Stalin's Secret Assassin Used an Ice Axe to Kill Trotsky in Mexico

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]In 1940, [music] the world's most wanted man lived behind bulletproof walls in Mexico City.

[00:00:05][music] Leon Trotsky had already survived one assassination attempt that turned his bedroom into Swiss cheese. He thought he was safe. For months, a charming Belgian named Frank Jackson had been [music] visiting Trotsky's compound. He was dating the secretary. He seemed harmless. [music] He was interested in revolutionary theory, but Frank Jackson didn't exist. His real name was Ramon Mercader, and he was Stalin's perfect weapon. A Spanish [music] communist trained in Moscow. His mission, eliminate Stalin's greatest enemy. On August 20th, Mercader arrived with a manuscript he wanted Trotsky [music] to review. As the old revolutionary leaned over the pages, Mercader pulled out an ice axe. The blow cracked Trotsky's [music] skull open, but somehow he survived. For 22 agonizing hours, Trotsky clung to life. His final [music] words identified his killer, Stalin.

[00:00:56]Mercader spent 20 years in Mexican prison, never breaking character. The perfect assassin [music] who completed Stalin's ultimate revenge. Sometimes the most dangerous enemies are the ones who get closest to you.