Sources:
Letters of the Tsaritsa to the Tsar, 1914-1916, published by Duckworth & Co., 1923
The letter:
No. 125.
Tsarskoje Selo, Sept. 17-th 1915
My very own beloved Darling,
It was with a feeling of intense relief, that I got your dear telegram telling me that the committee went off alright & that you strongly told them your opinion into their faces. God recompense you for this my treasure. You cannot imagine how hard it is not being with you, near you at such times, not knowing what is being discussed, hearing such horrors here.
Deary, Khvostov came to Ania again & entreated to see me, so I shall to-day. From all he told her one sees he thoroughly understands the situation & that with skill & cleverness, he thinks, one can manage to set all to rights. He knows that his Uncle & Goremykin are against him, i. e. they are afraid of him as he is very energetic. But he is above all devoted to you & therefore offers his services to you, to try him & see whether he cannot help. He esteems the old man very much & would not go against him. Once already now he stopped the question in the Duma about our Friend in time — now they intend bringing it up as one of the first questions. Samarin & Stcherbatov spread so much about Gregory & Stcherbatov showed your telegrams, our Friends & Varnava's to heaps of people — fancy the hideousness (about John Maximovitch) of such an act — private telegrams — this Khvostov told — & Varnava too, how did they dare take the telegrams, when the people at the telegr. office have to take oaths — consequently it came through Dzhunkovsky before, the governor, Stcherbatov & Samarin (just as Varnava already told me) — he will put a stop to this, knows all the parties in the Duma & will know how to talk to them. He proposes his Uncle (Minister of Justice) instead of Samarin being a very religious man & knowing much about the Church, & in his place Senator Krasheninnikov, whom you have sent to Moscou to investigate things & they say everybody praises him highly. Now that Gregory advises Khvostov I feel its right & therefore I will see him. He got an awful shock as in the evening papers one said Krizhanovsky (is that the name) had left for the Headquarters, he is a very bad man & you very much always disliked him & I told the old Man so — God forbid him having advised him again.
Did you look through Khvostov book? only as soon as you can come & quickly make the changes, they will go on working against our Friend & that is a great evil. He will not play fast & loose with the press like Stcherbatov but watch it & stop whenever necessary wrong articles. Its madning not to know what you think, what you are deciding — its a cross going through this anguish fr. far — & perhaps you are making no changes until you return & I am uselessly worrying. Only wire a word to quieten me. If no ministers yet changed — simply wire "no changes yet", & if you are thinking about Khvostov say "I remember the tail" & if not "dont need the tail", but God grant you will think well of him — therefore I receive him as he begs for it quicker — why he believes in my wisdom & help I don't know, it only shows he wishes to serve you & yr. dynasty against those brigands & screamers. — Oh my Love, how dear you are to me, how infinitely do I long to help you & be of real use — I do so pray to God always to make me be yr. Guardian Angel & helper in everything — some look at me as that now — & others cannot find nasty enough things to say about me. Some are afraid I am meddling in state affairs (the ministers) & others look upon me as the one to help as you are not here (Andronnikov, Khvostov, Varnava & some others) that shows who is devoted to you in the real sense of the word — they will seek me out & the others will avoid me — is it not true, Sweetheart?
Do read the 36-th Psalm, it is so lovely & strengthening & consoling. — Ah me loves Zoo so, so, so much & so passionately.
Only 6 degrees, but such a glorious, sunny morning — a real gift of Gods. — Slept midling, got off only after 3, sad thoughts haunted me. — Why was Kaluga chosen, so far to the south? Do you pass by Pskov coming here, so as to see Russky & perhaps some troops?
How disgusting that Gutchkov, Riabushinsky, Weinstein (a real Jew for sure) Laptev, Zhunkovsky have been chosen into the Council of the Empire by all those brutes. Indeed one will have nice work with them. Khvostov hopes that in 2, 3 months one can put all into order with cleverness & decision.
Ah, if he could but be the one to do it, even if the old man is against him — from fright. One can be sure he will act carefully, & once he intends standing up for our Friend, God will bless his work & his devotion to you — the others Samarin & Stcherbatov sell us simply — cowards!
I see also Prince Tumanov instead of Frolov will be here — thats surely a good choice. Keep always an eye on Polivanov, please.
The painter Makovsky has had a horrible accident, his horse bolted & flew into a tram — he lies in a hospital with concussion of the brain & a cut on his head. — Now I must quickly get up & dress for the service of old Arseniev.
Mass begins at 10, so we shall go at 11 — I take Olga & Tatiana too. — Well. Sweetie, I have talked with "the tail" for an hour & am full of the best impressions. I was honestly, rather anxious, as A. is sometimes carried off for a person — but we talked over every possible subject & I came to the conclusion, that to work with such a man would be a pleasure. Such a clear head, understanding so perfectly the gravity of the situation, & understanding how one must fight against it. That is much, as here one criticises & rarely proposes antedotes. He is also of course horrified that Gutchkov & Riabushinsky have got into the Council of the Empire — it is indeed a scandle — & one knows Gutchkov's work is against the dynasty, I wish you could get him for a good talk. — Entre autre he told me, that Stcherbatov shows about all yr. telegr. & our Friends to whomsoever he wishes — many are disgusted & others enchanted. What right has he to potter in his E.'s private affairs & have the telegraphs shown him? How do I know if he wont watch ours to, after that you can, alas, never more call him a gentleman or honest. Krivoshein is too well acquainted with Gutchkov being married to a lady fr. Moscou (also of the merchant families & that makes one). — I have so much in my head, that I don't know what to begin with nor what to tell. —
In any case he finds you must quicker change the ministers, above all Stcherbatov & Samarin as the old man cannot stand with them opposite to the Duma. Now, having spoken with him — I can honestly advise you to take him without any fear. He talks well & does not hide this fact, wh. is a plus, as one needs people to speak easily & be ready with a word to answer back at once & to the point. He could fight that duel with Gutchkov & God would bless him, I think. Of course he had too much tact & was too clever to hint about himself — he only thanked me many times for having allowed him to pour out all that was on his soul, as he puts his hope & trust on me to help for the good cause for you & Baby & Russia. All is in Moscou & Petrograd wh. is bad — but, the government must look ahead & prepare for after the war & this question he finds one of the most serious. And if he stands in the Duma, he must for his country's sake say all this things & then unwillingly again he will show up the weakness & not thinking beforehand (what abominable English) of the Government. When the war is over, all those 1000 of men working in fabrics for the army will sit without work & of course be a discontented lot to do with — therefore already now that must all be thought of, all the places, fabrics written down, the quantity of working hands etc. & be settled what one will give them then to do, not to leave them in the street — & that will take long to prepare & think out & is of greatest gravity wh. of course is absolutely true. Then will be so many discontented elements, now they have money, then the troops return, the men to the villages, many ill & maimed, many whose patriotism & spirit now keep them up, will then be lowspirited & dissatisfied & act badly on the workmen, therefore it is of them one must think — & one sees he would do it. Wonderfully clever, does not matter if he is a bit selfsure, its not offensively noticed — only an energetic devoted man, who yearns to help you & his country. Then the preparations beforehand for the elections into the Duma (later) — the bad prepare, & so must the good "canvas", as one says in England. — He says Mme Stolypin is trying hard for Tatiana's Neidhardt, hoping to play a part again herself — but he finds him quite incapable. You would enjoy working with this man & you would not have to be keeping him up, pushing him on — with you here or there, one feels he wld. work just as honestly. He got safely through in his governments during the revolution (& shot at). It seems it was he who asked to have the relics of Paul Obnorsky arranged, I had quite forgotten. — He says the old man is afraid of him because he is old & cannot bend into new ideas (as you yourself told me) & does not realise that one cannot do without new things & must count with them & cannot ignor them. The Duma exist — there is nothing to be done, & with such a hard worker, the old man would get on alright. — Excellent you did not see Rodzianko, at once their noses went down — you shut the Duma wh. they thought you wld. not dare to — all quite right. Now you dont, thank God, receive the Moscou deputation, all the better — again they intend asking, & don't you give in, else it looks as tho' you acknowledge their existence (whatever you may even say to them). That you went to the war was splendid, & he is horrified that people dared be so blind & unpatriotic & frightened as to be against it. Sees the way how to act with the press, & not as Stcherbatov has been playing with it. —
Now I must end, Lovy, its 7 o'clock — I have written all this in half an hour so excuse atrocious writing.
Really, my Treasure, I think he is the man & our Fr. hinted to A. in his wire; — I am always careful in my choice — but I have not the feeling wh. I had to Stcherbatov when he came to me. And he understands one must watch Polivanov since Gutchkov has got into the Council of the Empire, is not oversure of him. He sees & thinks like us — he did nearly all the talking. — Try him now, because Stcherbatov must leave, a man who openly shows about your telegrams & Gregory's wh. he has kidnapped & Samarin too — are utterly unworthy ministers & no better than Makarov who showed my letter to our Friend, to others too — & Stcherbatov is a rag & stupid. — If the old man grumbles — does not matter — wait & see how he proves himself to be, worse than Stcherbatov he cannot be, but I think 1000 time better, God grant, that I am not mistaken & I honestly believe I am not. I prayed before seeing him, as was rather frightened of the talk. Looks one straight into the eyes. —
I drove with my 5 girls to Pavlovsk, glorious weather.
Were 1½ hour in Church, Nadinka held herself well. — Petia hopes still to see you here, then must go South for his lungs. —
Blessings & kisses without end. Khvostov has refreshed me, my spirit was not down, but I yearned to see a "man" at last — & here I saw & heard him. And you together would keep each other going. —
I bless you my Angel, God bless you & the holy Virgin.
Cover you with longing, loving, tender kisses,
Ever, huzy mine, yr. very own old
Sunny.
Nobody is any the wiser I saw him. —
Anastasia intensely proud & happy with yr. letter. —
Bow to Fredericks & N. P.
Love to Misha & Dimitri.
Nicholas's letter:
Mogilev. 17 September, 1915.
MY BELOVED SUNNY,
The courier leaves before the evening, at such an hour that I never have any time to write quietly. Misha often sits with me, and I lose my free time, and in the evening I am obliged to rummage through my papers. Praise be to God, things go well with us, and our wonderful troops are pushing forward between Dvinsk and another place at Sventzy. It gives me an opportunity for coming home for a week — I hope to arrive on Wednesday morning! That will be a happy day! Alexeiev hopes that perhaps there will now be no necessity to move the Stavka, and that is a good thing, especially from the moral point of view. Yesterday's sitting has clearly shown me that the Ministers do not wish to work with old Gor., in spite of the stern words which I addressed to them; therefore, on my return, some changes must take place.
It is a pity that I have no time to answer all your questions. God bless you, my dear precious Wify; I think incessantly of our meeting. I kiss you and all the children fondly and remain
Ever your old
NICKY.
Misha thanks you and sends his greetings.
Nicholas's telegram:
Telegram. Stavka. 17 September, 1915.
Sincerest thanks for your dear letter, and for Marie's and Anastasia's letters. Misha has gone home, but will come again. I have written to-day. I hope that you are well. Charming weather. The news is still good. I kiss all fondly.
NICKY.
Above: Nicholas and Alexandra. Photo courtesy of tashusik2 on Flickr.
Above: Olga and Tatiana accepting donations.
Notes: Alexandra almost always referred to Grigori Rasputin as "our Friend".
"Weinstein (a real Jew for sure)" = Anti-Semitism was rampant in the Russian Empire, it was wrong then and it is wrong now.
entre autre = among other things.
sitting = conference.
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