Even in ultimate repose, Stalin reaps the benefit of photo manipulation in this newspaper, Stalin's Banner. A simple photo of the man lying in state is not enough. So after his death, in March 1953, a photomontage is manufactured for use in the Soviet press. Its mission is to not only perpetuate Stalin's crudely magnified larger-than-life image but to show great apprehension on the faces of Politburo members, whose images are plucked from previous photos and pasted in to this mourning scene.

Why do the communists do such a rough job retouching Soviet books and journals? Did they hope such eliminations will be noticed, and thus send an ominous warning?