Douglas Smith claimed on p 780 (Notes) that I misread Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich's diary. It is Smith who failed to understand that when Nikolai Mikhailovich wrote 5.30 it meant 5.30 in the morning. The reason being that Grand Duke N. M. wrote events sequentially as they happened. The telephone call telling him that Rasputin was murdered, is the first diary entry of the day and occurs well before speaking about his lunch (obed).
Smith named “Russian Diary” as the basis of his claim. However, that book @ p 74 discusses a different set of events, where, at 5 p.m. a man named Seymour visited the anonymous diarist to tell him that Rasputin had been shot but it was not known if Rasputin was dead.
Margarita Nelipa
