Thanks, Sunny! In the story of the Alexander Palace there certainly have been people who have exploited it to benefit themselves, Kuchumov was not one of them.
The book recounts all of the awards he won - including the Lenin Prize - he never mentioned any of them to me. I can't remember hearing him brag or boast about how he saved so many things from the palace during the war. When we talked about what happened during the war it was always about what had been lost, or the work that needed to be done today to save what remained and restore the palace.
He lived in complete and utter poverty, his only treasures were his writings, photographs and fabrics from the Alexander Palace. When I knew him he was paralyzed on one side of his body and it was very difficult for him to speak. Living was very difficult and painful for him. What kept him going was the Alexander Palace. He knew how important it was that he live so that the knowledge and documentation he had on the palace could be used in it's restoration. Unfortunately his body could not hold out and he died in 1993.
It is too bad he is not here today to defend himself, but on the other hand I am glad he is not here to see what these authors have done to him. He gave everything he had to - as Christine calls it - "The Forgotten Palace". Without his knowledge, hard work and documentation no one would know anything about the AP and this website would not exist.
So, if you think about it Kuchumov was successful - who would have known that the Internet would come along and his palace would become so celebrated and famous. Who would have thought that all of us around the world would be brought together around the dream of the AP being restored.
The authors of the Amber Room started out badly in Russia. They encountered the negative side of the things almost from the day they arrived. That must have been a shock, since they probably expected to be welcomed with open arms and graciously provided with every assistance. The story of their reception in Russia is in the book and speaks for itself. After this they seemed to have tarred everyone associated with the story of the Amber Room with some degree of dirt. No one escapes their sharp, pointed storytelling! Perhaps some people deserved it. Kuchumov was not one of them.
We can't bury our heads in the sand and think that there aren't people who will try to leverage fame and fortune out of the palace one way or another. For those who love the palace, its inhabitants and story, who have a true passion for it, it's hard to believe that anyone could exploit it. I hope most people are wise enough to tell when someone's interest is centered on themselves, money or fame rather then the palace.
Bob
