The construction of the first Soviet skyscraper project, Palace of the Soviets, was interrupted by the German invasion of 1941, at which point the steel frame was scrapped in order to fortify the Moscow defense ring, and the site was abandoned. Between 1947 and 1956, Boris Iofan presented six new drafts for this site, and also for Vorobyovy Gory on a smaller scale—they were all rejected. In 1946, Stalin personally switched to another idea—construction of "vysotki", a chain of reasonably-sized skyscrapers not tarnished by the memories of the Comintern. As Nikita Khrushchev recalled Stalin's words, "We won the war ... foreigners will come to Moscow, walk around, and there are "no skyscrapers". If they compare Moscow to capitalist cities, it's a moral blow to us". Sites were selected in between January 1947 (the official decree on "vysotki") and September 12, 1947 (formal opening ceremony).