This is John Bachelor.

Again, Sean McMeekin, the book Stalin's War, emphasizes that Stalin never ever gave up the idea of gaining territory, plundering it, and then ruling a larger and

larger Soviet Empire. This is the end of the war. Mao is his client.

He doesn't trust Mao.

Mao doesn't trust Stalin.

Stalin plunders Mongolia.

He'd plundered China if he had the time.

Stalin was always aggressive.

This is a model that cannot be ignored

when looking at Vladimir Putin's options

here in the 21st century.

Sean McMeekin, the book is Stalin's war, a new history of World War II

from the Kremlin point of view, taking advantage of every opportunity, never ever being candid with its allies,

that would be Churchill and Roosevelt and eventually Truman.

More of this tonight. Sure I don't think Stalin ever fully trusted anyone else whether you're talking about

beer root and his Polish puppets or Tito and Yugoslavia or Mao in China.

However, I do think Stalin was willing to use these people, effectively that is to promote

Soviet influence abroad.

In the case of whether it was Poland or China he wanted

what what he would call in the term of art a friendly regime on his borders

and meanwhile yes he would exploit the war to seize as much booty as possible of course they had a euphemism for that too

is called naturalization but yes that the richest parts of of Manchuria are all

...