Yugoslavia’s Boogie Man

        At the peak of the Soviet Union, the country had 15 states under its communist grasp. The commander of this empire was none other than Joseph Stalin, the most powerful person in Europe. However, there was one man that did not play by Stalin’s rules, Joseph Broz Tito. Tito was the communist ruler of Yugoslavia, and his mindset was not aligned with the USSR’s vision of communism. Stalin believed that Tito did not adhere to Marxist-Leninist doctrine and was too much of a nationalist, which created an ideological divide between the two leaders. Additionally, the Soviets were not fond of Tito’s foreign endeavors in Albania and Greece. Stalin wanted to put an end to Tito, and what better way than to assassinate him. He sent 22 assassins to kill Tito, and every single one had failed. An annoyed Tito sent a spine-chilling letter to Stalin, which is arguably one of the most menacing threats in all of history. Tito wrote, “Stop sending people to kill me. We’ve already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle… If you don’t stop sending killers, I’ll send one to Moscow, and I won’t have to send a second.” After Stalin received the letter, he kept it on his desk and never sent an assassin after Tito ever since. 

Side Story: Tito lit a Cuban cigar while meeting with Richard Nixon at the White House. Nixon told him, “Mr. President, we do not smoke here in the White House.” Tito coldly replied, “Lucky you” and continued smoking. 

Sources:

https://www.thecollector.com/josip-broz-tito-socialism-stalin/

https://english.republika.mk/lifestyle/life/we-do-not-smoke-here-in-the-white-house-lucky-you/