S8 Ep1167: Alan Philps profiles A.T. Cholerton, the "grand old man" of Moscow correspondents, who lived in a shambolic apartment and possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the Soviet experiment. Having witnessed the show trials and purges, he was eventually barred f
Podcast: The John Batchelor ShowPublished On: Sun Jul 26 2026
Description: Alan Philps profiles A.T. Cholerton, the "grand old man" of Moscow correspondents, who lived in a shambolic apartment and possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the Soviet experiment. Having witnessed the show trials and purges, he was eventually barred from returning to the USSR after a trip to Britain because he "knew too much" and briefed inexperienced reporters on the grim reality behind the scenes. His translator and mistress, Natalia, paid the price for their association; she was arrested and sentenced to ten years in the Gulag on fabricated espionage charges involving her husband, a factory engineer. Cholerton, fearing that any public statement would further endanger her, remained silenced for the rest of his life. Although Natalia survived her sentence, the two never spoke again to ensure her safety in post-Stalin Russia. Philps notes that under the NKVD, an arrest almost inevitably led to a conviction without a fair trial. (1)1902
The note was deleted
The note was saved
Your message was sent