The File on the Tsar

by Anthony Summers & Tom Mangold

The world was told that the last Tsar of Russia and his family were butchered in the 'cellar massacre' at Ekaterinburg in 1918. Yet diplomats and reporters did not believe it. And the longest court case of the century failed to explode Anna Anderson's claim to be the Tsar's youngest daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Anthony Summers and Tom Mangold spent five years tracking down witnesses and long-lost documents. The search led to Moscow, Tokyo and Washington and their persistence finally paid off when they found a suppressed official dossier - the File on the Tsar. It shows that the public was fed a lie. The Romanovs did not all die at Ekaterinburg, but became pawns in an international power game, involving Lenin, the Kaiser, the British Royal Family and British Intelligence. And in London, over 80 years later, the cover-up goes on.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Russian History, Royalty, Romanovs

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, so bad and inaccurate now... But probably fascinating in 1976. Public libraries need to withdraw this, like, yesterday. The theories in it have all been proven wrong and it's as useful as the books stating Pluto is a planet.

That being said, I still gave it three stars because for diehard Romanov fans and scholars, it's a fascinating look at the misinformation of the mid-twentieth century and the confusion that was still prevalent over the missing imperial family. It's almost more interesting for the psychological aspect of people believing the unproven (eyewitness accounts?) and as a record of the different theories that were bandied about.

Just please... Don't read this unless you've read both Robert Massie Romanov titles. At least those first.

[Bern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is the book inaccurate? Yes
Is it one of the most fun things I’ve ever read? Yes

For Romanov historians it’s a multifaceted read. One gets to see a little (albeit biased) glimpse into the bureaucracy behind the investigation by the Whites on the fate of the Romanovs. It also offers insight as to why the theory of survival stayed around as long as it did.

It’s also insanely fun to read all the conspiracies.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

During my initial early fascination with the last Romanov reigning family, I came across this book and fell in love with the theories that were presented in this book. In hindsight and with new knowledge thanks to the finding of the family pretty much where they were said to be all this time, it is fantastical and it makes me wonder what really the author was given as proof of the survivors to generate this book.

[Zelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Factually very bad and unrealistic. It's filled with conspiracies about the Romanovs, some of them more pathetic than the others. But in it's defense it's written in 1976 and the knowledge we have to day wasn't there back then, so that's part of the reason why it makes it a bit ridicules to read today.

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Romanovs first caught my attention a couple of years ago when I read a book about the ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska. I decided it was a family I wanted to know more about.

I was given this book and was excited to read it, however I saw on Goodreads that most reviews said this was now outdated and inaccurate, so I always had this in mind when reading.

The authors really want to belive that the some of the Romanovs escaped, they present so many theories about why this is so and even I was getting convinced by the end. I just googled it though and apparently DNA from Prince Philip was used to help identify the remains in the early nineties.

It's would have been a wonderful story if the lady claiming to be Anastasia was actually her but alas, she is not.

This has renewed my desire to read more about this family. I've also been watching Netflix's 'The Last Czar' alongside this, which is really very good.

My copy of this book, came with clippings from old newspapers, put there I think by my late Uncle John. I will keep them with the book, but will put them here as well, incase they get lost.

From The Mail On Sunday, 23rd April, 1989




From Sunday Telegraph, 16th April 1989

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in high school (over 30 years ago) and this started my passion for Russian history. While we now know that the theory that any member of the family survived is false, it is still an interesting read.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good examination of the daily lives of the Russian royal family, as well as what happened to the Romanov family at the end of the reign of the tsars. This is supposed to reveal shocking new evidence of some sort, but as far as I can tell, this is the official version of events.

[Debra Jeakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FILE ON THE TSAR BY ANTHONY SUMMERS/TOM MANGOLD asks the age old questions: Did Tsar Nicholas II and his family die when they were reported to die?
1918 Ekaterinburg : in a cellar is what was first reported to the world that the family was murdered. Where they?
The next reports out, in investigations prompted by King George of England as well as other royal family members told horrendously different versions. Was the Tsar murdered and the family shipped elsewhere? Did the Tsar's family members die that day Ekaterinburg or where they shipped secretly to a different location and later escaped. Summers and Mangold try to piece together a slice of history that I really, in my opinion will never be completely and truthfully solved. The coverup, the missing records and the hearsay was and is too overwhelming.

I have been hooked on the history of the Tsar and his family for quite awhile. Dont ask me why by I love reading about them. This book,as good as a investigative book from the seventies can get still didnt answer the questions. But, in my humble opinion is well worth the read.

[Michael Sherwood]

THE FILE ON THE TSAR raises serious questions about the "official" story of the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family at Ekaterinburg in 1918. It was first published during the 1970'd, before the "discovery" of the remains of the Romanovs by the Russian government and subsequent DNA testing that seemed to confirm their deaths. The authors wrote an addendum to the 2002 edition of the book in which they endeavored to refute the DNA evidence.

[Parker LeBaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vastly informative and deeply inquisitive, this book is all about the Romanov family. However, pass it up for a more modern account. This book is outdated as the 90’s finally discovered the truth to the outcome of the Romanov disappearance.