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Sagamore Hill
Oyster Bay, New York
August 1905

The sun infused the chauffeured car with a relentless heat. Sergei Witte, the prime minister of Russia, took out a silk cloth and wiped his brow. He felt relief when he spied the main gate at Sagamore Hill. The car coasted to a stop in front of a uniformed guard.

The guard ran a quick check and waved the car past. A few moments later, the car approached the mansion. Several darkly clad individuals waited for Witte on the front porch. No doubt, they represented the famous U. S. Secret Service.

The car stopped. An agent opened the door and let Witte out. At six-feet-six-inches tall, he towered over the agent, noting with pleasure that the man had to look up when he said,“Welcome to Sagamore Hill, Mr. Straub.”

The Straub subterfuge had been a necessary contrivance to conceal his true identity. The plan he was about to propose could be thwarted if the Tsar became aware of this visit.

The agent invited Witte to proceed up the porch stairs. “President Roosevelt is expecting you and will join you shortly. He asked that you be escorted to the study.” The Secret Service agent dutifully logged the guest’s assumed name into his register at the door and then escorted Witte to the president’s study. “Please have a seat. I’ll inform President Roosevelt that you’re here.”

As the agent departed, Witte strolled over to the window and gazed out over Long Island Sound. The sunlight shimmered on the blue water, creating the picture of a beautifully peaceful summer day with many sailboats on the sound. What a pity that his business, his reason for visiting Sagamore Hill, would potentially ruin the president’s day. This possibility was clear from the moment Witte had requested the clandestine meeting with the young American leader.

As he waited, Witte wondered how all of these events of the past year could have happened. How could the situation have gotten so out of hand? How did he, the prime minister of Russia, end up sitting here in the summer home of the president of the United States, waiting to discuss a topic so sensitive it could never be recorded for history’s sake? History might call the topic treason, but Sergei Witte knew it was the only way to preserve Russia. With much sadness, he reflected on the events of the past year. It had been a nightmare. Mother Russia was being ripped apart by revolution, a senseless war, and the utterly ineffective leadership of the supreme autocrat of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II.

As Witte stood, perusing the many books lining the mahogany shelves of the president’s study, the door opened and in bounded President Theodore Roosevelt. His very presence radiated energy and confidence. Witte towered over Roosevelt, but the president shook Witte’s hand so vigorously that the prime minister winced.

“Welcome to Sagamore Hill, Mr. Witte,”Roosevelt exclaimed.“I am honored by your visit, but I am equally confused. Please be seated, and we’ll chat.”They sat in the two facing leather chairs, and the president began the conversation almost immediately in his animated style.

“Mr. Witte, I truly appreciate His Excellency the Tsar’s willingness to send you as his representative. I must say, however, I’m a little surprised and confused by your request for this visit. We’ll both be in New Hampshire tomorrow for the beginning of the peace negotiations. So, this matter must be very urgent. As requested, you are listed on the official guest roster today under an assumed name. No one other than the two of us will ever know that this meeting has taken place. Now, having said all of this, you must tell me, what urgent matter do you wish to discuss?”

“Mr. President, I’ll get right to the point,” replied the Russian. “These negotiations will not succeed. Tsar Nicholas will never enter into any agreement.” He paused for a moment to gauge the young president’s reaction. Roosevelt sat stone-faced as Witte continued. “I felt that you needed to know this reality before the whole process began.”

Roosevelt stared past the older man for a few seconds. He then looked at him directly as he responded, the muted anger in his voice very apparent.

“Then why are you here, Mr. Witte? Why did Nicholas send you? If an agreement is not possible, why waste everyone’s time? You are well aware that the eyes of the world are upon us! Japan is here in good faith and ready to negotiate. Your message is both unsettling and infuriating!”

The president stood up and with his hands folded behind his back, walked over to the large picture window overlooking Oyster Bay. After what seemed an eternity to Witte, the president returned to his chair, sat down, and stared hard at Witte.

“Be frank with me, Mr. Witte. I have the feeling that something else is going on here. What is it? Why did you want this meeting?”

“Mr. President, you must believe me when I tell you that I believe in peace, and I believe that this senseless war must end.” After recounting the events of the past year for the younger man, Witte paused and then sighed. “Mr. President, Russia is on the verge of collapse. The people are on the verge of rebellion. We will lose the support of the people entirely if we don’t end this senseless war and, more importantly, surrender to their demand for a form of representation in our government. Even a limited form of a Duma, comparable to your House of Representatives, would be acceptable, but Nicholas has refused this solution. I have begged him to accede to the demand but he absolutely refuses. Everyday more demonstrations and more strikes occur. The country’s industries are paralyzed. If we could reach a peace agreement in Portsmouth, it would be helpful, but it would only delay the rebellion. Without a Duma, Russia is doomed to anarchy.”

“Again, Mr. Witte,” began Roosevelt, “why are you telling me this? Russia’s internal affairs are its own, and — ”

“Mr. President,” interrupted Witte, “a group of us in the highest levels of the government believe in the future of Russia and believe that our country can be spared from the horror of the upcoming rebellion. We have a plan, and we have the will to act. We believe it is our only hope. That is why I’m here in total secrecy.

“The Tsar’s uncle, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, is totally sympathetic and is willing to do whatever is necessary. He is the commander of the Petersburg Garrison, and the military is completely loyal to him. This man will become the new leader of Russia. He will grant the Duma. Our new government will solidify its power while actually listening to the people, all of the people.” He put an emphasis on the word ‘all’, knowing that it would appeal to the idealistic Roosevelt. “This plan has been discussed and approved at the highest levels of the Russian government. The Imperial family, of course, knows nothing about it. This approach is our only hope, Mr. President, and we need your help. Of all the world’s leaders, you are the one we appeal to in secrecy.”

As Roosevelt absorbed all of this information, he studied the older man’s eyes. They were tired eyes, eyes that had seen much, eyes that harbored much sorrow and pain. The president prided himself on being a good judge of character. He sensed a goodness and a decency in this man, in spite of his statements that were tantamount to treason.

“Would you like a drink before we continue, sir?” the president asked, sensing that Witte needed to steel up his courage for what was to follow.

“Yes, I would,”he replied. The president went over to the bar near the desk and poured a couple of glasses of wine. He handed Witte a glass, held up his own, and proposed,“To peace and democracy!” The older man smiled, touched his glass to the president’s, and sipped his wine. Roosevelt stared at his glass for a second and then asked,“What are you planning? What do you need from me?”

“Mr. President, the Japanese have defeated us. They have no need to make any concessions to us. However, we need you to coerce them into acquiescing to some of Nicholas’ demands, enough to allow him to save face and encourage him to agree to a peace treaty. This tactic will buy us time, but as I told you, Nicholas will never agree to a Duma. His refusal will be the last straw.”Witte stared down at his glass before continuing, almost afraid to look the president in the eye.

“Sir,” he continued, “Nicholas must be removed from Russia by any means necessary so that Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich can take over the government.”Witte looked up at the president and repeated,“By any means necessary.”

Witte shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Our contacts with the British tell us that King Edward will not allow the Tsar into the country, even if he were to voluntarily request residence there. Yes, the king is quite angry with his cousin. He certainly doesn’t want a working-class rebellion spreading to Great Britain. The British intelligence service is willing to help us covertly, but they will only do so with American assistance. They want you to send an agent to help their agent take the Tsar out of Russia. They asked me to tell you that if you decide against this request, the British will not undertake the mission alone. In fact, they will deny any knowledge of the plan or of our conversation pertaining to it. Yes, Mr. President, there is definitely a serious plan in the works.”

“You expect me to believe this on your word alone? You want me to believe that England is willing to arrange what is tantamount to a kidnapping of the Tsar by the British and the Americans? Really, Mr. Witte, you expect too much from me!”

Witte cleared his throat and began again.“Of course not, Mr. President. I wouldn’t expect you to take my word alone on something as crucial as this matter.” He placed his wine glass on the table next to him, reached into his breast pocket, and produced an envelope. Roosevelt noted the embossed seal of the British royal family in the upper corner. The envelope contained a handwritten letter, personally addressed to Roosevelt from King Edward VII. It served to confirm what Witte had related to him.

The letter stated that Edward, too, had been briefed by Witte before his departure for the United States and was told about the action that the Russian prime minister proposed. Edward informed Roosevelt that only with the assistance of an American agent would he authorize a British agent to carry out the mission. Both governments would assert plausible deniability. Should either agent or both agents be captured, the king insisted that both governments feign ignorance of the agents’ actions and deny any responsibility for these rogue agents. Edward stated that the only other person in England who knew of the proposed mission was William Melville, who had served as England’s director of foreign intelligence operations. Melville had been designated the head of the operation and, from that point on, Edward declared he would step back and allow Melville to have total control of the operation. Edward would no longer be involved. He concluded the letter by inviting Roosevelt to assign an agent to work with Melville’s man, again noting that England would not attempt this mission without American participation. Edward asked Roosevelt to burn the letter when he finished reading it.

Roosevelt walked over to his desk and produced a match from one of the drawers. As requested, after lighting the match, he placed the flame up to the letter and watched it char into ashes. When it was consumed, he turned to Witte and stared at him for a moment before beginning. “If you want the Tsar out of the country, why not do it yourself? If there is support for this action at your level, you must have people who can handle it for you. Why must this be a foreign operation, and why must an American be involved?”

“Because, sir, we are a police state that is riddled with informers and double agents. You may not know this, but the Tsar is protected by his secret police, the Okhrana. They have arrested two agents in the past three months that we had hired from within to do the job. Both were exposed by informants to the Okhrana and were summarily executed. Fortunately, these agents had no idea for whom they were actually working. But the sword cuts both ways, Mr. Roosevelt. Most of the revolutionary factions in Russia have informants that are actually on the Okhrana’s payroll. At the same time, we have learned that many Okhrana officials have been bribed by revolutionary factions and anarchists. We have concluded that it would be impossible for a Russian to achieve success with the mission. Anyone with the necessary talents for the job would be known to one side or the other and would be exposed before even getting near the Tsar. That is why we approached the British in the first place. As it turns out, they have an excellent agent who speaks Russian like a native and has espionage experience. He needs a partner. This partner must be fearless, fluent in Russian, and, if necessary, willing to sacrifice his life. Hopefully, that outcome can be avoided.

“The British fear that rebellion of the working class may spread to the British Isles. That is why they will help us. They believe that this mission will provide stability to all of Europe. The removal of Nicholas will be a small price to pay for this stability. Incidentally, if the death of Nicholas becomes necessary, it will be announced that he died of heart disease or something else along those lines. The rest of the Imperial family will not be harmed.”

Roosevelt sighed.“The British have requested an American agent, or they won’t participate, so the whole plan now falls onto my shoulders.”

“Yes, Mr. President. The British have insisted they will not be the only foreign power involved, and they only trust America. As King Edward indicated, they are insisting on a policy of total deniability. If these agents are apprehended or killed, both governments will disavow both men. That must be understood from the beginning. The British agent who has volunteered understands this risk completely.”

Roosevelt got up and began pacing, his arms clasped behind his back. Again, he walked to the large picture window and stared out to the bay. Witte couldn’t help but notice that the president was a powerfully built man with very broad shoulders. He had read that this young American was an avid outdoors man, and the president certainly appeared to be a vigorous, athletic individual. Roosevelt turned around and walked up to the Russian, who stood as the president approached him.

“I don’t think it will surprise you when I tell you that I’ll need to think about this proposal,” Roosevelt stated.“This information is a lot to digest, especially so unexpectedly. I’ve done my homework on Russia, and I know all about you, Mr. Witte. You are considered one of the backbones of Russia; at least, that is what my own experts tell me. I’m told that the increasing disarray that is occurring in your country would be even worse were it not for your guidance and steadying influence on the Tsar. You are a man of respect and honor, which is, quite frankly, the only reason I did not ask you to leave here immediately.”

“Mr. President,” replied the Russian, “we are short on time, and I do appreciate your even listening to me. I have dedicated my life to the service of Mother Russia, so this whole circumstance is tearing at my soul. Russia is at risk of total dissolution into anarchy and rebellion. If you can convince the Japanese to make some concessions, I believe I can convince Nicholas to end this insane war. This tactic will buy us precious time. However, he will never, and I repeat, never agree to allow a representative Duma, even a token one. This disappointment will break Russia. We must have him removed and let the Grand Duke take over. He will be able to steady the nation. I am…we are …begging you, Mr. Roosevelt. We are truly begging you.”

The men stared at each other, and Roosevelt announced that the meeting was concluded. It was time for the Russian to leave if he planned to make it back to New York City. There he would board the official train that would be carrying both the Russian and Japanese delegations to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, peace talks. Roosevelt would be arriving shortly thereafter. As the men shook hands at the door, Witte once again thanked the young American leader for receiving him. Before letting go of Roosevelt’s hand, Witte said, “Please, Mr. President, send us a man, a brave man, fluent in Russian, and willing to work to make this insane world safe. The contact point in Great Britain is William Melville, head of the war office intelligence division. He’s the only one who knows of the plan.”

As Roosevelt watched the huge Russian leave down the hallway, he reflected on the just-ended clandestine meeting. Here, a senior official of the Russian government had just asked him to become part of a conspiracy against a foreign head of state. Unthinkable! Yet he was being told that if he didn’t assist the Russians, the peace conference was surely doomed, and Russia would disintegrate into chaos. Roosevelt wholeheartedly agreed with Witte in that regard — Europe would then be completely destabilized.

As he walked back into his study, Roosevelt felt the urge for another glass of wine. After pouring it, he walked over to the picture window and stared out at the water. God, how he loved the sea! It had a soothing quality. He always felt that he could relax and think better around the water. He downed the wine and realized that he was running a little late. He needed to pack because he was also going into the city to take the presidential train to New Hampshire that evening.

The thought of the upcoming peace conference being sabotaged before it even began made him angry. All of the work that he had poured into the conference was potentially for nothing. He had had no real opinion about Tsar Nicholas in the first place, but now he had a growing contempt for him. The prime minister’s last request served as the final surreal aspect of the just-concluded encounter. Roosevelt smiled to himself as he recalled it.“Send us a man,”Witte had said, “one who is fearless, fluent in Russian, and if necessary, willing to sacrifice his life.” As if this sort of man could be easily found!

Ironically, it seemed to the young president that he believed he had just met such a man only a few short weeks ago.

* * *

Sergei Witte watched the Connecticut countryside pass by and reflected on his secret meeting with the American president. Considering his request, the meeting had gone about as well as he could have hoped.

He was unsure if Roosevelt would act. He would have to wait for a sign. If the president didn’t act, Russia would have no future.

He had been impressed with the president’s energy and presence. Most of all, he admired the president’s integrity, his sense of compassion for the common man. Witte had tried to exploit this very trait when he told the president only part of the truth about the plan.

It was true that Grand Duke Nicholas would ascend to the throne, and he would indeed grant a Duma. It would be a representative body with no power, a token morsel thrown to the people. The Grand Duke would serve as a military dictator. The right-leaning aristocrats had no real intention of ceding much power to the people; only the illusion of sharing would be needed. The Tsar never could understand that basic principle. Witte was considered among the most liberal of the ruling class. He believed in a constitutional form of government with limited representation of the people, but he was in the minority. He felt awkward being in the unenviable position of having to support an option that was not entirely palatable to him. It boiled down to the lesser of two evils: a military dictatorship with the preservation of Russia, or continued rule by the Tsar with chaos and a downward spiral.

Witte felt mildly conflicted not being completely honest with the president about the true intentions of the cabal to appoint a military dictator, but he felt the means would justify the end if Russia were to be preserved. In the final analysis, preservation was all that mattered.