[Mr. Jeeves]

Mr Mann, who has written a book on the plot due out in the autumn, claims Wayne wanted to send the men back to Moscow “in wooden boxes” — but the FBI would not let him.

"You're layin' a hand on the wrong man, pilgrim!"

[Dan from Michigan]

Stalin - You BASTARD!!!!!!!

[Restorer]

Remarkably stupid story. Wayne didn't become well known as an anti-communist spokesman for about 20 years after this supposed incident. In 1943, the US and USSR were allied against Germany and John was busy making prowar movies.

[tet68]

Red Octopus!

[Moonman62]

Wow, this is quite a story, if true.

Stalin would love most of the actors in today's Hollywood.

[Lockbar]

Are you sure this story didn't first appear in "The Onion"?

[DoctorMichael]

This 'tease' doesn't say what happened to the two Ukrainians. Did they rot in prison? Deported? Executed?

[SevenofNine]

NO F**** WAY THE DUKE?

Stalin vs Duke

I take Duke in less than 3 rounds

[Bobby777]

Stalin plot to kill Wayne



I curse his mustache!!!

[Behind Liberal Lines]

The ironic thing is, while this article is obviously fake, for reasons cited elsewhere, were someone to turn into a story about how, for example, Eisenhower plotted to kill liberal Gregory Peck, the "serious" media would probably run with it.

[x]

Kill Wayne? That would leave Garth in charge!

[Zeroisanumber]

This is horsepockey. While the Duke might have been a strong anti-Communist in 1943 he wasn't publicly crusading against it until years afterwards. Besides which, we were allied with the USSR against Hitler at the time, John Wayne was making pro-war/pro-alliance films until the war was over.

Stalin was nuts, but he had bigger problems than a Hollywood actor.

[Cold Heat]

In 1943 the only person who was verbally attacking Stalin was General Patton. He thought they were vermin and wanted to keep on taking land after germany. The official line was that we were friends and allies.

In retrospect he was right but he got his hands whacked more than once for his criticism.

Wayne was a hollywood footnote then and had not yet achieved the great audience that came later.

This story is poop.

[lowbridge]

Mr Mann, who has written a book on the plot due out in the autumn, claims Wayne wanted to send the men back to Moscow “in wooden boxes” — but the FBI would not let him.

Boy, those FBI agents can be real wet blankets sometimes.

[LiteKeeper]

Now that could rile a dude up!

[risk]

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them."

[Chad Fairbanks]

"OK, I won't send them back to moscow in Wooden Boxes... The HELL I won't..."

[Thinkin' Gal]

Stalin plot to kill Wayne

"What happens here, stays here."

[The Duke]

"Josef Stalin, you son of a bitch ... fill your hands!"

[beckett]

Michael Mann? You mean the guy who created Miami Vice? Yeah, this sounds like the kind of "history" the producer of a cheesy TV cop show would come up with alright.

Not for nothin, but John Wayne wasn't all that famous in 1943. He broke through in Stagecoach in 1939, true, but his big fame didn't hit til The Fighting Seabees in 1944 and then more so after the war. I doubt Stalin felt the need to "liquidate" him in 1943, especially seeing as how the Russians were our allies at the time.