The turmoil during World War I coinciding with the rise of the Bolsheviks gave rise to intrigue surrounding the last Tsar of Russia. The last tsar who had amassed treasure beyond imagination was still waiting to be found. A treasure that disappeared just as the Bolsheviks seized power and brought down the House of Romanoff. It was 1917 a period of discontent in Moscow. The cries of the mob sparking an open revolt in the violent overthrow of the ruling class. It was during this time that Nicholas hid his vast fortune in hopes of retrieving it and restoring his rightful place as ruler of all of Russia. Such a vast treasure was lost to history.
The events that led to the downfall of the House of Romanoff date back to the outbreak of World War I. Russia entered the war with universal popular enthusiasm among all classes of the population. In 1914, support for the tsarist regime was still very strong. However, the epoch of the imperial rule of the Russian people was fast approaching a quick and decisive end. Several events contributed to the eventual downfall of Nicholas II, the last czar of all Russia. When Nicholas took over as commanding officer of the Russian army in the summer of 1915, he did so by leaving his wife behind in Moscow to run the government. At the time, many Russians openly disliked her just because she was German. This mistrust became the spark that lit the flames of the revolution.
The Tsarina was not only highly unpopular, but she was under the influence of the “Mad Monk” Rasputin, who many have said had hypnotic powers. This svengali effect that Rasputin had on the Emperors began when he used his hypnotic powers to cure Tsarevich, Alexei of hemophilia. Since then, the Emperors were always under his spell. Rasputin did nothing to anger the rest of the nobility and it was Rasputin’s influence that largely led to the discredit of the entire tsarist system of government. When Rasputin was assassinated in December 1916, the damage had already been done. Adding to the lack of confidence in the tsar was the fact that millions of Russian casualties as a result of the offensive and the tsar’s complete lack of competence in military strategy caused the discontent of the armies. Poor training, lack of necessary supplies and armaments were all too prevalent during the years leading up to the Bolsheviks’ takeover of the Russian throne.
The entire war effort had been organized in the most disorderly manner. The tsar was not a very good administrator in the preparations for war. Labor was recruited indiscriminately without regard to the needs of industry, agriculture, or communications. The field was equipped with horses to meet the needs of the army, leaving the peasants without the means to till the land. Distribution problems had caused a disruption in the supply of food to the cities. In 1916, Petrograd and Moscow received only a third of their fuel and food needs. This was made worse by hyperinflation that caused prices to quadruple during the war. These factors created serious discontent among the working classes in the cities. This discontent turned into numerous strikes, all of which had to be suppressed by the tsar.
By early 1917, the political parties were totally discontent with the Tsar and his government. In January some 300,000 workers held a demonstration on the anniversary of the 1905 “Bloody Sunday” massacre. Conditions in the winter of 1917 were so severe that the working classes faced acute food shortages. Over the next month another strike for higher wages took place at the Putilov Engineering Works. Meanwhile, the tsar was again absent and seemed oblivious to the real situation of the majority of the Russian population. At the time, Saint Petersburg came to a standstill as more than 250,000 workers went on strike. At the same time, the military was beginning to side with the strikers when the tsar ordered them to crush all striking workers. When more than forty people were killed in Saint Petersburg that month, most of the military joined the mass opposition to the Tsarist government.
At the same time, the Petrograd soviet (council) revived and quickly established itself as the real power in the city. He had complete control over the railways and had the loyalty of the troops. The tsar, against the advice, sent General Ivanov to the city to restore order. However, his troops went over to the revolutionaries. In early March, the tsar left Mogilev to personally deal with the crisis, but on the advice of his top generals, he decided to abdicate in Pskov. A provisional government was established under the leadership of Prince Lvov. This government was to rule until a constituent assembly was elected to write a new constitution. Nicholas and his family were placed under house arrest.
This was the last of the Romanoff dynasty and the beginning of the quest to find the last 9 remaining Fabergé Eggs that hold the key to one of history’s most elusive treasures and prevent a ruthless cardinal from destroying the hopes and dreams of mankind.
The Kremlin: December 1916
It was just after midnight when Nicholas II arrived at the Kremlin from the Eastern Front, where heavy casualties made the entire Russian army feel betrayed by the Tsar. The entire war effort was now the beginning of the end for the ruling class and especially for Nicholas. Under the cover of darkness, at the stroke of midnight outside the Kremlin, there were two horse-drawn carts waiting to be loaded. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks considered making their move and capturing the last Tsar of Russia and confiscating the tsar’s vast treasury. Unbeknownst to them, the tsar was already one step ahead. Knowing that he could very well be captured in a day or two, he had planned even before he returned from the Eastern Front to ensure that his treasure would be safely hidden and kept out of Moscow. Now, inside the Kremlin were the only three remaining members of the tsar’s immediate family. Nicholas II, his beloved wife, and Anastasia were all that remained, as the rest of his family had already made a safe journey out of Moscow.
Waiting by two horse-drawn carts at the entrance to the south side of the Kremlin, Lieutenant Bechniski ordered his men to quickly load the carts. Since snow was falling, this would only make the walk out of Moscow that much more cumbersome and would undoubtedly leave a trail. The lieutenant ordered the wagons to be repositioned as sleds to aid in the speedy sortie. When the Tsar finally appeared “Lieutenant, here are his orders. Stop for nothing until you reach your destination,” as the Tsar handed Lieutenant Bechniski a rolled paper with the royal seal sealing its contents. Documents in hand, the lieutenant mounted his horse and ordered his men to move on. As the carriages pulled away from the Kremlin, the tsar sighed with relief now that he knew that his treasures would never fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks.
Present: South Bend, University of Notre Dame
As Tom Swartz stood in the doorway of his brother’s office, Dean Stockwell walked over gently and put his arm around Tom’s shoulder. “Your brother, the professor, wanted you to have this.” Turning to look at the Dean only to hear, “Tom, we here at Notre Dame are very saddened by the tragedy in Afghanistan. I don’t know what’s inside this letter, but I was ordered to deliver it to you in case you didn’t or couldn’t return. You knew what you were going to find, and you realized the dangers of finding it.” Hearing this, Tom reached over to accept the envelope the Dean was handing him. “Dean, what do you mean he knew?” “The professor confided to me the day before he left. In his research, he came across a long-considered non-existent map to the whereabouts of the great remaining treasure of Nicholas II. Everyone thought that the Bolsheviks seized it at the same time they captured the tsar’s family. Only Lieutenant Bechniski of the Royal Guard knew about it. Because it was he who took most of the Kremlin treasury the night before the Bolsheviks encircled it. the lover of stasia. One thing that worried you, brother, was that he was never able to find out anything more about what happened to the lieutenant after Nicholas was captured.”
Trying to understand the meaning of what the Dean just said, Tom asked? “My brother showed you the map?” “No, he didn’t. I guess he wanted to save the University trouble if he was indeed on a wild goose chase. You see, the map the Professor found, according to him, was a general location somewhere in the foothills of northern Afghanistan. After all, what a great discovery if his brother had lived and the University of Notre Dame is credited with finding one of the most elusive treasures in history.” Turning to walk away, the Dean added, “Tom, let me know if I or the University can help you.” somehow.” “I will.” Now Tom was left alone with the envelope in his right hand.
When Tom returned home, he noticed that the front door had been broken into. Always carrying a concealed pistol since his brother’s death, Tom carefully aimed it as he flung open the door. Inside, the living room was a complete mess. His bookshelf was overturned with books and papers scattered all over the place. Quickly going from room to room to find each room equally trashed. Things were starting to come together. Making sure no one was in the house, Tom closed both doors. Scratching his head, Tom went to open the letter the dean handed him. Reading “Brother, you’re reading this because I can’t tell you in person. You need to contact Jim Baxter. He’s the only one I trust. See you on the other side” signed his brother. “That’s all” Tom spoke to himself. Remembering seeing Jim Baxter’s name on the University’s visiting professor on Middle Eastern Affairs a day from now, Tom knew he had little time left before Jim flew back to Jerusalem.
Today: January 25: Zurich Switzerland
Inside the Dolder Grand Hotel, President Smith had just greeted Russian President Boris Sadinski when an explosion suddenly shattered both front windows. Quickly, Secret Service agents Lenny Wilson and John Ross grabbed both presidents and together they crawled under the heavy conference table. Moments later, Lenny Wilson got up only to find Tom Swartz crawling through the smashed door. “Tom Swartz, what the hell are you doing here?” Lenny yelled. Moments later, as Secret Service agents rushed in, President Smith rose to his feet indicating that he and President Sadinski were uninjured. “Tom, how did you find us? No one was supposed to know about this meeting.” Len asked. In front of both presidents, I have urgent news that concerns everyone,” Tom replied. At this point, Tom reached into his pocket and handed the map to President Smith. “Mr. President, this is what my brother was after and died for.” As the President took a close look, he handed it to President Sadinski: “Tom, there’s more to this than we know, right?” “Yes, there is. You see my brother searching for him to find the missing Fabergé eggs, he didn’t know that one of his guides was a member of al-Qaeda.
While Tom was telling the story about the finding of the missing Fabergé eggs, both presidents, half listening, began arranging to meet with the NSA, Interpol, KGB, and CIA. Urgent intelligence gathering.