When Krishna Menon met Stalin

In 1953, an Indian diplomat nicknamed the 'sombre porcupine' was given a rare opportunity when he was invited to the Kremlin to meet Joseph Stalin, one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century.

Krishna Menon was a key figure in India's fight for independence from British rule, and was close to Jawaharlal Nehru, who'd become independent India's first Prime Minister.

Reena Stanton-Sharma listens to archive recordings of Menon recalling his impressions of the Soviet Union's leader in a 1967 BBC interview.

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(Photo: Krishna Menon. Credit: M Stroud/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)