What’s specially concerning in this case is that the intellectuals weren’t defending Stalin due to agreement with his policies, but due to the contemporary political situation - as the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union were allied in the war. If the political landscape changed - as it did - they would be quick to embrace criticism against the Soviet Union, and try to silence supporters instead.

So the article doesn’t even address the worst issue - that those intellectuals were manipulating the population towards the belief that their own government, the United Kingdom, was always doing the right and moral thing. Allied with the Soviets “because they’re good!”, then in a cold war against them “because they’re bad”.