The curious “excrement lab” that Stalin used to spy on other leaders
A former Soviet Union agent claims to have evidence that Josef Stalin (1878-1953), the top leader of Soviet Communism, spied his Chinese counterpart Mao Zedong, among other leaders, analyzing his excrement.
What was his purpose? According to Igor Atamanenko, these analyses sought to construct psychological portraits of world leaders of the time.
According to information published in the Russian press, Stalin’s secret police created a special department to “put their hands” in the excrements of different foreign leaders.
“Very extravagant”
Atamanenko is attributed to having uncovered this “unusual” project, after having done an investigation in the archives of the secret services of the Russian government.
“In those days, the Soviets did not have the spy devices that the secret services use now,” explained the former Soviet agent.
“That’s why our specialists invented a more extravagant way to extract information about a person.”
Atamanenko noted that Stalin’s trusted man, Lavrenti Beria, was in charge of mounting the secret laboratory of feces.
Stalin allegedly “analyzed” Mao Zedong’s excrement during a visit of the Chinese leader to Russia (this photo is a montage of two separate images).
“For example, if they detected (in the excrements) high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, they concluded that the person was calm and accessible,” said Atamanenko.
“But the lack of potassium in fecal feces was seen as a sign of a nervous temperament and insomnia.”
Atamanenko assures that in December 1949, Russian spies used this system to “evaluate” Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976) while visiting Russia.
They allegedly installed special baths for Mao that were not connected to pipes but to secret boxes.
For 10 days, the Soviet government dedicated itself to feeding and drinking Mao Zedong, and its debris was taken to the laboratory.
After a thorough analysis, Stalin apparently decided to sign an agreement with the Chinese chief.
“I’m here to do more than eat”
It is presumed that Stalin analyzed Mao Zedong’s excrement and then decided to sign an agreement with him.
Journalist and historian David Halberstam wrote in his book “The Forgotten War” about what happened in Mao’s visit to Russia:
“When Mao landed in Moscow, he announced that China aspired to an alliance with Russia, but emphasized that it would only be possible if they were treated as equals.
Instead, he was given a daily lesson. He became both a guest and a hostage, according to Ulam’s words.
So (Mao) shouted to the walls, sure that Stalin had microphones installed: ‘ I’m here to do more than eat and defecate ‘.
One of the most popular newspapers in Russia, Pravda Komsomolskaya, reported that Stalin’s successor, Nikita Khrushchev, dismissed the project and closed the lab.
The BBC contacted the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to confirm the existence of the laboratory.
