Josh Ireland

And one of the figures who's quite close to the government is Diego Rivera.

sort of the leading muralist in the country, which in Mexico is a huge deal.

He's an amazing, incredible painter who sort of has synthesized 18th century artists like Goya with Aztec art and also infused it with his political passion.

And part of his political passion is for Trotsky.

So he helps secure a visa for Trotsky.

So Trotsky and his wife...

This is his French wife.

This is the second wife, who's not French, she's also Russian.

Another passionate revolutionary called Natalia Sidovay.

To begin with, they live in this idyllic home called the Blue House, which was Frida Kahlo's.

Frida Kahlo, who is married to Diego Rivera.

um it's her childhood home and it's this kind of oasis with sort of butterflies and beautiful tropical plants and to begin with uh you know the the trauma and terror of what's happening

in Russia, which by this point the terror is in full swing.

Late 30s.

So Stalin is relentlessly, mercilessly just eliminating every single one of his enemies and also anyone who is even close to being an enemy.

And specifically the people he is eliminating are Trotskyists.

So if anyone has ever shared a glass of tea with Trotsky, they're dead.

If they've ever been on a train with Trotsky, if they've ever been seen speaking with him.

So Trotsky is kind of churned up by the knowledge of what's happening in his own country.

He's haunted by ghosts of the people that have either been murdered already or even worse as far as he sees it, sort of have turned on him and have recanted and have started... His former allies who are now standing up in pulpits, slagging him off.