x Every detail of Comrade Stalin’s life Sasha knows by heart. He knows that from an early age Stalin was a brave revolutionary fighting for the radiant Communist future. For his struggle Stalin was sent to Siberia seven times and every time he escaped. Stalin is not his real name, but a revolutionary nickname. Stal is the Russian word for steel. Stalin means a man of steel. This is Stalin’s Communist Party ID #0000002.
Why not #0000001? Sasha wonders.

x Everyone loves Comrade Stalin so much they name factories and palaces, parks and schools, even whole cities in his honor. The cities are named Stalingrad, Stalinabad, Stalino, Stalinogorsk, Stalinsk, and many other names besides. Sasha can’t understand why Moscow is not renamed after Stalin. He wants to write a letter to a newspaper about it but can’t come up with a good Stalin-like name for Moscow. All the good ones are taken.

x Sasha wants to be a hero and a Communist like his dad. He could never be like Comrade Stalin, of course. Stalin is the great Leader and Teacher. He is even more than that. On the radio and in the newspapers Stalin is called a brilliant genius of humanity, and the great architect of communism, and the banner, pride, and hope of the progressive world, and the father of nations, and the ingenious thinker and scholar, and many other wonderful names. Though Sasha doesn’t understand them all, he agrees with all of them.

x To Sasha, comrade Stalin is the most important man in the world, but also the most modest. He can have any shoes he wants yet he always wears this pair of worn out soldier’s boots.

x It pleases Sasha that anywhere he goes, he sees Comrade Stalin. Every room has a portrait of Stalin on the wall, every city square -- a large statue of him, every hallway his bust. In Sasha’s room, a picture of Stalin is on the wall. Often, when Sasha is too excited to sleep, he studies Comrade Stalin’s face, hoping that one day he’d prove himself worthy of such a great leader.

x This is Comrade Stalin’s famous pipe and this is the joke that Stalin’s Nose tells Sasha: Comrade Stalin’s pipe is missing. Stalin calls his secret police and orders them to find it. A couple of hours later he finds the pipe in his own boot. He calls the secret police again. “Don’t bother, I found the pipe.”
“But, comrade Stalin, we already arrested ten people for stealing it.”
“Let them go.”
“We can’t. They’ve all confessed.”

x Personally responsible for every Soviet citizen, Comrade Stalin works late into the night behind this desk. Every night, long lists of names are brought to him for approval. Some lists with the names of people to be arrested. Other lists with the names of those already arrested, confessed and waiting to be executed. Comrade Stalin checks every name then signs the list. In the beginning Stalin signs the lists by hand but soon there are too many lists to sign. A rubber stamp is made with Stalin’s signature to speed up the process.

x “Thank you, dear Stalin, for our happy childhood!” read the words on this poster. Many posters, paintings, and sculptures of Comrade Stalin surrounded by happy children are produced by Soviet artists. Photographs of the leader holding little children are also taken. On occasion the parents of these children are arrested and executed. The photographs of Stalin with their children are removed from sight.