Quote from IShopAtPublix:
Here is something you may not know. During WWII Germans captured Stalin's son and wanted to trade him for a general (stalin's son was a private or a low ranking soldier not an officer or senior officer), Stalin said "we don't trade privates for generals" End result, Stalin's son got executed by the germans. Talk about country first. Do you think Dubya in a similar situation would do something like that?
This is a totally different matter.
I do not dispute that Stalin was one of the very few incorruptible leaders in history.
His steely nature showed up even in his treatment of his son. That doesn't excuse his murder campaigns.