Was Rasputin assassinated by British Foreign Secretary? Will Stewart in Moscow Stunning claims that crazed Russian monk Rasputin was killed by a British intelligence officer who rose to be Foreign Secretary will be made in a new book to be published soon in Moscow. Historian Oleg Shishkin points the finger at Sir Samuel Hoare, later Lord Templewood, as the man who shot the bizarre religious courtier. The revelations follow another book by playwright Eduard Radzinsky which throws dramatic new light on allegations that the licentious Rasputin was the lover of Russia's last Empress, Alexandra. Rasputin was brought to the Romanov court as a saviour for haemophiliac heir Alexei. But telegrams Alexandra sent to him - revealed by Radzinsky's book - go further than ever in suggesting she was one of his many conquests. However, Radzinsky says he leaves it up to readers to judge. The book, Rasputin: The Last Word, is based on a 500-page secret file on the "mad monk" compiled by the Bolsheviks soon after his murder. Now Shishkin makes claims that Tsar Nicholas II knew that the killer of Rasputin, a semi-literate peasant said to have supernatural powers, was not in fact among the Russian noblemen who gathered at the palace of Prince Felix Yusupov in 1916 with the intention of assassinating the Siberian monk. "Rasputin was assassinated by a cool professional," said Shishkin. "I believe it was Hoare who fired the fatal shot." He claims Hoare - working as a British intelligence officer in Petrograd, now St Petersburg - was secretly present at the palace and had known in advance, by at least a week, of the plot by Russian noblemen to kill Rasputin. "Initially he didn't plan to interfere, thinking Felix, who was well prepared - he was even hypnotised to psyche him up - would manage alone. But when the plan began to fail, he had to cross the way of Rasputin who tried to escape. "Thus he committed an act which would end preparations for a peace treaty between Russia and Germany." In 1916, Rasputin had been pushing a First World War peace deal between Russia and Germany with the Empress. Such a treaty would have been catastrophic for Britain. The autopsy report "proves" that Prince Felix and accomplices Dmitry Pavlovich and Vladimir Purishkevich "lied" about how the monk died, according to Shishkin's book To Kill Rasputin. It says they "hid the name of the real killer, although the Tsar knew who it was. The paper was written by coroner Dmitry Kosorotov and is a report about the autopsy of the body, conducted on December 21, 1916." The autopsy showed that there were "multiple wounds" - but many were caused after his death. It showed that the cause of death was "intensive bleeding from a fire-wound to the abdomen" - but contemporary accounts said Rasputin had to be tied up and thrown in a freezing canal before finally expiring. The gunshot wound and type of bullet used were not consistent with a shot fired by Yusupov, as the shot was fired by Hoare, claims the author in what is bound to be a contentious book. Hoare later admitted he had seen the corpse of Rasputin shortly before the autopsy, the only foreigner to do so, says Shishkin. And on December 30 the British ambassador to the Romanov court was told by the Tsar "that he suspected a certain British subject of being the killer", according to the historian.However, Shishkin surmises that with the Tsar in deep trouble - he would abdicate just weeks later - he decided against making public this knowledge, fearing that the secret consideration of peace with Germany would also leak. © Express Newspapers, 2000 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html <A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
