247 - File concerning General Horvat and the Grand Duke's political activities in the Far East, and the preparation of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich's official response to the Trust Affair (1927)

File concerning General Horvat and the Grand Duke's political activities in the Far East, and the preparation of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich's official response to the Trust Affair (1927) File concerning General Horvat and the Grand Duke’s political activities in the Far East, as well as the preparation of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich’s official response to the Trust Affair (1927). A collection of confidential documents concerning the political ambitions of the Russian White émigré leadership in the Far East, the fundraising efforts associated with Admiral Kolchak’s government, and its response to the Trust Affair, primarily dating from 1927–1928. Comprising correspondence, rescripts, a power of attorney, telegram texts, press reports, and working drafts—several of which bear handwritten corrections and annotations—along with a number of autograph letters signed by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. In Russian and French. The Far Eastern mandate and the “Kolchak fund.” The documents pertain to General Dmitri Horvat’s appointment as Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich’s representative to the Russian émigré community in the Far East. They authorize preliminary negotiations with Japan and Marshal Zhang Zuolin regarding the removal of Bolshevik rule from Eastern Siberia, with final decisions reserved for the Grand Duke. Of particular interest is a power of attorney concerning the identification and recovery of Russian state funds and assets associated with Admiral Kolchak’s government, reportedly held by Chinese and Japanese banks, institutions, and private individuals. A January 1928 letter from General Lukomsky discusses reports of substantial deposits, including alleged remnants of Kolchak’s treasury gold reserve, and mentions a rumor concerning a “very large sum” deposited in Chinese banks on Kolchak’s orders. Instructions to investigate these claims accompany correspondence concerning Horvat, N. L. Gondatti, and communications via Major General Bourline in Dairen. The Trust Affair and Soviet Intelligence. The accompanying dossier contains correspondence involving Generals Alexander Kutepov and Alexander Lukomsky, annotated working papers, and successive drafts of a public communiqué addressing revelations concerning the Trust and GPU infiltration of émigré networks. The papers examine Shulgin’s journey to Soviet Russia, Opperput’s role, and contacts between the Trust and organizations subordinate to the Grand Duke. Internal discussions reveal tensions between public explanations, operational secrecy, and the preservation of confidence in the émigré leadership. Together, these dossiers shed light on two intertwined concerns of the Romanov and White Russian émigré leadership: the pursuit of Kolchak-era assets in the Far East and the repercussions of Soviet intelligence operations within its own networks. Footnotes: Provenance Private Collection, France The collection documents the political and monarchist activities of the Russian émigré community during the interwar period and includes material gathered in connection with the Trust Affair. It contains contemporary press coverage, working papers, and correspondence, along with a number of autograph letters signed by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. For further information on this lot, please visit Bonhams.com