Zurich, Switzerland
January 1917
As Constantin and his colleague Moryak descended from the train platform, Constantin couldn’t disguise his excitement over the situation. The man he admired the most, the man who had stood up for the political prisoners at Solovetsky Island and made them feel safe was now a free man and had joined them in Petrograd! “It’s like a dream come true, comrade!” he had exclaimed when Moryak had appeared at his door the previous month. After catching up on each other’s lives, Constantin had quickly contacted Lenin, who now lived in exile in Switzerland. With glee, he informed Lenin that the man he had told him about, the man who actually made vors fear him, was now a free man and wanted to join them! Lenin remembered the stories he had heard about the man they called Moryak and quickly extended an invitation to come to Switzerland. With much work to be done, Lenin had no doubts that he could use a man with Moryak’s talents in the party’s never-ending struggles. “There he is!” shouted Constantin as he pointed to a short man at the end of the station platform. The two walked over to him rapidly.
“Comrade!” blurted Constantin as he embraced Lenin and kissed him. “Comrade Lenin, it is my honor to introduce to you Comrade Moryak. He’s the famed revolutionary that I told you about!”
“A pleasure to meet you, Comrade Moryak!” said Lenin as he shook the man’s hand. “Your reputation precedes you. Thank you for joining us.”
“The honor is all mine, Comrade Lenin. I’ve been looking forward to this very much. Ever since our dark prison days, I have been looking forward to meeting you. I have read many of your works, and they are inspiring.”
“You flatter me, Moryak. Come, comrades, let’s get a cab back to my apartment.”
“Where’s Mozger? I expected him to be here with you,” inquired Constantin.
“He left two days ago for Petrograd to meet with Comrade Zinoviev. You know what an compulsive, detail-oriented fellow he is. God, he is the most suspicious man I know. He has to see everything for himself and be in total control. Hopefully, he won’t be gone too long.”
After a short ride, they arrived at Lenin’s modest apartment in downtown Zurich. Lenin offered the extra bedroom to his guests, and they unpacked their small bags in short order. Afterward, the three of them met in the small dining room of the apartment. As they sat and exchanged pleasantries, Morrison studied the man he had been sent to spy on. Having never seen so much as a photograph of the man, he was surprised to see a small, balding individual with a moustache and goatee. Pretty unimpressive looking, thought Morrison. However, Lenin’s gift was his mind and his oratory. Just hearing him speak, with his detailed knowledge of virtually any subject and his commanding presence, impressed everyone. No doubt, the man is a formidable intellect, assessed Morrison. It’s easy to see why he’s the real leader of the revolutionary movement.
For his part, Constantin’s recruit greatly impressed Lenin. Moryak seemed obviously very intelligent and well versed in revolutionary thought and theory. To Lenin, he appeared to be in excellent physical condition, despite his recent release from the harsh prison camp. He had brown hair streaked with gray, as well as a gray-flecked short stubbly beard and moustache. But it was his eyes that intrigued Lenin the most. They looked like the eyes of an angry man who had lived too long and seen too much in his lifetime. Lenin had heard of Moryak’s handling of the vors, and it both thrilled and impressed him that the man seemed to have no fear. This would be a very handy man to have around, Lenin thought to himself.
“Tell me, Moryak, how does one get the courage that you have to confront and actually intimidate the vors? Constantin has told me all about your exploits at Solovetsky Island. In fact, your exploits are an underground legend. I must tell you, I’m very impressed.”
“Thank you, comrade. You flatter me too much.”
“No, I’m sincere. After all, you are also the man who led the Potemkin mutiny. What courage it took to accomplish that! You have been an inspiration to all revolutionaries. To have the nerve to execute all of the officers! Inspiring!”
“Again, thank you, comrade.”
“What are your plans for the immediate future?”
“I have no definite plans. When I take inventory of myself, I seem to have limited talents. I know how to fight, and I know how to kill people. I used to be one hell of a sailor, and I probably retained most of my skills in that regard. Otherwise, I’m not sure I have any marketable skills that I can offer anyone.”
“How about as a committed revolutionary?” countered Lenin, as Constantin shook his head in agreement. “You would have much to offer to us Bolsheviks. Believe me, our time will come in the future, and we will need committed revolutionaries such as you.”
“What are you saying, comrade?”
“I would like you to stay here with us for a while. I can use your help with our newsletter. There is also some physical work that we can have you do for us, if you know what I mean,” he said, winking at Morrison. “Also, I don’t have to tell you, there are many Allied agents who would like to see me dead. Many Tsarist agents would like to do the same thing. I could use you around me as sort of a protecting agent.”
“You mean a bodyguard?”
“Well, something of that sort, but with a myriad of other responsibilities. Comrade Moryak, at least consider my offer.”
“Yes, Moryak,” added Constantin. “We would benefit greatly from your presence here. Please think very hard about the offer. After all, Comrade Moryak, what other prospects do you have to consider?”
“Well,” replied Morrison with a sigh, “I guess I’ll have to seriously consider your proposal. I suppose it will be good to get back into meaningful revolutionary activities again. Now, before we discuss anything further, is it just me who is starving to death, or are you two gentlemen also hungry?”
Lenin threw back his head and laughed. “You know, I am getting very hungry myself! Thank you for bringing it up. By the way, Moryak, once you get to know me a little better, I don’t think you will bestow upon me the title of ‘gentleman’ anymore!”
* * *
Constantin could hardly contain himself as he burst through the door. “Comrades, it has started! It has begun!” Rushing to the table where Lenin and Moryak sat, he pulled up a chair, barely able to breathe. “Calm yourself, Comrade,” ordered Lenin. “What are the latest reports?”
“On February 23, thousands of workers from the textile industry went on strike and shortly thereafter they were joined by thousands of revolutionary demonstrators. Within three days, the streets of Petrograd filled with over a quarter of a million demonstrators! The city was paralyzed!”
Lenin’s jaw dropped. Even he had not expected this to happen so quickly. Morrison was also stunned by the information. He had only been in Zurich with Lenin for a month. As Lenin absorbed the news, Constantin continued.
“The Tsar wasn’t even in Petrograd. He attempted to return, but the Petrograd garrison quickly joined the revolutionaries. They stopped his train in Pskov and arrested him. They forced him to abdicate his throne! It is over! The Romanov dynasty has ended!”
“Is there anyone in charge of the government?” asked Morrison. “Maybe I should ask, is there a government at all?”
Constantin replied with a grin. “I suppose there is. They have formed a Provisional Government, with Prince Lvov acting as the prime minister.”
Lenin stood up, a smile spreading across his face. “This is it! We must return to Russia immediately. Comrades, start packing!”
“How are we going to get back there?” Morrison blurted out. “We’d have to get across Germany. I doubt that they’ll just let us waltz across the country.”
“My dear Moryak,” smiled Lenin, “I’m already on the German payroll. I always play both ends against the middle. They pay me to keep fomenting revolution in Russia; as if I need to be paid to do that.” He laughed. “Come, we’re off for the German embassy!”
That afternoon, they arrived at the German embassy where the German ambassador to Switzerland soon met with them. Morrison watched with amazement how haughtily Lenin dealt with the German officials. What an orator, observed Morrison. He speaks with confidence and authority, dominating every conversation. After a while, the Germans agreed to his demands. They would arrange for a train for Lenin and his entourage. This train would be diplomatically sealed as it traveled through Germany; it would not be boarded or inspected by any German officials. Its journey would not be hindered in any way. In return, Lenin guaranteed that he would attempt to overthrow the Provisional Government, which had already announced that it would continue the war against Germany and its allies. Lenin also guaranteed that once the Bolsheviks seized power, he would sign a separate peace treaty with Germany, effectively freeing Germany from a two-front war.
As they left the German embassy for the final time, Lenin enthusiastically turned to Morrison and announced, “Now our real work is to begin. Get some rest, Moryak. We are going to be very busy.”
“Yes, indeed, Comrade Lenin. I’ll meet you back at the apartment. I want to pick up supplies for our trip. If this train is sealed and won’t be stopping, I don’t want to run out of food or ammunition.” With that, they split up, and Morrison headed to a market that they often frequented. Before he got there, he stopped into a library and sat at a desk deep in the back. Making sure that no one was around, he composed a message describing the results of the negotiations earlier that day and then sealed it in a plain envelope. He addressed it to a house on the other side of Zurich that served as a combination of safe house and way station for the Allied powers. The envelope would be taken directly to the British Embassy. Arrangements had been made for similar information drops in Petrograd by Mansfield Cumming’s agents. In addition, they had arranged, largely through bribe money, a series of “safe” telegraph transmitters in several of the largest cities throughout Russia. Morrison had memorized all of their locations.
The next evening, Sir Mansfield Cumming knew of the deal stuck by Lenin with the Germans to have him spirited back into Russia. The work of this new inside agent delighted him. However, the thought of Lenin returning to Russia made him very uneasy.
Later that evening, Cumming had a summary of the field report by Double Eagle transmitted to the United States directly to his American liaison for the agent. Odd coincidence, he thought to himself. Theodore Roosevelt was no longer involved, but instead, another Roosevelt, his cousin Franklin, would be the new contact. These are crazy times in a crazy world, Cumming thought to himself as he sealed the report and proceeded to pour himself another drink.