in the succession struggles for Soviet leadership following Lenin's death in 1924. Adolf Hitler's private secretary Martin Bormann was nicknamed the Brown Eminence. Mikhail Suslov acted as an éminence grise behind General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. A political hardliner aptly nicknamed the Grey Cardinal of the Kremlin, he was the Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union but also played the role of unofficial Chief-Ideologue of the CPSU and one of the key decision makers during not only the Brezhnev, but also the Khrushchev and Stalin eras. Other observers however have given the title of éminence grise during the Brezhnev era variously to Yuri Andropov, Dmitry Ustinov, Andrei Gromyko and Konstantin Chernenko. Marcia Williams, private secretary and later Political Secretary to British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, was described as his éminence grise. Choi Soon-sil was revealed by corruption investigations during the 2016 South Korean political scandal to have had previously hidden political influence over the 11th President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. She was perceived to be responsible for masterminding governmental policy and decision-making during Park's administration. William de la Pole to Henry VI of England. Jean Monnet has been described as an éminence grise given his key role in drafting the Schuman Declaration. Joker Arroyo emerged as an éminence grise to Corazon Aquino after the 1986 People Power Revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Contemporary examples Wang Huning is often considered the éminence grise of three paramount leaders of China: Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping. Vladislav Surkov is often regarded by observers to be the éminence grise of Vladimir Putin. Jarosław Kaczyński is often regarded as the real leader of Poland via his position as leader of the ruling party, twice choosing who should be the Prime Minister of Poland contrary to precedence where said role is taken by the leader of the ruling party, currently himself. Despite no official role in government he often meets foreign leaders in a representative capacity, such as Angela Merkel, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. See also Camarilla Power behind the throne Kingmaker Svengali References Deep politics French words and phrases Political metaphors referring to people