Part IV Summary

In the summer of 1991, rumors of a coup d'etat circulate throughout the Soviet Union, from the halls of parliament to southern farmlands. Some feel a coup is inevitable, while others believe it is merely a scare tactic. The real political insiders on the democratic side, Boris Yeltsin, Aleksandr Yakovlev, and foreign minister Aleksandr Bessmertnykh, see a storm coming. All three men try and warn Gorbachev of the danger ands the betrayal of his trusted inner circle, but Gorbachev ignores them. On Aug. 6, shortly after Gorbachev and his family leave for summer vacation in the Crimea, KGB chief Kryuchkov tells his aides to prepare a detailed report of the situation of the country in order to justify a state of emergency. Kryuchkov reminds them of the urgency of the matter. When Gorbachev returns from vacation, he intends to sign the Union Treaty...