Vyshinsky was the prosecutor-general of the USSR who is mosly known for his participation in the Moscow show trials of the 1930s.
But what was his position regarding the extrajudical repressions?
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3In the usual sense, the question is moot, because he, as every other Soviet official, could have no personal position except for that given by the party line at the moment. Or did you mean to ask what Vyshinsky the man, as distinct from Vyshinsky the official, thought about it in the depth of his heart? That'd more of a question for speculative psychology than for history. – Felix Goldberg Feb 21 '13 at 3:23
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2@FelixGoldberg - presumably there could have been some personal correspondence of his. – DVK Feb 21 '13 at 16:36
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@Felix Goldberg i heard that in some party meeting in 1937 he was critical of the proposed repressions and called for uniform application of law. – Anixx Feb 21 '13 at 20:41
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@Anixx: maybe he was piling on Ezhov as part of the latter's downfall. – Felix Goldberg Feb 21 '13 at 21:53
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@Felix Goldberg it was before the purges started. Of course, after the repressions were criticized everybody would say the same. May be I am wrong and he in fact was critical in 1936 rather than 1937. – Anixx Feb 21 '13 at 23:57
