According to Epstein, Vladimir Lenin sent a message to Joseph Stalin encouraging “particular support” for Armand, telling him, “This is a small path to the American ‘business’ world and this path should be made use of in every way.” Armand moved to the Soviet Union in 1921 for about a decade to fortify family connections.
With Julius in prison, his 22-year-old son, Armand Hammer (Armie’s namesake), abandoned a medical career to take over his father’s other business, Allied Drug.
