Introduction

After the successful Russian Revolution of 1917 and the failed revolutionary attempts in Germany, Hungary, and elsewhere in Europe over the next few years, the Soviet dictator Iosif V. Stalin was determined to take the revolution to China. The genius of Stalin’s political strategy in China evolved during the long years of the Bolsheviks’ underground conspiratorial work before 1917, during which they developed a highly sophisticated art of disinformation, camouflage, and deception. In his senescence, Zhang still asserted his respect for Stalin as a political leader, whereas he dismissed both Hitler and Mussolini as having failed and “gone down.” In Zhang’s opinion, Chiang Kai-shek had also failed as a leader because his love for himself was greater than his love for his country. Historians must also critically examine the Soviet Union’s internal affairs. As with its external relations, Moscow engaged in extensive covert provocations that it camouflaged as anti-Soviet activities.