What are the key aspects of Stalin's personality evident in the Katyn massacre?

One element of Stalin's personality that is evident in the
Katyn Massacre is his pure disregard for human life.  From the earliest of stages in his
political activism, Stalin "viewed people largely as instruments for serving the needs
of the state."  This is evident in the Katyn Massacre, where Stalin understood that the
discovery of the Polish prisoners of war by the West might help to unhinge his own
government.  At the same time, it also brought to light how the Soviet leader wanted no
questions about his own government, something that he was able to avoid when he allied
his nation with the West in defeating Hitler.  The fact that so many were killed with
single bullets to the base of the skull reflects Stalin's penchant for political
violence.  Like Hitler and other mass murderers of the 20th Century, Stalin was able to
combine a sense of the personal cruel with the political brutal.  The Katyn Massacre
reflects this, as there is a savage element along with a sense of political expediency,
a reflection of Stalin's political personality.  Stalin had no problem in using violence
towards a political end, and this is seen in the Katyn Massacre.  Stalin's own
"paranoia" and "thirst for power" is evident in the manner through which men, women, and
children were violated and silenced in Katyn.