence Committee, but also directly led the intelligence effort during the year of the recall of the head of the secret service, Georgy Sokolov, in 1949. In 1953, Panyushkin was still a very simple person, not pretentious and chasing fame and fortune; He was tall, slightly thin, slightly hunched, and had a brown face like a miner and a worker.

This was the impression he made on his colleagues in the Foreign Bureau in the auditorium of the Officer's House. Pyotr Jeriabin, then secretary of a party organization, greeted him at the officer's door and led him to the rostrum, where he sat with Kruglov and his deputy, Ivan Serov, and other party secretaries.

Kruglov announced the appointment of Panyushkin. Panyushkin then gave a brief account of what they did after this and suggested that questions be asked. The participants were stunned by the relatively casual atmosphere, and everyone fell silent, and the meeting ended.

"There's no doubt that their game now has nothing to do with us!" With a large cigar in his hand and his head resting on the huge chair behind him, it seemed that this position made him very comfortable.

Meshatsev smiled, "How can a group of old people who are full of decay clearly see the world, the times are changing, these old men's heads have been ossified, but they still occupy a position to block the ...... of future generations."

"Well, Meshatsev, don't talk like that!" Shelepin lowered his head and didn't know what he was thinking, and it took a long time to say, "The country should be in the hands of young people, gerontopolitics is absolutely undesirable, and now Beria doesn't know where to be tried, and I don't know what plans are there now......"

"Plan??? What plan can these old men have, even if Stalin dies, they will continue to move forward according to the prescribed path! Egorechev flicked his cigar and smiled disdainfully, "It was a bunch of marionettes back then, what plan do you expect them to come up with?" What is the plan? Beneficial or unbeneficial? What a result! ”

"Actually, Comrade Malenkov's idea is not bad, quite an idea!" Meshatsev stood up and took two steps back and forth, and said, "Now Comrade Malenkov is reforming, are we standing over there......"

"Cowardice!" Xie Leping weighed it for a long time and gave his own comments, "Malenkov's idea is good, but looking at his experience, I really have no confidence and my skills are too naïve." This operation was completely led by Khrushchev, that is, he had an idea, but when the time came, he could not sit still, how did he realize his idea? ”

"Alexander, you can't say that, can you? How strong Beria is, isn't he still caught! Although Meshatsev was refuted, he was not angry and continued, "This shows that there is no such thing as a 100% veteran ...... politics."

"If Beria hadn't offended so many people with such arrogance, Malenkov, Molotov, and Khrushchev would have come out alone to challenge him, and they wouldn't have known where to be transferred to work as a skilled worker, hum ......" Sherepin admired Beria's style of acting, because the personalities of the two men had some similarities.

The news of modern society is not closed, within a few days, the whole Soviet Union knew that something big had happened in Moscow again, Serov knew that Alexey's wish seemed to be in vain, looking at the charges on the bulletin, Serov pouted, "Collusion with imperialism again?" Can't you change a new word? Could it be that too many ministers died in the Ministry of Internal Affairs before changing its name to the KGB? This is the daily life of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, right? ”