1953. The death of Clement Gotvald

Czechoslovak delegation with portraits of Gotvald and Stalin. Budapest, 1949. Photo: Bundesarchiv

65 years ago, March 14, 1953, Clement Gotvald, President of Czechoslovakia and the leader of the Czechoslovak communists, responsible for falsified processes over the "Bezrodny Cosmopolitans" in the late 40s and early 50s, died.

Gotvald caught a cold at Stalin's funeral on March 9 and two days after returning from Moscow died of aorta rupture. His body was embalmed and exhibited in the mausoleum, where it was until 1962. However, embalming was not quite successful. This gave rise to rumors that Gotwald was poisoned in Moscow due to the fact that he expressed doubt about Stalin's death from natural causes.