“Recently Ekaterinburg, the capital of the Red Ural, was seriously threatened by the approach of the Czecho-Slovak bands. At the same time a counter-revolutionary conspiracy was discovered, having for its object the wresting of the tyrant from the hands of the Council’s authority by armed force. In view of this fact, the Presidium of the Ural Regional Council decided to shoot the ex-Tsar, Nicholas Romanov. This decision was carried out on July 16.
“The wife and son of Romanov have been sent to a place of security. Documents concerning the conspiracy which were discovered have been forwarded to Moscow by a special messenger.
“It had been recently decided to bring the ex-Tsar before a tribunal, to be tried for his crimes against the people, and only later occurrences led to delay in adopting this course. The Presidency of the Central Executive Committee, after having discussed the circumstances which compelled the Ural Regional Council to take the decision to shoot Nicholas Romanov, decided as follows:—The Russian Central Executive Committee, in the persons of the Presidium, accept the decision of the Ural Regional Council as being regular.
“The Central Executive Committee has now at its disposal extremely important material concerning the Nicholas Romanov affair; his own diaries which he kept almost to the last days; the diaries of his wife and children; his correspondence, amongst which are letters by Gregory Razputin to Romanov and his family. All these materials will be examined and published in the near future.”
Every word of this official statement is important, for every phrase contains a lie, and every lie shows up in more glaring colours the diabolical nature of the plot hatched and carried out by Yankel Sverdlov and his tools and accomplices. I take the falsehoods seriatim:—(1) The message made public at the Tsik as coming from the Ural sovdep was in reality concocted by Sverdlov; (2) the Czechs entered Ekaterinburg on the 25th, nine days after the “execution,” and there was no armed plot; (3) the Presidium of the Ural sovdep did not “decide” to shoot the ex-Tsar, for that “decision” was dictated from Moscow; (4) the “wife and son” were not sent to a “place of security,” but were basely murdered; (5) no “later occurrences” supervened that could by any stress of the imagination be construed into a justification for not bringing the ex-Tsar before a tribunal, even supposing there had ever been any real intention to do so (as a matter of fact, this story of a “tribunal” was invented); (6) the Imperial correspondence taken with other “loot” from the murdered Family has not been published to this day.[9]
Here is a translation of the official announcement as it was made to the people of Ekaterinburg:—
Decision of the Presidium of the Regional Soviet of Workmen’s, Peasants’ and Red-guards’ Deputies of the Ural.
“In view of the fact that Czecho-Slovak bands are threatening the Red capital of the Urals, Ekaterinburg; in view also of the fact that the crowned hangman (palách) may escape the people’s assizes (a Whiteguard plot to capture the whole Romanov family has been discovered), the Presidium of the Regional Soviet in fulfilment of the will of the revolution has decided (postanovil) that the former Tsar Nicholas Romanov, guilty before the people of innumerable sanguinary crimes, shall be shot.
“On the night of the 16th to the 17th of July, the decision (postanovlenie) of the Regional Soviet was carried into execution.
“The family of Romanov has been transferred from Ekaterinburg to another and safer place.