From 1919 to 1953 when Stalin died about 50 million lives were taken in the Gulags of Russia (“Videofact”). In total there were 53 Gulags and 423 labor camps (“Gulag”). Stalin was considered one of the most feared dictators because of his secret police and the Gulags. During a series of interviews in 1996, a Soviet veteran who lived in Minsk claimed to have seen a U.S. POW in May or June 1953. The POW was a Korean War F-86D pilot whose plane had been forced to land, The pilot landed his plane undamaged, was then captured, and his aircraft was taken to Moscow. According to the witness who served in An Dun, North Korea, from December 1952 through February 1954 the pilot was sent to Moscow the day after the forcedown, 'because Stalin wanted to speak with him. ' The witness said that the pilot was interrogated by his commander, Colonel Ivan Nikolayevich Kozhedub. Upon capture, he believed the U.S. POW was not injured. The witness said that the late General Vasiliy Kuzmich Sidorenkov had a picture of the American POW which he had seen when Sidorenkov showed it to him years ago, declaring, "that 's our American." The witness revealed that this pilot later became an instructor- and taught at the Monino Air Force Academy in ,Moscow from 1953-58. The U.S. POW did not speak Russian and had served at Monino under an assumed Russian name. He did not know the name, and could not recall any other details about the U.S. POW. The U.S. POW primarily taught air battle techniques and tactics, and assisted the Soviets in figuring out a U.S. radar sight (“Videofact”).
The Gulags were every one 's worst nightmare, someone could be sent there for years just for stealing a loaf of bread, when the first Gulag was made in 1919 to when Stalin died in 1953 there were 50 million people that died in the Gulags (“Videofact”), because of what happened this made Stalin one of the most feared dictators ever.
The 53 Gulags were located mostly in
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