1863 The capital of Russian America is Novo-Arkhangelsk, now the city of Sitka in Alaska.

Merchants' initiative - RAC

Catherine I, the widow of Peter the Great, hardly even heard of the existence of such a land during the two years of her reign. Russian explorers and industrialists had not yet reached there yet. And during the reign of the second Catherine, the development of Alaska by the Russians began.

Then Russia acquired Alaska thanks to a private merchant initiative. The first Russian settlements in North America were founded by merchant Grigory Shelikhov on Kodiak Island in 1784 to extract and purchase furs from local residents. Novoarkhangelsk became the center.

In July 1799, by decree of Paul I, the Russian-American Company (RAC) was created to develop Russian lands in America. The company organized 25 expeditions, 15 of which were around the world. The activities of the RAC today are assessed differently. On the one hand, the company conducted a predatory fur trade, on the other hand, it actually developed the territory, introduced arable farming, cattle breeding, and gardening. But already from the beginning of the 19th century, the activities of the RAC were complicated by the struggle for furs with American and English competitors, who armed the Indians to attack the Russians. The sale of Alaska took place under the great-grandson of Catherine II, Alexander II, on March 30, 1867. For some reason, this deal is considered extremely unprofitable for Russia.

Most of all, of course, they regret the lost gold and oil (though it was discovered only in the middle of the 20th century). Indeed, almost thirty years after the sale, by the mid-1990s, large-scale gold mining began in Alaska. Few people in their youth did not read Jack London’s brilliant prose about that era of the northern “gold rush”. But at the same time, the same London emphasized that after 10 years, gold mining had practically disappeared. It didn't last long. The gold miners' happiness turned out to be deceptive. Lucky were mainly those few who managed to stake out their plots on time and managed to sell their mines just as quickly. So what is still unknown - was more gold obtained from the bowels of Alaska or spent on its development?

It must be said that for Russia, Alaska quickly ceased to be profitable. The period when Russian America brought serious dividends to shareholders did not last too long. The economic situation of the territory was fragile and deteriorating. The fur trade continued to be the economic base of the colony, but the sea otters with their precious fur were almost completely killed. The number of seals, however, was still in the millions, but their skins were not highly valued at that time, and minks, foxes and beavers had to be bought from Indians who hunted on land.

The vast territory was practically undeveloped. Very rare settlements, trading posts, and hunting bases were located only along the coast and at several points along the Yukon. Penetration into the continent, in order to avoid clashes with the Indians, was prohibited for the colonists.

English and American traders supplied the Indians with weapons and incited them to rebel. In a part of Alaska remote from the coast, on the Upper Yukon, having penetrated from Canada, the British established a trading post in 1847. And the Russians were forced to put up with this invasion. The coastal waters of Alaska were teeming with whaling ships from various powers. And the colony could not cope with them either.

International law recognized as its property only a strip of water “at a distance of a cannon shot from the shore.”

And the whalers behaved like bandits, depriving the Alaskan Eskimos of their main means of livelihood. Complaints to Washington - “quiet your filibusters” - did not achieve their goal. In order to somehow stay on its feet, RAC was forced to sell coal, fish and Alaskan ice (the buyer was San Francisco; refrigerators were not yet produced at that time). The company's ends meet no longer meet. State subsidies were needed to maintain the territory. Which was extremely difficult for the treasury.

In addition, the territorial distance makes it incredibly difficult to defend unprofitable overseas territory in the event of war. And the idea of ​​selling Alaska arose at court.

Dangerous neighbors

The first time they tried to sell Alaska to the Americans fictitiously, retroactively, out of fear that in the outbreak of the Crimean War, the British, who had a powerful fleet, would tear away the distant, unprotected colony. The fictitious sale did not take place. But Washington became interested in the idea.

The United States was energetically, as Grand Duke Constantine put it in a note to Alexander II, rounding out its territory. Napoleon, when he was bogged down in European military affairs, was offered to sell Louisiana. He immediately understood: “if you don’t sell it, they’ll take it for nothing” - and agreed, receiving 15 million dollars for the vast territory (twelve current central states). In the same way, Mexico (after Texas was taken from it by force) ceded California for $15 million.

The USA was intoxicated by the continuous expansion of territory. “America is for the Americans” - this was the meaning of the proclaimed Monroe Doctrine. Publications and speeches contained thoughts about the “predestination” of owning the entire continent in the northern part of America.

It was obvious that further “rounding” would inevitably affect the Russian colony. There was no visible threat to Alaska at that time. Relations between Russia and the United States at this time were emphatically friendly. During the Crimean War, the United States openly stated this. But there remained a potential threat.

Alexander II understood everything, but hesitated - it was difficult to part with the territory discovered by the Russians, which was revered as the “tsar’s pride.” Finally the emperor made up his mind. But one problem remained. And as paradoxical as it sounds, the problem was to persuade American statesmen to make a deal. The Russian envoy Eduard Stekl, who arrived in Washington, was supposed to turn things around so that the initiative for the purchase would come from the United States. The Russian emperor agreed to sell Alaska for no less than $5 million. As a result, they agreed on 7 million 200 thousand dollars (that is, 5 cents per hectare). On March 30, 1867, the treaty for the sale of Alaska was signed.

Ice box

The US Senate reacted to the ratification of the treaty without enthusiasm: “we’re paying money for an ice chest.” Then it took a long time to figure out who the Russians were giving bribes to?

And I really had to give them. Newspaper editors received their bribes for relevant articles, and politicians received their bribes for inspired speeches in Congress. St. Petersburg “on matters known to the emperor” spent over one hundred thousand dollars (serious money at that time). The original version was put forward by American researcher Ralph Epperson, arguing that US Secretary of State William Seward (one of the main participants in the deal) simply paid the Russian Tsar for help against England’s likely intervention in the civil war on the side of the southerners.

We are talking about the appearance of Russian warships off the coast of North America at the end of the summer of 1863. Two military squadrons - the Atlantic under the command of Rear Admiral Lesovsky and the Pacific under the command of Admiral Popov - completely unexpectedly for England and France, entered the ports of New York and San Francisco. Russian warships sailed off the coast of the United States for almost a year. And the expenses to the Russian treasury cost almost 7.2 million dollars (exactly the amount for which the deal was concluded).

The version is, of course, original, but controversial. One of Seward’s speeches a few years before the deal has been preserved: “Standing here (in Minnesota - A.P.) and turning my gaze to the North-West, I see a Russian who is preoccupied with the construction of harbors, settlements and fortifications at the tip of this continent, as outposts Petersburg, and I can say: "Go ahead and build your outposts along the entire coast, even to the Arctic Ocean - they will nevertheless become outposts of my own country - monuments of the civilization of the United States in the Northwest." No comments needed. As a result, the States were satisfied, although they had not yet appreciated the enormous “add-on” to their territory. Russia's enemies gloated - the sale of Alaska was an admission of weakness. The official transfer of the colony to the Americans took place on October 18, 1867. The square in front of the residence of the Russian governor in Novoarkhangelsk was filled with colonists, Russian and American soldiers. The Russian flag was lowered from the mast and the American flag was raised. In total, there were 823 people in the Russian colony at that moment. 90 of them wished to stay. The capital of the Russian colony, Novoarkhangelsk, was renamed Sitka. Twenty families remained living here... At first, the former Russian territory had the status of a district, then - a territory. It was only in 1959 that Alaska became a separate US state.

Then it became clear that the real wealth of this region is not furs or gold, but oil. Alaska's oil reserves are estimated to range from 4.7 to 16 billion barrels. But Russian Emperor Alexander II could not have known about this (and it is unlikely that this would have solved anything)...

Back in 1866, when the reins of power belonged to Emperor Alexander II, a representative of Russia was sent to Washington. The purpose of his trip was to negotiate, in strict confidentiality, with the American government on the sale of Alaska. A year later, in March 1867, a sales agreement was signed, in which America initiated the deal for the whole world.

The agreement stated that the entire territory of the peninsula, as well as the coastline extending 10 miles to the south, became the property of the United States. Surprisingly, the text of this agreement was drawn up in two languages ​​- English and French. There is no Russian version of this document.

The initial initiative to sell Alaska came from N. Muravyov-Amursky during his years as governor of Eastern Siberia. He considered the deal inevitable and extremely necessary for Russia. 4 years later, this issue was raised by the emperor’s brother, Prince Konstantin Nikolaevich.

E. Stekl, a Russian diplomat, was present at the execution of the document and its signing. For carrying out the transaction, as well as for “faith, law and the king,” E. Stekl was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, a monetary reward of 25,000 rubles and an annual pension.

How much did they sell Alaska for?

The agreement on the sale of “Russian America”, or Alaska, was postponed several times. At first, the deal was postponed due to the Civil War in the United States, then the authorities of the countries waited for the expiration of the RAC benefits. Nevertheless, negotiations took place, during which the exact cost of the peninsula was established - $7.2 million.

It was not for nothing that answers were not found for a long time to the question of who sold Alaska. The deal was classified as “secret”, and only the emperor and his five close ministers knew about the signing of the papers. The transfer of the peninsula to the United States was announced only 2 months after the agreement.

In some Russian newspapers this event was placed on the back pages, and no one attached much importance to it. Moreover, due to their ignorance and illiteracy, many people did not even know that there were distant northern regions that belonged to the Russian Empire.

The amount that the Americans gave for the peninsula was very significant in those days. But based on Alaska's vast area, one square kilometer of its land cost only about $5. So it was a very good deal for America.

In October 1967, Alaska was officially transferred to the United States. Russia was represented by government commissioner A. Peschurov. Immediately on this day, the Gregorian calendar came into force on the peninsula. If that day in the evening it was October 5, then in the morning the residents woke up on October 18!

Myth or truth?

Since the history of the transfer of Alaska to the United States was shrouded in secrecy, there are still disputes and investigations about this matter. Some say that the Americans were given this land on lease and are using it illegally. There are suggestions that the peninsula was sold by Catherine II. What really happened and who sold Alaska?

"Russian America" ​​was sold by Emperor Alexander II during his reign. Catherine could not do this, since she died back in 1796.

Alaska was sold, not leased. This is evidenced by an agreement with the exact amount and signatures of the two parties. The only disagreement so far is the topic of money.

One of the clauses of the contract stated that America undertakes to pay Russia an amount of $7.2 million in gold coins. However, it later turned out that Russia received a check from the United States with the amount written on it. Where this check went and who cashed it is still unknown.

Why did they sell Alaska to America?

Of course, Russia pursued its own goals when selling Alaska. There were several reasons to get rid of this harsh peninsula:

• The only profit that Alaska brought to Russia in those years was fur. The flow of hunters increased over time, and uncontrolled poaching destroyed most of the planned state income. A sharp drop in the production of valuable furs led to the fact that Alaska was recognized as an unprofitable region. The peninsula immediately lost its original commercial significance, and its territories completely ceased to be developed.
• The costs of maintaining, researching, extracting resources and protecting Alaska significantly exceeded the pennies that Russia received from it. In addition, the remoteness of the peninsula, harsh climate and unacceptable living conditions played a decisive role in the question of its importance for the country.
• The fighting that took place in those years in the Far East showed that Alaska was completely unprotected from invasion and capture. The government of the Russian Empire thought that in the event of an attack on Alaska, its lands would have to be given away for nothing. Therefore, it was more expedient to sell the peninsula and replenish the state treasury.
• Negotiations on the sale of Alaska took place precisely during an unfavorable combination of circumstances. Another state, Great Britain, laid claim to its territory. Therefore, it was profitable for the Russian Empire to sell Alaska and in this way get rid of the brewing conflict.

Alaska is an amazing, cold, proud land, rich, and completely unknown. Here alone there are 3 million clear lakes, 100 thousand glaciers, 70 dangerous volcanoes. About 5 thousand earthquakes occur in these parts every year, some of which reach a magnitude of 3.5.

• The capital of Alaska can only be reached by plane or ferry. It is impossible to travel by car, since the climate of the region is a constant riot of snowstorms, storms, avalanches and icy wind currents.
• Alaska supplies 1/5 of all the oil needed by the United States. A rich deposit was discovered in 1968 in the village of Prudhoe Bay, from which the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline was laid.
• The presence of an oil pipeline in the pristine nature of the peninsula is causing a storm of emotions among environmentalists. The most publicized case occurred in 2001. D. Lewis, being drunk, fired at the oil pipeline, which contributed to the illegal release of oil in the amount of 6 thousand barrels. For this he received 16 years in prison and a huge fine - $17 million.
• Every animal in Alaska is the property of the state. If an animal dies under the wheels of a car, the driver must immediately report this to special services. The carcass of a downed large animal (moose or deer) is butchered, and the meat is given to poor families. This helps those in need in the northern lands survive the harsh winter months.
• Alaska has a peculiar cycle of days and nights. In summer the sun does not set at all, and in winter there is a period of endless darkness. Due to the lack of solar heat and light, its residents suffer from depression. However, there are also advantages: thanks to the constant summer sun, some vegetables, such as cabbage and pumpkin, can reach incredible sizes.
• Fantastic gold reserves were found on the peninsula. In total, about 1,000 tons of gold were mined in Alaska, and huge reserves of silver and copper were also discovered.

The right decision or a rash act?

When thunder struck the whole world about the colossal deposits of valuable metals, gas and oil on the peninsula, many began to ridicule the short-sighted Russian emperor, discussing how it was possible to sell Alaska, a gold-bearing mine. However, if you look at the situation from the perspective not of today, but of the times of 1867, much becomes clearer.

At that time, the Russian Empire was mired in debt, intrigue, and was at war. Serfdom fell, and compensation began to be paid from the treasury to nobles who could not cover their material losses. And the Crimean War took a decent share of state funds.

During this difficult time, the Empire simply did not have the means and opportunities for development and exploration of Alaska. Of course, this could be done over time. But, who knows, maybe if they hadn’t sold Alaska then, they would have simply lost it, losing it to some aggressive country.

Every year on October 18th, Alaska holds a special holiday. In the joyful excitement of costumed performances, guns are fired and the American flag is raised. Words of gratitude are loudly spoken to Russia, which allowed the United States to carry out one of the most successful deals - the acquisition of rich land, once called “Russian America”.

December 1868. There is a robbery in New York. Treasury Secretary Robert Walker was robbed of $16,000 by unknown people right on the street—a gigantic sum at that time. Newspapers immediately become interested in where a civil servant gets that kind of money?

Corruption scandal

Walker was known for passionately campaigning in the press and in the corridors of power for the purchase of the Alaska Peninsula from Russia. A special Congressional commission is also investigating, after which a huge corruption scandal erupts in America.

I have in my hands a list of bribe takers identified by a special commission of the Congress of the United States of America.

All of them, for a certain reward, somehow intervened in the process of buying and selling Alaska.

So, 10 members of Congress received a bribe totaling $73,300. About 40 thousand are owners and editors of American newspapers, and more than 20 thousand are lawyers. But who gave them these bribes, and for what?

It is noteworthy that in the midst of the American corruption scandal, something unusual is happening in Russia. The man who signed the treaty with the Americans on the cession of Alaska, the former Russian ambassador to Washington, Edward Stekl, is literally fleeing the country.

Circumstances of the Russian Empire selling its territory to the Americans

At the end of March 1867, editors of St. Petersburg newspapers received a message from the United States via the Atlantic telegraph. It says that Russia ceded Alaska to America. The editors are sure that this is an outrageous rumor spread by the Americans. And this is exactly how this news is presented in newspaper releases. But soon the information is confirmed: Russia really sold its lands to America and did it in such a way that almost all high-ranking officials in St. Petersburg, as well as the rulers of Russian settlements in Alaska itself, were completely unaware.

In the Russian Empire, only six people know about the sale of the peninsula. They were the ones who made this historic decision five months earlier.

December 16, 1866. Russian Empire, city of St. Petersburg. The meeting in the main hall of the Foreign Ministry is scheduled for one o'clock in the afternoon. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Gorchakov, the Minister of Finance, Reitern, the head of the Naval Ministry, Vice Admiral Krabbe, and, finally, the Tsar’s brother, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, gather in the hall. The last to enter was Emperor Alexander II himself.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Negotiations on the sale of Alaska and all aspects related to the discussion, both in American ruling circles and in circles close to Alexander II, were part of a secret process at that time. This must be understood very well. Negotiations and all decisions were made in complete secrecy.

After a short discussion, the Russian Ambassador to America, Edward Stoeckl, who was present in the hall, was instructed to inform the US government that Russia is ready to cede Alaska to them.

None of the meeting participants object to the sale.

Secret meeting that decided the fate of Alaska

The meeting that decided the fate of Alaska was so secret that no minutes were kept. We could find a mention of him only in the diary of Alexander II, there are only two lines:

At one o'clock in the afternoon Prince Gorchakov has a meeting on the matter of the American company. It was decided to sell to the United States.

Most likely, the country's leadership made the decision to sell Alaska in the strictest confidence, because it did not want to prematurely advertise the news about the alienation of as much as 6% of Russian territory. After all, there has never been such a precedent in Russian history. But this whole story was kept secret for many other reasons.

Immediately after this meeting, Russian Ambassador Stekl leaves for the United States. He is tasked not only with informing the American government of Russia’s readiness to cede Alaska, but also with conducting all negotiations on behalf of the Russian monarch.

Edward Andreevich Stekl. Russian diplomat, Belgian by birth, who had no Russian roots and was married to an American. This very mysterious character played one of the main roles in the history of the sale of Russian America. Many historians come to the conclusion that while in the service of Russia, Stekl actually worked on two fronts.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Probably, Russia needed some person who was well versed and oriented in American affairs. This need for such a representative also had its downside, because somewhere, starting from the very beginning of his diplomatic activities, Steckl actually pursued a line that was aimed at the interests of the United States of America.

In the USA, Stekl asks US Secretary of State William Seward for an urgent secret meeting, at which he informs him of the Russian emperor’s decision on Alaska, but at the same time emphasizes that the official proposal to purchase the peninsula must come from the American side. The Secretary of State, delighted by Stekl's visit, promises to talk with the President in the near future. But when the ambassador and the secretary of state meet a few days later, it turns out that President Johnson is not in the mood to buy Alaska, he has no time for it right now.

Alexander Petrov

The Civil War in the United States, a bloody civil war, has just ended. When the state, I want to emphasize this so that it is understood, it was torn apart by internal contradictions. Is it to Alaska? When the world was falling apart over the question of whether slavery would continue or not. What to do with the southerners? What to do with the northerners? Herculean efforts were made within the United States to preserve the country.

Seward and Steckle are not at all embarrassed by President Johnson's position on Alaska. These two diplomats are determined to get the deal done no matter what. They set out to jointly make sure that the highest circles of the United States want to buy Alaska - this harsh land that Russian pioneers spent decades developing at the cost of their own lives.

History of Alaska: discovery of the territory by Russian travelers

At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, Russian travelers persistently moved to the East. Peter I, who sent them to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, is haunted by the unknown land located east of Chukotka. Whether it is the American continent or not, Peter will never know.

Russian ships under the command of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov would reach Alaska after the death of the autocrat in the summer of 1741.

Vladimir Kolychev

Peter's plan was to open America in order to continue to develop relations with, say, Spain (it was known that it was here, on the Pacific coast, Californian Spain). Both China and Japan were of great interest to Peter I. The instructions were given to the head of the expedition, Bering and Chirikov, to look for some more or less precious metals during, say, the exploration of this coastline and a possible landing on the shore...

“Alaska” comes from the Indian word “alasakh” - “whale place”. But it is not whales and precious metals that ultimately attract dozens of Russian merchants to the peninsula.

But this is what interested Russian merchants in Alaska from the very beginning: the skins of the sea beaver that lives there - the sea otter.

This fur is the thickest in the world: there are up to 140 thousand hairs per square centimeter. In Tsarist Russia, sea otter fur was valued no less than gold - one skin cost as much as 300 rubles, about 6 times more expensive than an elite Arabian horse. Sea otter fur was in particular demand among the richest Chinese mandarins.

The first person who proposed not just to extract furs in Alaska, but to firmly establish a foothold here, was the merchant Grigory Shelikhov.

Thanks to his efforts, Russian settlements and a permanent mission of the Orthodox Church appeared on the peninsula. Alaska was Russian for 125 years. During this time, the colonists developed only a small part of the vast territory.

Alexander Petrov

Chief Researcher at the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

There were indeed, one might say, heroes of their time. Because they not only ruled, but they managed to interact peacefully with the local population. There were, of course, armed clashes. But if you imagine tens of thousands of natives and a handful of Russians scattered over vast distances, the forces are, to put it mildly, unequal. What did they bring with them? They brought with them culture, education, new attitudes towards the aborigines...

Alaska is inhabited by several tribes. But most quickly, Russian settlers find a common language with the Aleuts and Kodiaks, who have unique skills in catching sea beaver. There are few Russian women in these harsh regions, and colonists often marry local girls. Orthodox priests also help unite Russians with aborigines. One of them, Saint Innocent, was subsequently canonized.

He arrived in Alaska as a simple priest, leaving a good parish in Irkutsk when he learned that there was no one to perform divine services in Russian America.

Later, when he was Metropolitan of Moscow, he recalled: “What I experienced on Unalaska - even now I get goosebumps, remembering it in a Moscow house by the fireplace. And we had to ride dog sleds and sail on small kayaks. We swam across the ocean for 5-6, 8 hours, and there were big waves there...” And so Saint Innocent traveled around the islands; he never refused to visit this place.

Creation of the Russian-American Company by Paul I

In 1799, the new Russian autocrat Paul I decides to restore order in Russian America and take control of the merchants there. He signs the Decree on the creation of the Russian-American Company in the image of the British East India Company.

In fact, the first monopoly joint-stock company in history appears in the country, which is controlled not by anyone, but by the Emperor himself.

Alexey Istomin

The Russian company acted in a kind of dual state: on the one hand, it was actually an agent of the state, and on the other hand, it was also, as it were, a privately owned institution.

In the 40s of the 19th century, the shares of the Russian-American Company were among the most profitable in the entire empire. Alaska generates enormous profits. How could this land be ceded to the United States?

The first people in Russia and the USA to talk about the transfer of Alaska

The idea of ​​selling Alaska was first voiced in government circles by the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky.

In 1853 he wrote to St. Petersburg:

The Russian Empire does not have the necessary means to protect these territories from US claims.

And he offered to cede Alaska to them.

Yuri Bulatov

A certain threat, a hypothetical threat, has existed since the creation of the United States of America. The threat that all lands located on the territory of the North American continent must enter this structure, which began to call itself the North American United States. The Monroe Doctrine set itself the task of pushing Europeans out of the American continent.

The first person in the United States to propose annexing Alaska would be Secretary of State Seward.

The same one with whom the Russian envoy Stekl will subsequently negotiate the sale of Russian America.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

The idea of ​​selling Alaska did appear in the USA. That is, Stekl, the Russian envoy to the United States, subsequently reported that the Americans had been offering to sell Alaska for several years. There was a refusal on our part; we were not yet ready for this idea.

This map was created 37 years before the sale of Alaska, in 1830.

It clearly shows that Russia completely dominates the North Pacific Ocean. This is the so-called “Pacific horseshoe”, it is ours. And the United States, if you please, is at this time about 2.5 times smaller than it is now.

But within 15 years, the United States will annex Texas, after another 2 years it will annex Upper California from Mexico, and 4 years before the purchase of Alaska it will include Arizona. The American States expanded mainly due to the fact that millions of square kilometers were bought for next to nothing.

As history has shown, Alaska has become one of the most valuable acquisitions for Americans, and perhaps the most valuable.

Reasons for Russia's sale of Alaska

The Crimean War pushed us to sell Alaska. Then Russia had to stand alone against three powers at once - Great Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire. The main supporter of the sale of Russian America would be Alexander II's brother, Grand Duke Constantine, who headed the naval department.

Vladimir Kolychev

President of the Moscow Historical and Educational Society "Russian America"

He pursued his own policy. He had to create in the Pacific Ocean, in the Baltic, in the White Sea, in the Black Sea, he had enough worries. That is, for Prince Constantine, of course, Russian America was most likely like a headache.

Grand Duke Constantine insists that Alaska must be sold before the Americans take it by force. At that moment, the United States already knew about the gold found on the peninsula. In St. Petersburg they understand: sooner or later, American gold miners will come to Alaska with guns, and it is unlikely that several hundred Russian colonists will be able to defend the peninsula; it is better to sell it.

However, some modern historians are sure: the arguments of Grand Duke Constantine were unfounded. The civil war-torn United States would not be able to capture Alaska for another 50 years.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

There were no military or economic forces in America, it was all exaggerated. Subsequent events clearly showed this. It was here that Stekl played, if you like, the role of such a bluff, disinformation, as they say today, fake news, in order to influence a change in the views of the Russian leadership.

It turns out that the Russian envoy in Washington, Edward Stoeckl, acting in the interests of supporters of American expansion, is deliberately encouraging the Russian leadership to abandon Alaska.

The Russian envoy Edward Steckl, in his insistence on getting rid of Alaska, goes so far as to write in his next telegram to St. Petersburg:

If the United States doesn't want to pay for Alaska, let them take it for free.

Alexander II did not like these words, and in his response letter he angrily reprimanded the presumptuous envoy:

Please do not say a single word about a concession without compensation. I consider it reckless to expose American greed to temptation.

Apparently, the Emperor guessed whose field his Washington envoy was actually playing on.

Secret negotiations: trade and the final amount of the deal

Despite the fact that the US leadership has not yet approved the purchase of Alaska, Russian Ambassador Stekl and American Secretary of State Seward begin to secretly bargain.

Seward offers $5 million. Stekl says that such a sum will not suit Alexander II, and proposes to increase it to 7 million. Seward is trying to reduce the price. After all, the higher it is, the more difficult it will be to convince the government to make this purchase. But suddenly he unexpectedly agrees to the conditions of the Russian ambassador.

The final amount of the transaction is 7 million 200 thousand dollars in gold.

The true price and motives for buying and selling

When the amount of the transaction becomes known to the American Ambassador in St. Petersburg, Cassius Clay, he will be pleasantly surprised, which he will inform Secretary of State Seward about in a reply letter.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Clay replied: “I admire your brilliant work. According to my understanding, the minimum price for this region is 50 million dollars in gold, and I am even amazed that such a transaction took place on these terms.” I quote almost verbatim his telegram or an excerpt from his message, which he sent to the State Department. Thus, even the Americans themselves at that time estimated the cost of Alaska as 7 times greater...

But how could it be so cheap? The fact is that the purchase and sale of Alaska occurs in conditions where both parties - both the seller and the buyer - are in debt. The treasuries of Russia and the United States are virtually empty. And this is not the only way the two states are similar at that time.

In the mid-19th century, it was believed that the Russian Empire and the United States were developing on a parallel course.

Both Christian powers are also solving the same problem - liberation from slavery. On the eve of the sale of Alaska, mirror events took place on both sides of the ocean.

In 1865, President Lincoln was fatally shot in the head in the United States.

A year later, an attempt was made on the life of Alexander II in Russia, who miraculously survived.

The new American President Johnson, as a sign of support, sends a telegram to the Russian Emperor, and after it a delegation led by Deputy Secretary of the US Navy Gustav Fox.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The Tsar receives the American delegation, they tour Russia, they are enthusiastically greeted everywhere - by the governors and the people. And this trip was even extended - the American delegation visited Kostroma, which at that time was considered the homeland where the Romanovs came from. And then the concept or idea of ​​the idea arises that a union of two states has taken shape...

The Russian Empire at that time was in dire need of allies against Great Britain. But has the country’s leadership really agreed to cede Russian America to the United States in order to gain their support in the future? Historians are sure that the main initiator of the sale of Alaska, Grand Duke Constantine, had some other motive.

Alexander Petrov

Chief Researcher at the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

If we knew what was in Konstantin Nikolaevich’s head, we could close the study of Russian America for a certain time and say: “The problem is solved.”

The puzzle has not yet come together.

It is possible that the hidden motives of Grand Duke Constantine were written on the pages of his diary, which has survived to this day. But the pages that were supposed to describe the period of the sale of Alaska have mysteriously disappeared. And this is not the only loss of important documents.

After Russian America goes to the United States, all archives of the Russian-American Company will disappear from the peninsula.

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO

The Americans, as they say, packed in advance the true reasons for the purchase of this territory, the true reasons and sales, including on our part, when in the agreement related to the sale of Alaska there was a clause, the essence of which was that all archives, all documents that are in the Russian-American company at that time, everything should be completely transferred to the Americans. It was obvious that there was something to hide.

Signing and ratification of the treaty for the sale of Alaska

March 1867. Washington. Russian envoy Stekl sends an urgent encryption message to St. Petersburg. He is in a hurry to report on his agreements with Secretary of State Seward, sparing no money on a very expensive service - a transatlantic telegraph. For about 270 words, Stekl pays an astronomical sum: 10 thousand dollars in gold.

Here is the decrypted text of this telegram:

Alaska is sold within the boundaries of 1825. Orthodox churches remain the property of parishes. Russian troops are withdrawing as soon as possible. Residents of the colony could remain and enjoy all the rights of American citizens.

A response message is being prepared in St. Petersburg:

The Emperor agrees to these terms.

As soon as Stekl receives final consent to the deal from St. Petersburg, he goes to the American Secretary of State Seward and finds him playing cards. Seeing Glass, Seward immediately stops playing and, despite the late evening, offers to sign an agreement for the sale of Alaska immediately.

Glass is at a loss: how can we do this, since it’s night outside? Seward smiles in response and says, if you gather your people immediately, then I will gather mine.

Why was the United States Secretary of State in such a hurry to sign the treaty? Did you want to put an end to this matter quickly? Or was he afraid that the Russians would change their minds?

Around midnight, lights come on in the windows of the State Department. Diplomats work all night to draft a historical document called the Treaty of the Cession of Alaska. At 4 o'clock in the morning it was signed by Steckle and Seward.

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO

What's surprising here? First of all, we are talking about the fact that the level of signatories, of course, does not correspond to the solution of such a very serious task. On the American side - the Secretary of State, on our side - the Ambassador. You know, ambassadors in the past and present will sign such documents, then our territory will quickly shrink...

Due to the rush, no one pays attention to this flagrant violation of diplomatic protocol. Seward and Steckle do not want to waste a minute, because the treaty still has to be ratified in the Senate - without this it simply will not come into force. Any delay can ruin the deal.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

They understood that if they were a little late, a powerful campaign against this deal would begin.

To ratify the treaty as quickly as possible, Seward and Steckle act quickly and decisively. Seward conducts secret negotiations with the right people, and Stekl, with the approval of the Russian Emperor, gives them bribes.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

The Russian side, through Stekl, gave bribes, firstly, to the media in the person of their leaders; secondly, to congressmen so that they vote in favor of this decision. Which is what was done. And it took about 160 thousand dollars in gold. Quite a large amount.

Ambassador Stekl will subsequently withhold the money for bribes from the millions that the Americans will pay for Alaska. Even a check has been preserved, which was written out in the name of Edward Stoeckl.

Whose money was used to buy Alaska?

Judging by the date, the United States settled accounts with the Russian Empire only 10 months after ratification of the treaty. Why did the Americans delay payment? It turns out that there was no money in the treasury. But where did they get them from? Many facts indicate that Alaska was purchased with money from the Rothschild family, who acted through their representative, banker August Belmont.

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO

August Belmont is one of the talented financiers, according to the Rothschilds for whom he worked, who headed one of the banks in Frankfurt. Closer to the date of the transaction, he moves to the United States, establishes his own bank in New York and becomes a consultant to the President of the United States on financial and economic issues.

According to the agreement, the US authorities must pay Russia in Washington, but the check indicates New York, the city in which Belmont opens the Rothschild bank. All monetary transactions in Alaska involve accounts exclusively with private banks. However, in such serious settlements between two countries, as a rule, it is not private, but public financial organizations that appear. Strange, isn't it?

Yuri Bulatov

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at MGIMO

The Americans, when they bought Alaska, because until 1959 they did not determine its status - what kind of territory is it, how should it be viewed? She worked there both under the military department and within the civil departments. What to do with it, how to manage it? The Americans never got around to Alaska, but Rothschild, naturally, took advantage of his position. After all, on the eve of the sale of Alaska, both gold and oil were known... Therefore, the Rothschild investments paid off many times over - that’s for sure.

An interesting coincidence: the Russian Empire at that time was also closely connected with the Rothschilds through financial ties. Russia took a loan from them in order to patch up holes in the economy, undermined by the Crimean War and the abolition of serfdom. The amount of this loan was many times higher than the price for which Russian America was sold. Or maybe the Russian Empire gave Alaska to the Rothschilds to pay off the huge national debt? Ultimately, Russia received 7 million 200 thousand in gold for the peninsula. But what is their fate?

Where did the millions from the sale go?

A document recently discovered in the State Historical Archives has put an end to the debate about where the millions from the sale of Alaska went.

Before this, there were persistent rumors that Russia did not receive anything at all from the Americans, because the ship carrying gold was caught in a storm and sank. A version was also put forward that Russian officials led by Grand Duke Constantine took all the proceeds for themselves.

So, thanks to this document, it became clear that the money from the sale of Alaska was credited to the Russian Railway Construction Fund.

The document, found by historian Alexander Petrov in the Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, is a small note. To whom it is addressed and who its author is is unknown.

For the Russian possessions in North America ceded to the North American States, 11,362,481 rubles were received from the said States. 94 kopecks Of the number 11,362,481 rubles. 94 kopecks spent abroad on the purchase of accessories for the railways: Kursk-Kyiv, Ryazansko-Kozlovskaya, Moscow-Ryazanskaya, etc. 10,972,238 rubles. 4 kopecks The rest are 390,243 rubles. 90 kopecks arrived in cash.

Alexey Istomin

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS

The money from the sale of Alaska went, first of all, to the purchase of railway equipment for the construction of railways leading from Moscow in radial directions, including the Kursk Railway. The same road that, if it had existed during the Crimean War, then perhaps we would not have surrendered Sevastopol. Because it was possible to transfer so many troops along it that the situation in Crimea, a strategic war, would simply change qualitatively.

A note on the expenditure of funds from the sale of Alaska was found among the papers on the remuneration of those who took part in signing the treaty with the Americans. According to the documents, the Order of the White Eagle and 20 thousand in silver were received by the envoy Stekl from the Emperor. However, after the sale of Alaska to Russia, he did not stay long. It is unknown whether he himself left public service or was fired. Stekl spent the rest of his life in Paris, bearing the stigma of a man who sold Russian land.

Vladimir Vasiliev

Doctor of Economics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The further fate of Stekl once again emphasizes the whole background and all the true driving forces and reasons for this deal, which was definitely very subtly and skillfully carried out at that time by the ruling circles of the United States of America, which skillfully took advantage of the sentimental or naive ideas of the Russian leadership about that it is possible to build a union of two Christian peoples, and, in general, they caused, so to speak, economic and, if you like, moral, as we see 150 years later, geopolitical very serious damage to Russia.

American Alaska – former Russian land

October 18, 1867, USA. A ceremony of transferring Alaska to the United States is being held in Novo-Arkhangelsk. All residents of the city gather on the main square. The Russian flag begins to be lowered to the beat of drums and 42 salvos from naval guns. Suddenly an unexpected incident occurs: the flag clings to the flagpole and remains hanging on it.

Metropolitan of Kaluga and Bobrovsky, Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church

Everyone noticed that there was a problem; they couldn’t easily lower the Russian flag. And they took this, that this was a sign that we were staying with Russia, that this would not happen, they didn’t even believe it yet...

After Alaska becomes American, the rapid oppression of the indigenous people will begin. As a result, the Tlingit Indians, who were previously at enmity with the Russians, will bury the hatchet and begin to convert en masse to Orthodoxy, just so as not to accept the religion of the Americans.

Vladimir Kolychev

President of the Moscow Historical and Educational Society "Russian America"

I know that at the entrance to, say, a store or bar, it was written “Whites Only.” The Protestant school prohibited the use of the Russian language, which was used by both the Aleuts and the Tlingits in part, and it also prohibited its native language. If you spoke Russian, then the teacher immediately sent you a message.

Soon after the sale, a gold rush would begin in Alaska. Gold miners will mine several thousand times more gold than the American government once paid to purchase the peninsula.

Today, 150 million tons of oil are produced here annually. Fish and expensive crabs are caught off the coast of Alaska. The Peninsula is the largest supplier of timber and furs among all US states. For a century and a half now, Alaska has not been Russian land, but Russian speech can still be heard here. Especially in Orthodox churches, the number of which has doubled since the times of Russian America.

Alexander Petrov

Chief Researcher at the Institute of General History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The Russian language is still preserved, Russian churches and Russian culture are preserved. This is a phenomenon that we are still trying to comprehend. It is unique in world history.

A century and a half after the sale of Alaska, we can conclude that the Russian government took this step, guided primarily by political considerations. Alexander II was firmly convinced that by selling Alaska to the Americans, he was strengthening the alliance between our countries.

But, as history has shown, the Emperor's good intentions did not come true. The Americans made unimportant allies. The first thing they did when they found themselves in Alaska was to station their military units there.

“Turn of the Key” (“Amazing events that changed the history of mankind” BAO, 2013).

Amazing events that changed the course of history.

Nowadays, almost all countries defend every inch of their native land in every available way. But there were times in the history of mankind, and not so distant ones, when states sold their possessions. In 1867, one of the most resonant such transactions took place. The United States of America acquired Alaska from Russia.

Who sold Alaska to America?

“Ekaterina, were you wrong?”

It must be said that the sale of Russian possessions in North America to the United States is still surrounded by many myths and legends. Thus, the sale of Alaska is usually attributed to Empress Catherine II. In reality, it has nothing to do with this hyper-deal. And Tsar-Liberator Alexander II has a direct connection to the sale of Russian territory to our sworn friends the Americans.

About the most famous misconception about another great woman - Cleopatra -.

There were several reasons for the sale of Alaska. Firstly, in the mid-nineteenth century, Russia, as a result of defeat in the Crimean War, found itself in an extremely difficult financial situation. To correct it, it was decided to sell the North American possessions. Moreover, in those days there was no income from Alaska, but, on the contrary, there were only expenses. Secondly, any territory must be defended, and there was simply not enough strength to protect Alaska from the British who were looking at it with lust.

And thirdly, the Russian government hoped by selling Alaska to support a “close alliance” with the United States and thereby create a counterbalance to England.

However, the Americans themselves did not really want to buy Alaska at first. And, perhaps, they would never have bought it if the event that became a turning point in this whole story had not happened. But first things first.

All in the same 1867, not only Russia, but also another European country, Denmark, wanted to get rid of its overseas territory. The Danish king invited the Americans to buy the Virgin Islands lying in the warm Caribbean waters. Moreover, the Danes asked for about the same amount of money for their resort properties as the Russians for frosty Alaska - seven and a half million dollars. The amount may seem insignificant to some. But it's not that simple. In those days, the dollar had a slightly different real value and 7 million five hundred thousand dollars of the century before last, in terms of today’s money, equals 8 billion 700 million.

The American Congress thought for a long time. The fact is that there was not enough money in the treasury even for one transaction. And then Nature itself intervened in the course of events.

Nature's Help

A tropical hurricane hits the Virgin Islands. The damage was colossal. The capital of the Danish possessions, the city of Charlotte Amalie, was almost completely destroyed. The Virgin Islands, which seemed more attractive compared to the northern Russian territories, instantly lost their attractiveness. Naturally, no one wanted to pay seven and a half million for a dilapidated colony.

Having learned about what happened in the Virgin Islands, the then US Secretary of State William Seward intensified negotiations with the Russian ambassador Eduard Stoeckl, who was instructed by Alexander II to sell Alaska.

Despite such significant help from Nature, William Seward had to spend a lot of effort persuading Congress to fork out for this purchase, and the Russian envoy in Washington, Baron Steckl, had to actively bribe American high officials.

And yet the deal was completed. On March 29, 1867, the ambassador of Alexander II, Baron Eduard Andreevich Stekl, and the Secretary of State of the United States of America, William Seward, signed an agreement to sell Alaska to America for 7 million two hundred thousand dollars. As for the Virgin Islands, the pragmatic Seward remarked about them: “Let the Danes restore them first.” And so it happened. Denmark did part with its overseas possessions in 1917, selling the Virgin Islands for $25 million.

In America itself, the acquisition of Alaska was initially greeted without much enthusiasm. American newspapers, which scornfully called Alaska an “ice box,” a walrus garden,” and “Uncle Sam’s closet,” wrote that public money had been wasted. It was only when gold and oil were found in Alaska that the Americans realized that they had not been cheap. Currently, more than half of all American oil is produced in the 49th US state. But the same Russian settlers discovered oil fields here a century and a half ago.

Alaska was rented out?

In our country, there is a fairly widespread misconception among the people*, according to which Alaska was not sold to the Americans, but was leased to them for a hundred years. Apparently it's time to demand it back. Gentlemen, sad as it is, the train has already left and it is pointless to demand Alaska back. It was sold permanently, not leased, and there are relevant documents to prove it.

*Note: by the way, there is also an opinion among the people that the tsarist government wanted to buy these lands back, especially after gold was found in Alaska. However, historians reject such speculation. Perhaps some of the crowned persons had such thoughts, but this is not documented anywhere.

It is also sad that not all the money received for Alaska ended up in Russia. A significant portion of the $7.2 million was paid in gold. However, this money did not end up in the royal treasury. There was a riot on the ship Orkney, which was carrying precious cargo in the Baltic Sea. An attempt by a group of conspirators to seize gold ended in failure. But it is possible that the ship was damaged during the mutiny, since the Orkney sank along with its precious cargo. American gold still lies at the bottom of the sea.

It is also important that this deal turned out to be a turning point in terms of geopolitics. At one point, the balance in the Pacific power triangle of Russia - Britain - the United States was destroyed. Since then, the Americans have had a primary strategic position in this region. And they found it, as strange as it may seem now, with the help of Russia.

You have to be a truly great person to be able to resist even common sense.

Fyodor Mkhailovich Dostoevsky

The sale of Alaska is a unique transaction that was completed in 1867 between the governments of the Russian Empire and the United States. The deal was worth $7.2 million, which was transferred to the Russian government, which in return transferred 1.5 million square kilometers of territory to the United States. Surprisingly, to this day there are many legends and rumors surrounding this transaction, for example, such as how Alaska was sold by Catherine 2. Today we will take a detailed look at the sale of Alaska and understand all the nuances of this transaction.

Prerequisites for sale

Alaska was discovered in 1732 by Russian navigators Fedorov and Gvozdev. Initially, this territory was not of interest to the Russian emperor at all. It was of interest only to merchants who actively traded with local aborigines, buying valuable furs from them. Largely because of this, merchant settlements began to actively appear on the coast of the Bering Strait, organized by Russian sailors.

The situation around Alaska began to change in 1799, when this territory was officially recognized as part of the Russian Empire. The basis for this recognition was the fact that it was Russian navigators who first discovered this land. However, despite the official recognition of Alaska as part of Russia, the Russian government has not acquired any interest in this land. Likewise, the development of the region depends solely on merchants.

For the Russian Empire, this territory was important only as a source of income. Alaska sold furs, which were valued throughout the world. However, the manic desire of Russian merchants for profit led to the fact that this region became subsidized. The Empire had to spend hundreds of thousands of rubles to maintain this land.

Sales initiators

In 1853, the governor of eastern Siberia, Muravyov-Amursky, first made an official proposal about the need to sell Alaska as a subsidized region that did not have great national significance. According to the governor, the sale could help strengthen Russia’s position on the Pacific coast, which was very important in view of the real contradictions with England. In addition, it could significantly improve relations with the United States.

The main initiator of the sale of Alaska was Prince Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov. He approached his brother with a proposal to sell this land, highlighting the important reasons for this event:

• Discovery of gold in Alaska. Paradoxically, this positive discovery was presented to the emperor as a possible reason for war with England. Konstantin Romanov said that gold would certainly attract the British, so the land must either be sold or prepare for war.
• Poor development of the region. It was noted that Alaska is extremely underdeveloped and requires large investments, which the empire does not have.

Negotiation

The sale of Alaska was made possible thanks to good relations between the United States and Russia. This, as well as the fact of reluctance to negotiate with England, served as the basis for the start of negotiations between the two powers.

Baron Eduard Andreevich Stekl was entrusted with negotiating the sale. He was sent to negotiations, having written instructions from Alexander 2 about the sale amount - 5 million dollars. Even by today's standards, this amount seems large; if we talk about 1867, it was simply a colossal amount, because even 100 dollars was money that could only be found with a rich person.

The Russian ambassador decided to do otherwise and set the amount at $7.2 million. US President Andrew Johnson was critical of the original proposal, since there was no infrastructure at all on this land, and there were no roads. But there was gold...

The official powers of the ambassador were signed on March 18, 1867, and literally the next day negotiations began, which lasted 12 days. The negotiations took place in complete secrecy, so for all other world countries the sale of Alaska came as a big surprise.

The treaty for the sale of Alaska to the United States was signed on March 30, 1867. The document was signed in Washington. Under the terms of this agreement, Russia pledged to transfer Alaska, as well as the Aleutian Islands, to its partners. The treaty was ratified by the governments of both countries, and preparations began for the transfer of territory.

Transfer of Alaska from Russia to the USA

The transfer of Alaska took place on October 18, 1867, at 3:30 p.m. From that moment on, Alaska officially began to be considered a territory of the United States of America. The ceremony took place in Novoarkhangelsk, without pretentious decoration. In fact, it boiled down to the fact that the Russian flag was lowered and the US flag was raised. If we managed to cope with the first, then difficulties arose with the second. Historians note that while raising the American flag, he became entangled in the ropes. The sailors' attempts to untangle the flag led to them completely tearing it off and the flag falling, thereby disrupting the official part of the event.

As for the transfer of money, it was transferred to the Russian ambassador two months earlier.

Reaction of other countries

The sale of Alaska took place in complete secrecy. Subsequently, the official publication caused a real shock in England and France. Particularly indicative is the reaction of the English press, which announced a conspiracy between Russia and the United States, as well as unprecedented sympathy between the powers. This caused the British to be wary also because their North American colonies were now completely surrounded.

It is important to note the fact that the sale of Alaska played into the hands, first of all, of the Americans. It was from this time that the rise of the United States began.

It should be noted that back in 1866, the Russian emperor said that his country urgently needed capital. Many historians associate the fact of the sale of this land with this.

Where did the money go?

This is probably the most important question that many domestic historians ask regarding the sale of Alaska. Indeed, where did the money go that the empire so desperately needed? So, we have already said that the cost of selling Alaska was 7.2 million. Stekl, who led the negotiations, set himself 21 thousand, and he sent another 144 thousand to various senators as bribes. The remaining seven million were transferred to a London bank account in order to buy gold there. Conducting the financial transaction of selling rubles, buying pounds, selling pounds and buying gold cost the Russian government another 1.5 million. Thus, a convoy with gold totaling 5.5 million was sent from London to St. Petersburg. The gold was transported on the English frigate Orkney. But misfortune overtook him, and on July 16, 1868 the ship sank. The insurance company that accompanied the cargo declared bankruptcy and was unable to pay any compensation. Thus, the money from the sale of Alaska effectively disappeared. Many historians still doubt that the English ship actually carried gold, believing that the ship was empty.

Literature

• History of Russia 19th century. P.N. Zyryanov. Moscow, 1999 "Enlightenment".
• Russian-American relations: Alaska. N.N. Bolkhovitinov. Moscow, 1990 “Science”.
• How we lost Alaska. S.V. Fetisov. Moscow, 2014 “Biblio-Globus”.