The Honorable Bolshevik
After hearing Felix Yusupov's stories about Rothschild and the Tsarina, it struck me that the Nobel family had a truly peculiar fate. The Nobel family's oil company, Branobel. This Branobel had achieved enormous success in Russia, claiming fifty percent of global oil production. Yet when the Bolsheviks tried to nationalize the Baku oil fields in Azerbaijan, the Nobels had nearly suffered catastrophic losses. Exactly as expected.
“In that case, wouldn’t forming an alliance with the Nobel family be one option?”
“Anticipating that Your Majesty might say precisely that, I have already begun discussions with Emmanuel Nobel of Branobel on the matter.”
“Good.”
I wondered what would become of America’s Standard Oil. It would be nice if Trotsky pulled off something spectacular. For now, I’d let them handle the American problem themselves. That left Rothschild as the next issue. Walter Rothschild, wasn’t it? Perhaps I could squeeze some money out of him and direct it toward oil exploration in North Manchuria.
If we partnered with Branobel to develop Surgut, then we could work with Rothschild on the North Manchuria side. Getting him to invest in the Daqing oil field so they could begin drilling in the thirties would be ideal. At the very least, I needed to ensure he couldn’t raise objections about us and Branobel exploiting Baku or Surgut.
Wait. Hold on a moment.
“However,” I said.
“Yes?”
“Doesn’t the Prince have plenty of money by now? There should already have been results.”
I knew mass-producing ramen in this era was impossible. I wasn’t going to complain about that. But still. I had given him several ideas. In exchange for attaching my name to them, I had allowed him to reap the profits.
“Yes. We have earned considerable returns from the generators Doctor Tesla developed. As for the ramen Your Majesty described, while large-scale production remains impossible, we are attempting to manufacture it by whatever means we can.”
“And yet?”
The look on his face suggested he was up to something. He hadn’t launched some bizarre venture, had he? In the original timeline he had gone bankrupt chasing a fashion business with money he didn’t have. Surely he wouldn’t waste the funds he was earning now on the same mistake.
Of course, Prince Yusupov’s circumstances in the original history had played a part, but even if he was doing well here, a fashion business hardly seemed likely to succeed. When I stared at him pointedly, Prince Felix Yusupov scratched the back of his head and continued.
“It is only that, in truth, I have invested in radio. Doctor Tesla insisted that this accursedly vast land of Russia must be solved through wireless means and urged me to invest in further development of radio technology.”
Radio? Oh. That seemed perfectly acceptable. I had no objection; in fact, I would actively encourage it. Just as Tesla said, Russia desperately needed a wireless revolution to succeed on a grand scale. It had to be enough to satisfy the man. If we could draw additional capital from that direction, all the better.
“That, at least, is useful. I will not complain. However, Prince.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Under no circumstances are you to enter the fashion business. None. Do you understand?”
This had to be drilled in. I could not tolerate even a single variable. There were so many promising ventures in this era; why on earth would anyone dive into fashion?
“Is there truly a future in which I bankrupt myself running a clothing store?”
What was he saying? Anyone listening would think I could see the entire future. If I failed to predict even one thing during the Second World War, they would immediately declare that the Tsarina had been abandoned by God.
“I don’t know why both the Prime Minister and the Prince keep thinking this way, but from where I stand, it does look like it would fail.”
It would almost certainly fail if it followed the original history. The point was not to open a clothing store simply because he had come into some money.
“I-I understand.”
Right. Next, it was time to meet Rothschild. How about pressing him by labeling him an honorable Bolshevik who had supported the reds? If he had been scheming behind the scenes, it would only matter if he were caught, but revealing it openly might prove entertaining. After all, this was the Russian United States, a nation born from its hatred of the reds.
No, no. Before meeting Rothschild, I needed to understand the current situation. I should summon Boris Savinkov; there was something I wanted to confirm. Yes. The present European sentiment toward Jews.
“Your Majesty. You summoned me?”
Boris Savinkov of the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived at the Kremlin shortly after my call. Excellent. With this speed, I could lay the groundwork before Rothschild appeared.
“Can you tell me about the current European perception of Jews?”
“They were never viewed favorably. In our country their image has improved somewhat because some fought alongside the White Army during the Civil War.”
The way his voice trailed off suggested their reputation in Europe was poor. In Russia, word had spread that Jews had aided the White Army, so the view wasn’t entirely negative. But then there was Roza Luxemburg’s successful revolution.
“Has it worsened?”
“Given the nature of Your Majesty’s question, this concerns the Communist Party.”
When the Communist Party was mentioned, a shadow fell across Boris Savinkov’s eyes. Yes, he caught on immediately. I liked that about him; it made conversations move quickly.
“Correct. Roza Luxemburg is of Polish birth but Jewish, isn’t she? I wondered whether that connection had produced any particular effect.”
“Indeed. Anti-Jewish sentiment has been further inflamed. While Communist Germany attempts to shield the Jews, neighboring countries have seen a sharp rise in anti-Jewish feeling. Not only is Roza Luxemburg Jewish, but the Communist Party contains many of Jewish origin, and it is said that Jews financed the German revolution.”
On the Communist side that had carried out the revolution, they would naturally extend certain conveniences to Jews because of Roza Luxemburg. In that case, perhaps we could shape this narrative more deliberately.
“Is it that specific?”
“It appears the German Free Corps who fled to Austria are the ones spreading such rumors. Ironically, the fact that Jews are now fleeing Communist Germany is rather amusing.”
Perhaps because the Communist regime in Germany, like the Soviet one, had seized everything in the name of “fair distribution,” causing Jews to suffer losses.
“So the Communists’ nationalization of all property has harmed the Jewish population.”
“Yes.”
Ah, wait. Then what had happened in Austria? If anti-Jewish sentiment was taking root, wouldn’t Hitler do something? The question suddenly intrigued me.
“What has become of the Jews in Austria?”
“The situation there is not greatly different.”
“Is there any talk of physically persecuting Jews? Or speeches claiming they must be rounded up?”
If so, I might have to assassinate Hitler. Or seize France by the collar to keep it from falling to the Commune.
Boris Savinkov furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then spoke cautiously.
“No, nothing of that sort. Anti-Jewish sentiment is rising in Britain as well, but it has not yet reached that level.”
That was a relief. After all, how long had Hitler actually spent in Russia? Many Jews had fought on the White side during the Civil War. The Hitler of this era was not yet irrational enough to send Jews to the gas chambers.
Still, this was unexpected. That Roza Luxemburg and Communist Germany were shielding the Jews. Rather, wasn’t that precisely why the narrative of a Jewish-Bolshevik alliance was spreading? Jewish Bolshevism. In other words, that Jewish forces stood behind the international communist movement and had directed it.
Thanks to the Jews who had fought with the White Army, Russia’s view of them remained relatively favorable. But if we used this, couldn’t we neatly entangle Rothschild? Russian Jews are good Jews; the Jews flowing out of Communist Germany are red Jews. If we gradually spread this distinction and use it to ruin Rothschild, who had supported the revolution…?
Of course, it wouldn’t deliver a serious blow, but if the monarch of a nation openly denounced him, the effect might be different. I began sketching a rough blueprint in my mind.
“Austria is fortunate, then. So in Europe at present, the idea that Jews entangled with the reds are themselves reds has taken root?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
If I wove this properly, it might work. No matter who I was, I couldn’t simply beat Rothschild into submission, but I could extract some money within reasonable bounds, couldn’t I? At the very least, I could prevent any interference with Branobel and ourselves developing Surgut, and with the Baku oil fields as well.
Now that I had roughly designed how to cook him, it was time to prepare the dish to my taste. In my current position I could not truly pressure one of the world’s leading financiers, but I could emphasize anti-Jewish sentiment and Bolshevism, apply pressure, and take what I could get.
The Ohrana had already obtained information that he had entered Moscow. Normally I should have shown consideration and had him brought to me first, but I was the Tsarina of this country. There was no need to bow my head.
“Your Majesty. A representative from the Rothschild family has arrived seeking an audience.”
Unexpectedly, it was not a palace official but Georgy Lvov who delivered the message.
“Oh, I did not expect Councilor Lvov to bring the news in person.”
“He was waiting just outside the Kremlin Palace.”
I see. He must have encountered the man while returning from Vladimir Kirillovich’s lessons. The embassy had been told he was merely traveling in Russia and wished to observe its animals, but that was obviously a lie. With the name Rothschild attached, there was no chance he had come for such a trivial reason. Still, he must have said something.
“Did you happen to overhear anything?”
“On the surface he claimed that, having come to Russia, it was only proper etiquette to request an audience with Your Majesty. Ultimately, it must concern oil investment. Baron Walter Rothschild wishes to meet with Your Majesty.”
“Then I suppose we should meet.”
An unexpected variable. I had to appear exactly this level of engagement. In case anything went wrong, I needed to seem as though I were acting independently, without the slightest involvement from the State Duma, simply rushing ahead on my own. And if it truly failed? That wouldn’t be so bad. Rothschild might be troublesome, but since we were drilling on Russian—not British—soil, oil exploration could proceed regardless. If relations with Rothschild grew awkward, I could simply apologize and retreat into the Kremlin.
Now, it was time to meet Rothschild. I ordered a palace attendant to escort Baron Rothschild into the Kremlin. The second Baron Rothschild I met this way, Walter Rothschild, was a man of distinctly benevolent appearance. At a glance he gave off the unmistakable air of a financier.
“What brings the Rothschild Baron from the British Isles all the way to distant Moscow?”
“Just as I had heard. You possess the dignity of royalty, yet your conduct and speech are those of an Empress who moves comfortably among commoners. Hm, indeed.”
He was already spouting empty flattery the moment we met. Clearly trying to butter me up to obtain something. But he would find no success.
“No matter how powerless an emperor I may be, I am still the Tsarina. Such words are unpleasant to hear. Please speak only of the main issue.”
“Have we, the Rothschilds, somehow disturbed Your Majesty’s peace of mind?”
“Do I look like a fool to you?”
“Pardon?”
“During the Red-White Civil War, your Rothschild family supported Trotsky and Lenin on the condition that crude oil from the Baku fields would not be supplied to the world market. Correct?”
“That is… not incorrect.”
To summarize: while the British government had sent volunteer forces to support us, the Rothschilds had personally backed the revolutionary faction. Even if the Bolsheviks lost, they had arranged matters so that Russia would be divided and the Bolsheviks would at least retain the Baku oil fields. They had clearly never imagined I would end the civil war so quickly.
“Yes. As a businessman, such a decision might be understandable. You supported the revolutionaries to eliminate Branobel. That is the sort of people Rothschild and Rockefeller are.”
“Your Majesty, that is also true, and I can understand your anger. However, can we not now build a favorable relationship?”
A harmonious relationship, yes. That was exactly why I was doing this. As I had told myself, I had prepared for the possibility of failure, but I intended to preserve appearances up to that final line. I had no particular desire to create permanent distance from the Rothschilds. Still, this much was permissible.
I deliberately let out a mocking laugh.
“Heh heh heh. I am not unaware. You wish to take a bite of Surgut oil, do you not? With branches across numerous European nations, you must have smelled the opportunity at once. But what can be done? The Rothschilds are, after all, honorable Bolsheviks who aided the revolutionary forces.”
Framing him as a mindless red. Of course there were circumstances, and if that made one a red, then America, which had provided Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union, would be a first-class honorary Bolshevik nation worthy of a medal from Stalin himself. But here, it was a useful excuse.