The alleged poisoning of Joseph Stalin: proof beyond reasonable doubt?

The name "Ioseb Besarionis dze Dzhugashvili" is as unassuming as it is unknown. It is the birth name of the brutal dictator who changed the face of Europe and whose actions still influence our lives today. Stalin, the man responsible for the slaughter of over twenty million of his own Soviet citizens and yet, the man who transformed the USSR from the feudalistic society of the Tsar's to a twentieth century military powerhouse that was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany. Known as "Koba" to his friends, he cultivated a cult of personality where he was, and to a certain extent still is, admired in Russia and the former Soviet states. This paper will look at the following questions: why when he fell gravely ill did his comrades wait so long before seeking medical assistance? why were there omissions in the final post mortem report?, and why did one his closest lieutenants boast so openly about having murdered him.