Former Stalin confidant tells heroic story

He was Joseph Stalin's bodyguard, interpreter and food taster.

As one of the last living legacies of the former Soviet Union's KGB, Alexander Contract, surrounded by pictures of his late wife and his younger years as a Jewish soldier, recalled how he served as one of Stalin's closest confidants.

Decorated with 12 different wartime medals, the 75-year-old veteran spoke in a commanding, but soft-spoken voice to a crowd of about 35 people last night at the Eisenhower Chapel.

Two years after joining the Red Army at age 16 and working under former Russian President Nikita Kruschev, Contract recalled what Stalin said to him after he told him he was Jewish.

"I wouldn't want anyone to know I have a Jew working for me," Stalin had said. Contract said he was asked by Stalin to wear a cross to cover his Jewish heritage.

But throughout his four-and-a-half years working closely with Stalin and two years working for Kruschev, Contract still yearned for freedom -- a freedom he knew was attainable only if he came to the United States. For Contract, this meant betraying the Red Army.

"I wanted more than that," he said, referring to the high honor he received as part of the army. Knowing only three members of his family had not been murdered by the Nazis, Contract said he told the assistant to former U.S. President Harry Truman, "All I want is a free trip to the United States and citizenship."

It was for that reason while serving with Stalin that Contract made a deal with President Truman. The deal was to facilitate his dream to come to the United States.

Contract gave pictures of crematoriums, concentration camps and ghettos to the United States government, he said. Contract also took pictures of burnt Jewish soldiers and gave them to the government.

That was the tradeoff for his freedom.

After participating in all three World War II conferences and serving as a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, Contract escaped from Russia with another soldier and left the Red Army. Shortly before he left, Contract saved former Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin from a concentration camp.

"I still feel to this day that because of the information I gave to Truman, that he used his authority to end the war," Contract said. "I think that it saved the lives of 50,000 to 75,000 (soldiers)."

Following Contract's flight to the United States, which was facilitated by Truman's efforts, Contract recently has spent time lecturing about World War II -- lectures that many community members have found inspiring.

Tuvia Abramson, executive director of Hillel, said Contract is "a symbol of Jewish survival." He also said it was good for the American system of higher education to bring a "voice of the past" to the University.

"He had a remarkable, interesting life, one that someone could never imagine happened," Jennifer Keller (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said.

Sahar Oz, (junior-communications) said he thought the speech was interesting because Contract has done so much to influence American and Russian pasts.

"The man is living history," Oz said.