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Gorbachev Wants Stalin Reckoning

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 5, 2008

MOSCOW - Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev on Wednesday urged the creation of a national museum and memorial to honor victims of Soviet-era repression and to document their demise.

The call by the leader whose "glasnost" campaign bared grisly details of Josef Stalin's terror presents a challenge to the Russian government, which critics say has glossed over the crimes of its predecessors to justify its own retreat from democracy.

Gorbachev expressed alarm over efforts to cast Stalin in a positive light - as a "brilliant manager" rather than a murderous autocrat - and said a real reckoning with one of the bloodiest periods in Russia's history is crucial for its future.

"Forgetfulness must be overcome; democracy and freedom must be strengthened," he said.

The Associated Press

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