Also I have a hard time believing thousands of Allied POWs were left to be worked to death in Soviet gulags. Stalin had no shortage of slaves at that point since he had half of Europe. Why run the risk of permanently poisoning relations with the West by keeping thousands of Allied POWs to work as slaves when he already had plenty of others? That makes zero sense.
Why run the risk of permanently poisoning relations with the West by keeping thousands of Allied POWs to work as slaves when he already had plenty of others? That makes zero sense.
Did everything Stalin did make sense except to strengthen his hand? If he had multitudes of American POWs then we knew it, and he know American intel knew he had multitudes of POWs, but did not want to make it known and did the V-day celebratory mood, and thus they would be a secret bargaining chip
Even then (Jul 4, 1991)
soft on Russia libweral media reported
A 70-YEAR-OLD HOSTAGE CRISIS - The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com › archive › opinions › 1991/07/04 › a-70-... Jul 4, 1991 - The documents indicate that about 20,000 U.S. POWs and MIAs were held as "hostages" after VE Day by Stalin to ensure Allied repatriation of millions of Soviet citizens and to obtain U.S. and Allied aid and diplomatic recognition of Soviet puppet regimes in East Europe.
Soviets held U.S. POWS after WWII Yeltsin aide says some ... https://www.baltimoresun.com › bs-xpm-1992-11-12-1992317203-story Nov 12, 1992 - Soviets held U.S. POWS after WWII Yeltsin aide says some ... WASHINGTON -- A high-ranking Russian official says that thousands of U.S. prisoners of war ... citizens with Russian, Ukranian or Jewish names were kept behind.
As for poisoning relations with the West, do you think that prevented extensive spy infiltration?
Yet I hope it was not true.