The Black Russian

Abbreviations

Frederick — Frederick Bruce Thomas

Hedwig — Hedwig Thomas

Valli — Valentina “Valli” Thomas

Elvira — Elvira Jungmann; after 1918, Mrs. Elvira Thomas

BHC — British High Commissioner, Constantinople

USHC — United States High Commissioner, Constantinople

BSS — British Secretary of State

USSS — United States Secretary of State

AC — Atlanta Constitution

Am — Artisticheskii mir

As — Artist i stsena

Az — Artist i zritel’

B — Le Bosphore

BDG — Boston Daily Globe

BG — Boston Globe

CD — Chicago Daily

CDe — Chicago Defender

CDE — Columbus Daily Enquirer

CDM — Charleston Daily Mail

CDT — Chicago Daily Tribune

CM — Constantinople-Matin

CT — Chicago Tribune

DNT — Duluth News-Tribune

EN — Evening News

ES — Eastern Spectator/Le Spectateur d’Orient

HC — Hartford Courant

ICC — Iowa City Citizen

JO — Le Journal d’Orient

LAT — Los Angeles Times

MG — Manchester Guardian

Mv — Moskovskie vedomosti

Nrs — Novoe russkoe slovo

NYT — New York Times

NYTr — New York Tribune

ON — Orient News

P — Programma

Rezh — Restorannaia zhizn’

Rzh — Rampa i zhizn’

S — Stamboul

Sa — Stsena i arena

SFN — San Francisco Chronicle

Tg — Teatral’naia gazeta

Ti — Teatr i iskusstvo

Tk — Teatr i kino

VM — Vsia Moskva

Vp — Vecherniaia pressa

Vt — Var’ete i tsirk

WP — Washington Post

Prologue

1–2 Jenkins: Jenkins to USSS, April 6, 22, 1919; Burri on Odessa, CP Odessa, box 1, RG 84. conditions in Odessa: Papers Relating 1919, 751, 753; Munholland, 49–50, 53; Brygin, 478; Xydias, 302. d’Anselme: Munholland, 56–58; see also Margulies, 307; Kantorovich, 261; Kettle, 249–53; Priest, 90. Bagge: BHC to BSS, April 26, 1919; Bagge’s interview with d’Espèrey, April 20, 1919, FO 371/3964, 362–65, NA.

3–4 Frederick’s stolen passport: Frederick to Ravndal, May 10, 1921, CPI 337. Russian citizenship: petition to Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs, Aug. 2, 1914: RGIA f. 1284, op. 247, d. 26. 1914–1915 g.g. (5 pp.); application presented to Nicholas II and his approval: RGIA f. 1276 (Sovet ministrov), op. 17, d. 345, ll. 134–35 ob.

5–6 evacuation: Jenkins’s reports to USSS, CP Odessa, box 1, RG84. Olga: BHC to USHC, Feb. 26, 1920, DPT 411. Frederick’s loss of fortune, Odessa’s banks: Sackett; Gurko, 147; Kettle, 253. Jenkins’s reports to USSS, ibid. Bagge interview with d’Espèrey, April 20, 1919, and Bagge to Graham, May 8, 10, 12, 1919, Letter and memoranda on evacuation of Odessa, FO 371/3964, 362–97, NA.

7–8 Imperator Nikolay’s delays, d’Anselme’s announcement, London Hotel: Lobanov-Rostovsky, 332–33; Kettle, 253; Kantorovich, 263. confusion indescribable: Jenkins’s reports to USSS, CP Odessa, box 1, RG84; Silverlight, 207. Cooke: BHC to BSS, April 25, 1919; Cooke on evacuation of Odessa, FO 371/3964, 337–61, NA; Kettle, 254, 255–57. MLB, April 10, 1919, Special Report on Odessa Evacuation. Imperator Nikolay’s departure, Bolsheviks arrive, Odessa’s appearance: Jenkins’s reports to USSS, ibid. Lobanov-Rostovsky, 338; Kantorovich, 264; Tumanov, 85; Kettle, 256.

9–10 Imperator Nikolay and conditions: Lobanov-Rostovsky, 338; Kettle, 256. Bagge to Graham on evacuation of Odessa, FO 371/3964, 366–97, NA. Imperator Nikolay’s voyage: Chevilly to Haut Commissaire, April 7, 1919; Bigaut to Vincent, April 21, 1919; d’Espèrey to Haut Commissaire, April 6, 7, 16, 1919; Vincent to Poulon, April 22, 1919, Ankara (ambassade), lot no. 2, Haut-Commissariat français à Constantinople, année 1919, boxes 2, 38, CADN.

11–12 “delousing”: it was similar throughout the Constantinople area: Tumanov, 87; N. Kormilev, “Proshchai, Odessa! 2,” Nrs, May 8, 1975, 3; I. Gardner, “Bredovyi khorovod,” Nrs, July 15, 1977, 2.

13–14 d’Espèrey and French arrangements: d’Espèrey to Haut Commissaire, April 6, 16, 1919; Vincent to Poulon, April 22, 1919, Ankara (ambassade), lot no. 2, Haut-Commissariat français à Constantinople, année 1919, boxes 2, 38, CADN. Vincent to British Naval Attaché, April 14, 1919, FO 371/3964, 415–18. Bolsheviks in Odessa: Papers Relating 1919, 768; Gde obryvaetsia Rossiia, “Oblozhenie burzhuazii,” 272. Thomases arrive in Constantinople: DF. “nervous collapse”: Jenkins to USSS, “Urgent” telegram, May 29, 1919, Department of State, Decimal File, box 1460 (123J 411/65), RG 59.

15–16 Constantinople and Bosporus: “City of Minarets and Mud,” NYT, Nov. 5, 1922, 4, 13; “Constantinople, Where East Met West,” AC, Aug. 5, 1923, 21; Marcosson; Armstrong, 71–72.

Chapter One

1 “The Most Southern Place on Earth”: Cobb. Hannah and Lewis, November 4, 1872: information about Frederick’s parents and his date of birth is compiled from various sources: TT, CC, U.S. Census data for 1870 (the Thomas family was counted twice by mistake) and 1880, and his passport applications. they had been slaves: TT; Sackett. blacks outnumbered whites, most blacks owned nothing: 1870 U.S. Census, Schedule 1: Population, and Schedule 3: Productions of Agriculture, Coahoma and Tallahatchie Counties, Mississippi; Cobb, 30; Weeks, 34; Aiken, 9–10, 17.

2–3 1869 auction: CCR S, 19. Lewis was credited with having produced 48 bales of cotton by June 1, 1870 (U.S. Census, Schedule 3, Productions of Agriculture, District No. 5, Tallahatchie County, Mississippi), which means that he took possession of the land before the spring of 1869. Cheairs brothers: TT; Edwards, 1981, 6–7; Edwards, in Mabry, 1, 59. Cheairs family members were still active in the area in the 1880s and 1890s: Calvin Cheairs’ Executors v. Samuel D. Cheairs’ Administrators, 671; 1880 U.S. Census, Special Schedules of Manufactures, Nos. 7 and 8, District No. 110, Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. depression, land prices: Cobb, 54–55, 74; Willis, 45–46. Thomases’ first season: 1870 U.S. Census, Schedule 3, Tallahatchie, ibid.

4–5 Coahoma County’s appearance, character, settlement: Cobb, vii, 5, 8, 10, 14, 30, 43, 78; Weeks, 3, 9, 34; Bonner, 31–32; Edwards, 1980, 7. lives of the rich: Cobb, 16. lives of slaves, mosquitoes, black children’s mortality: Cobb, 20–22; 13, 45; Weeks, 7; Williamson, 47. slaves kept illiterate: Margo, 7–8.

6–7 freedmen, sharecropping, whites thwart land rental: Cobb, 51, 55, 60, 71; Aiken, 17; Williamson, 46.

8 Frederick’s siblings, parents: U.S. Censuses, 1870, 1880. In court documents filed in 1890 and 1891, India mentioned only Frederick and her daughter, his half sister, Ophelia.

9–10 Lewis’s character: see below, Memphis newspaper stories for October 1890; Dickerson v. Thomas (April 1890), 781. parents’ literacy: India was literate: CC, 1880 U.S. Federal Census for Coahoma County, MS. Lewis was illiterate: 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Tallahatchie County, MS. In all CC documents he “makes his mark.” names: Puckett; I am also grateful to Professor Glenda Gilmore for additional information. Bruce: Biographical Directory; “Blanche Kelso Bruce.”

11–12 Frederick’s childhood, hunting, fishing, wildlife: Cobb, 15, 44; Weeks, 7; Bonner, 32, 59, 2; Cohn, 1948, 26. smells and sounds: Bonner, 56–61, 128, 127; Oats, 2; Cohn, 1995, 2.

13–14 1870 census data: Schedule 3, Productions of Agriculture in District No. 5, Tallahatchie County. 48 bales: estimate based on data from 1870 census. hired hands: 1880 U.S. Census, Schedule 2, Productions of Agriculture in District 101, Coahoma County, shows “Key” and “Ralph Florida” in the Thomas household.

15–16 land transactions: CCR: I, 295–96; L, 229–30; Q, 69–70, 615–617; R, 269–270; S, 19–20, 306–307; V, 412–16; W, 258–59; CCR CC, 155–58. CCD 1: case 655, 317; case 900, 446. CCM 3: 113, 211, 249, 300, 365–66, 368, 378–80, 492–93, 510–11, 543–44, 582–83, 595–97, 628–29. CCM 4, 1893–1905: 33, 218, 221–23, 231–32. CCD [no number], Probate Side: 230, 510. CCI E: 282–85. white English partner: CCR L: 229–30; George Rudman: Ancestry.com, Incoming U.S. Passenger Lists, and 1880 U.S. Census.

17–18 Thomases donate land: CCR S: 306–7. blacks and churches: Aiken, 21; Lomax, 70; Wharton, 256–57, 262; Williamson, 47, 172–73. church a log cabin: Sydnor, 41. A.M.E. Church in Friars Point: Willie Oats Jr. to Florence Larson, Aug. 12, 1996, North. Cherry Hill church: Edwards, 1980; Edwards, in Mabry, 22; Nicholas, in Mabry, 33, 34; Brieger, 167. Cheairs brothers: Samuel and other family members are buried in the Cherry Hill Cemetery: Cemetery. churches in Mississippi: Williamson, 53; Aiken, 26; Wharton, 248; Weeks, 143. On white schools in Coahoma County in 1870, and the first white school in Clarksdale in 1884, see Weeks, 142. Bureau of Refugees: “Freedmen’s Bureau.” Black education: Wharton, 249; Margo, 6.

19–20 second major turning point: Dickerson v. Thomas (April 1890) and Dickerson v. Thomas (October 1890). Quoted phrases and specific details are drawn from the published reports. There are discrepancies between the state supreme court’s summary and the much more detailed account in CC; I have used both sets of documents. Dickerson’s wealth: Biographical and Historical Memoirs, 647–68. “it weren’t no use in climbin”: quoted by Sacks, 13.

21–22 Maynard and the Cutrer brothers: CCD 1: case 655, 317; Weeks, 92, 165–66. Cutrer’s crime was reported widely: “Slandered Once Too Often,” BDG, July 31, 1890, 4; “The Shooting of Editor F. F. Chew,” CDT, Aug. 1, 1890, 5; “An Editor Fatally Shot,” July 31, 1890, NYT, 5. Dickerson family’s roots: Weeks, vii, 73; U.S. Census Slave Schedule, 1860; U.S. Censuses, 1870, 1880. first scandal: Dickerson et al. v. Brown; Wallenstein, 82–84; Bercaw, 158–61. Before the Civil War, it was illegal in Mississippi to emancipate a child born to a female slave. Cheairs et al. v. Smith et al. refused to confirm a will in which a white planter attempted to free two mulatto children. $115,000: U.S. Census, 1870.

23–24 newspaper in Jackson: quoted in Bercaw, 160. Dickerson clan: U.S. Censuses 1880, 1900. Lewis’s case against Dickerson: CCD 1: case 655, 317; CCM 3: 113, 211, 249, 300, 365–66, 368, 378–80, 492–93; case also summarized: Dickerson v. Thomas (April 1890). boardinghouse: TT. court’s decision on April 19, 1889: CCM 3: 378–80. “misrepresentations”: Dickerson v. Thomas (April 1890), 783. courthouse location: Weeks, 175. Clarksdale’s founder: “John Clark,” in Biographical and Historical Memoirs, 553–54. Daniel Scott, warring factions: “A Mob in Mississippi,” BDG, July 8, 1887, 1. Dickerson and train station: Weeks, 73.

25–26 court’s “Opinion”: Dickerson v. Thomas (April 1890), 784, 781. “writ of assistance”: CCM 3: 492–93.

27–28 Thomases deed half their farm: CCR CC: 155-58. “lynchingest” state: Cobb, 91. Thomases move to Memphis in summer of 1890: this can be deduced from TT; Dow’s Memphis, 1891, 120–21; in Coahoma County, the verdict’s aftershocks lasted from April 1889 until October 1890, with a peak in June 1890. A Shelby County death record indicates that Lewis had been a Memphis resident since 1887; this seems to be an error, although it is possible that he visited the city more than once.

29–30 sixty thousand, largest cotton market, 1866 race riot, lynchings increase. Dow’s Memphis, 1889, 47; Bond and Sherman, 46, 70–71. rented a house: Memphis Avalanche, Oct. 29, 1890, 1. Dow’s Memphis,1891, 920–921. house and its location: Insurance Maps of Memphis, 1888 and 1897. Lewis’s work: Dow’s Memphis, 1891, 920–21, and advertisement following 968; TT; Memphis newspaper articles (see below).

31–32 Frederick’s job: TT. Weir’s market: Dow’s Memphis,1891, 968. Howe Institute: TT, in which he refers to the school as “Howe’s University”; Bond and Sherman, 94; Annals, 162. Eastbrook was principal c. 1888–1892. Howe curriculum: Bond and Sherman, 42, 71, 94; LeMoyne Normal Institute, 1883–1884, which probably resembled Howe’s a half dozen years later.

33–34 boarders at Lewis and India’s house, events that followed: local newspapers provided extensive and often lurid coverage: Memphis Appeal, Oct. 29, 1890, 4; Oct. 31, 1890, 5; Memphis Avalanche, Oct. 29, 1890, 1; Oct. 31, 1890, 1; Nov. 2, 1890, 11; Memphis Public Ledger, Oct. 28, 1890, 1; Oct. 29, 1890, 2; Nov. 1, 1890, 5; Memphis Daily Commercial, Oct. 29, 1890, 5; Oct. 31, 1890, 5. There are some discrepancies among the accounts. In a number of instances, I quote or repeat the exact wording of the newspaper stories.

35–36 supreme court’s explanation: Dickerson v. Thomas (October 1890), 158. India’s petition: CCM: 510–11; CCD Probate Side: case 431, 230. her revival of lawsuit: CCM 3: 543-44. case’s convolutions: CCM 3: 595–97, 628–29; there is some confusion in the court documents regarding the size and location of the property. In 1891, India revived a second lawsuit that Lewis had begun against James A. Peace: CCR Q: 69–70; CCM 3: case 900, 582–83; Weeks, 32, 61, 63, 83. Dickerson’s death: CCM 4: case 655, 218; U.S. Census 1880. Coahoma County Chancery Court’s decision: CCM 4: 221–23, 231–32; CCI E: 282–85. India in Memphis: presumably with Ophelia, she moved to a smaller house at 417 Clay Street: Polk’s Memphis Directory for 1892, 963, 1108, 1148; Insurance Maps of Memphis, 1897. India moved to Louisville: she worked for the family of William C. Kendrick: Caron’s Directory 1893, 616, 1092; 1894, 616, 1089; 1895, 604, 1078; 1896, 646, 1154 (her name is given erroneously as “Indiana”). Frederick’s “desire to travel”: TT.

Chapter Two

1–2 Frederick left the South: in those years, young black men from the country who left home usually sought work in southern cities; Williamson, 59. Arkansas character: Nordhoff, 37. “drifted,” St. Louis, 1890: TT. St. Louis: http://stlouis.missouri.org/heritage/History69/#golden. Chicago’s history, character: Spear, 1–4, 140–41. blacks in Chicago: Reed, Black Chicago’s First Century, 65, 230, 241, 249, 359. Gallagher: TT; Chicago by Day and Night, 208; The Lakeside Annual Directory, 1889, 655; 1890, 2573; 1891, 843; 1893, 1947. Auditorium Hotel: TT; “Two Jolts for Jack Johnson,” CDT, Nov. 2, 1912, 8; Auditorium, 11ff., 77, 86.

3–4 Columbian Exposition, Panic of 1893: Bogart and Mathews, 394–401, 398–99. Frederick in New York: TT. New York: Wilder, 116–19, 269 n. 29; Sacks, 3–5, 22–23, 26, 32–36, 42–43, 45–46. blacks and Brooklyn: Harris, 279–288.

5–6 Clarendon Hotel: TT; Brooklyn Daily, 1894, 105. Williams: TT; Slide, 559; Trow’s New York City Directory, 1894, 1506. Herman: TT. Frederick’s singing: Penn, 24–28.

7 ships, travel abroad: TT; “Marine Intelligence,” NYT, for Sept. and later months, 1894; Baedeker, London, 1898, 2. Frederick’s departure, arrival in England: passport applications; UK Incoming Passenger Lists, Oct. 16, 1894, Ancestry.com; Baedeker, London, 2-3.

8–9 The English and racial prejudice: “The Negro Abroad,” BDG, Feb. 2, 1902, 44; “Victoria’s Black Knight,” NYTr, July 30, 1893, 18. prejudiced American: “The Negro’s Paradise,” CDT, Sept. 26, 1891, 10. Drysdale: “London Overrun with Dark-Skinned Colonials,” NYT, June 20, 1897, 20.

10–11 “Conservatory of Music”: TT. Frederick may have been referring to the “West London Conservatoire of Music,” which did provide training in voice as well as instrumental music: The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, Aug. 1, 1896, 508. boardinghouse, restaurant: TT. India’s mortgage: CCR E: 282–85.

12–13 Paris: TT. letter of introduction: Eustis to Police Prefect, July 12, 1895, DP France 588, RG 84. ferries: Baedeker, London, 1898, 5. learning French: Baedeker, Paris, xi. Frederick confident and extroverted: see Lloyd, 47, who makes this point about another black man learning French well. Frederick’s addresses: Frederick’s 1896 passport application, Eustis to Police Prefect, ibid.

14–15 Johnson: quoted in Lloyd, 38–39. French less class-conscious: Abbott, 27, 8; Life and Labour, 149–50; Elson, 279. romantic possibilities: “Negroes Have a Chance,” EN, Dec. 28, 1898, 7.

16–17 passport, ambassador and son are southerners: March 17, 1896, Emergency Passport Applications, 1877–1907, NARA microfilm publication M1834, roll 11. “Death of James B. Eustis,” NYT, Sept. 10, 1899, 11. Brussels, Ostend, Cannes, Restaurant Cuba, Germany: TT; Baedeker, Belgium, 193; Baedeker, South-Eastern France, 257–58. German discipline: Vecchi, 20–23, 24.

18–19 Drysdale in Monaco: his first article that mentions Frederick: “A Glimpse of Monte Carlo,” March 6, 1898 [dated Feb. 10], 16; I repeat some of Drysdale’s turns of phrase verbatim. Drysdale born in Pennsylvania: “William Drysdale Dead,” NYT, Sept. 21, 1901, 7. romanticized South: Sacks, 43–45. Frederick’s real name: evidence that “George” is actually Frederick is compiled from various sources: Penn, 28–30; TT; Frederick’s passport applications and early photographs; Drysdale, “Gambling at High Noon,” NYT, March 20, 1898, 17. Pullman porters: Reed, Black Chicago’s First Century, 194–95. Frederick’s French: Drysdale, “Monaco a Venerable City,” NYT, April 3, 1898, 16. language study: Abbott, 37–38. Frederick about locals’ abilities: Drysdale, “Monte Carlo and Monaco,” NYT, March 13, 1898, 16.

20–21 Frederick left for Italy: TT; “Monaco a Venerable City,” NYT, April 3, 1898 [dated March 7], 16. grand duke: Penn, 29–30. authoritarian Russian Empire: Heyking, 51–55. Frederick’s passport: May 13, 1899, Emergency Passport Applications, 1877–1907, NARA microfilm publication M1834, roll 14, Vol. 22, NARA.

22 Dreyfus: Merriman, 810–12. Russian peasants: Riasanovsky, 409–15.

Chapter Three

1–2 Arrival formalities, customs, surveillance, uniforms, train to Moscow: Baedeker, Russia, xviii–xxi; Troyat, 13–17; De Windt, 2–3; Holmes, 7 –11; Fussell, 16–17.

3–4 first year in Russia: TT; B.P.S., “Moskovskii obzor var’ete i tsirka,” Vt, Oct. 1, 1912, 5. St. Petersburg, Odessa, Moscow: Baedeker, Russia, 99, 89, xvi, 395, 277. Moscow’s churches: Putevoditel’ po Moskve, 323. Bonaparte: Tolstoy, 871, gives a historically accurate description. Kremlin, “nothing above Moscow”: Baedeker, Russia, 278.

5–6 “soundscape”: Williams, xv–xvi; Shneider, 79. electric tramway, horsepower: Il’in and Kagan, 40. Muscovites’ appearance: Baedeker, Russia, 277; De Windt, 26–27; Shneider, 81; Wood, 111. Russians’ Asiatic streak: Schimmelpenninck, 3–4. black people in Russia: see Blakely’s indispensable study.

7 McKay: McKay, 1924, 114, 115; McKay, 1923, 65. Harris: Talmadge, 247. See also “Episkop-negr”; Drape, 114; Hotaling, 91. For black performers in Russia, see Lotz. “Southern woman”: “Constantinople Cafe Owned by Southern Negro,” CDE, Oct. 7, 1922, 7.

8–9 Frederick’s addresses, Triumphal Square: Il’in and Kagan, 42; Il’in, 134, 141-42; Frederick’s passport application, June 29, 1907, CPM 534. valet: Marcosson, 44; “Russian Nobility Now Work for Ex-Servant in Turkey,” CDe, April 12, 1924, A1; Kitchen, 88. Hedwig, marriage, children: Frederick’s wedding: TsIAM, f. 1476, op. 2, d. 14, l. 311 ob.; Hedwig’s passport application, Dec. 17, 1909, CPM 534. Chukhinsky Lane: VM 1901, 453, 272, 393, 1112. provincial feel: Il’in and Kagan, 49–50.

10–11 Aquarium: “Staryi Moskvich”; Dmitriev, 20; Radunskii, 49; Monakhov, 36–38; Kriger, 168; Anisimov, 84–88. Aumont: Uvarova, “Var’ete,” 106; Ruga and Kokorev, 426.

12–13 Trukhanova: Trukhanova, 23, 48–49, 52, 53, 57, 58–59.

14–15 Russo-Japanese War, American historian: Riasanovsky, 445–47. Russo-American relations: Saul, 1991, 339–96; 1996, 484–85, 509–11. anti-Chinese racism: Daniels, 3, 12–26. “unbecoming for Americans to criticize”: Herring, 352; Saul, 1996, 476–77, 523–27.

16–17 1905 Revolution: Riasanovsky, 450–51; Merriman, 789–91. siege of the Aquarium, Moscow: Engelstein, 49, 197–98, 220; Ascher, 315–22. ambassador’s telegram: Despatches from United States, reel 65, Dec. 11, 1905. killings and executions: Riasanovsky, 458; Fitzpatrick, 35.

18–19 numbers of Americans: Despatches from United States, reel 65, Dec. 26, 1905. Frederick’s explanation a dozen years later: DF. more detailed variant: “Many Ugly Women Still Retain the Veil,” CDM, Aug. 13, 1926, 2. Berlin ties: American Consulate, Danzig, to American Embassy, Berlin: Sept. 13, 1909, CP Danzig 17, p. 25, RG 84. Frederick’s Sept. 14, 1909, passport application has a note explaining his reasons for going to Germany (Emergency Passport Applications, 1907–1910, Vol. 1, Germany, RG 59). Frederick may have had a restaurant in Berlin: “Two Jolts for Jack Johnson,” CDT, Nov. 2, 1912, 8.

20–21 Aumont’s problems: Uvarova, “Var’ete,” 106; Dmitriev, 20; Kriger, 173–74. Yar, Sudakov: Uvarova, “Yar”; Maksimov and Kokorev, 91–92, 125, 127, 195, 196, 200, 209, 211, 213. Frederick moved family: VM 1911, 571; VM 1901, 89; VM 1917, 101. racetrack: Maksimov and Kokorev, 131. airplanes: Palmer, 18. Natruskin: Maksimov and Kokorev, 91–92; Rzh, Nov. 1, 1913, 6; Nov. 15, 1913, 7–9; Dec. 1, 1913, 6–7. Ruga and Kokorev, 414. tribute to Sudakov, celebration: Maksimov and Kokorev, 194–202.

22–23 Gaisberg: Gaisberg, 34; Moore, 161; Borovsky, 546–48. Gaisberg makes some mistakes about Frederick. extravagant sprees: Maksimov and Kokorev, 223–24. Norton: Roy Norton, “Spendthrifts,” NYTr, July 6, 1913, SM 3–4, 19; quotation from p. 4. Norton makes some mistakes about Frederick.

24–25 Irma: TsIAM, f. 1476, op. 2, d. 24, ll. 5 ob.–6; Translation, Pastoral Certificate, Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, Moscow, CPI 337 (Corresp. 1921). Hedwig’s death: Report, American Consular Service, Moscow, Feb. 10, 1910, Numerical and Minor Files of the Department of State, 1906–1910, NARA Microfilm Publication M 862, roll 1152, RG 59; Interview, June 18, 2009; Frederick’s descendants did not know the real name of his first wife. Garrigues, “Abnormal Labor,” 376 ff; Wilcox, 197–206.

26–27 Valli: TsIAM, f. 1476, op. 2, d. 22, ll. 255 ob.–256; her relations with Frederick are documented extensively in DV. The spelling of her first name varies in the documents, depending on transliteration. terrorism and violence: Tuminez, 140–41.

Chapter Four

1–2 Aquarium’s reopening: As, Nov.–Dec. 1911, 5; Serpoletti, 54/56; P, July 1912, 10–12; As, May 1 [?], 1911, 11–12; As, Sept.–Oct. 1910, 18; Dmitriev. Aumont’s curse: As, June [?] 1911, no. 5, 14. As appeared irregularly; when the month is uncertain, I give it with a question mark. Martynov’s first name and patronymic: VM 1901, 273; VM 1917, 319. Tsarev was maître d’hôtel: As, July–Aug. [?] 1911, no. 15, 7. Frederick’s trip: Am, Feb. 1912, 1, 2; Am, March 1912, 2; Frederick’s passport application, 7 March 1912, DP Berlin 352, RG 84. His trip very likely resembled that of Yakov Shchukin (owner of the Hermitage Garden in Moscow, and Aquarium’s only real competitor [Uvarova, “Ermitazh,” 764–65]), described by Monakhov, 117–21. Frederick paid too much: Gamma, “Akvarium,” P, July 1912, 11–12. Duncan and Brooks: CDe, Feb. 3, 1923, 13.

3–4 Aquarium’s first season: Am, May 1912, 3, 17. journalists covering Moscow theatrical life: Am, June 1912, 2, 3; Gamma, “Akvarium,” P, July 1912, 10–12; Vt, Oct. 1, 1912, 4. other entertainment venues in Moscow: Baedeker, Russia, 273–74.

5–6 frequent visitor: Rezh, May 15, 1913, 4.

7–8 Lockhart: Lockhart, 70–72; he mistakenly refers to Frederick as “British.”

9–10 Frederick rich: Am, Sept. 1912, 5. Gamma on Frederick’s race: “Akvarium,” P, July 1912, 10–12. Chicagoans: “Two Jolts for Jack Johnson,” CDT, Nov. 2, 1912, 8.

11–12 September 1912: Am, Sept. 1912, 5. “Skating-Palace”: advertisement, P, Oct. 1912, 24. “Chanticleer” and Adel: Serpoletti, 57/59; P, July 1912, 15; Am, Sept. 1912, 12; Tg, Feb. 9, 1914, 12; Vt, Feb. 28, 1914, 8–9. Muscovites cheered: Am, Sept. 1912, 12; As, May [?] 1912, No. 10, 16; Vt: Oct. 1, 1912, 6; Oct. 27, 1912, 5; Nov. 10, 1912, 6. “Maxim,” renovations: Am, Oct. 1912, 2; “Ob otsenke vladeniia, prinadlezhashchego sukonnoi i kozhevennoi fabriki ‘Alekseia Bakhrushina Synov’ia,’” TsIAM, f. 179, op. 62, d. 16118, l. 10; “Maksim,” 1912, TsIAM, f. 179, op. 63, d. 16142, ll. 1, 3; by mid-October interior ready: Vt, Oct. 14, 1912, 6. Duncan and Brooks: CDe, Feb. 3, 1923, 13. October 20 opening: Vt, Oct. 20, 1912, 5; Am, Oct. 1912, 2. The original Russian jingle reads “Poidu k Maksimu ia, / Tam zhdut menia druz’ia.”

13–14 complication: Vt, Oct. 14, 1912, 6. churches: 1902 and 1914 maps of Moscow. church hierarchs: e.g., Vt, April 6, 1914, 12. Moscow’s secular authorities: Mv, Sept. 11, 1913, 2. Adel’s difficulties: Rezh, Sept. 13, 1913, 7; Rzh, June 13, 1910, 395. Adrianov: Dzhunkovskii, II, 65. “someone” not named: Rezh, Sept. 13, 1913, 7; Kitchen, 89–90, reports that Frederick told him of friendly relations with several grand dukes. Maxim’s opening: Rzh, Nov. 11, 1912, 9; Am, Nov. 1912, 7. “first-class variety theater”: Am, Nov. 1912, inside front cover.

15–16 Frederick’s ads: e.g., Rzh, Nov. 25, 1912, 3. “Salon Café Harem”: Shneider, 85; Rezh, Sept. 13, 1913, 7; Tg, Sept. 29, 1913, 2. one commentator: Rezh, Sept. 13, 1913, 7; April 1, 1913, 8.

17–18 pneumonia: P, June 1912, 14. Frederick’s relations with Valli: Interviews, Nov. 8, 2006, and June 16, 18, 2009. The Thomass family’s oral history differs significantly from what can be reconstructed about Frederick’s life on the basis of published and unpublished documents. wedding: there are somewhat different dates, and Moscow is the location, in different sources: Jan. 5, 1913, TsIAM, f. 1476, op. 2, d. 22, ll. 255 ob.–256; Jan. 22, 1913, DV. photograph: Valli to Ravndal, Feb. 13, 1922, CPI 352.

19–20 moved family: the addresses were 39 Bolshoy Kozikhinsky Street: VM 1913, 575; and a building belonging to the Saint Ermolay Church, Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya Street: Spravochnaia kniga o litsakh, 273. eight-room apartment: Sa, Feb. 15, 1915, 15; Dunn, 421; VM 1916, 361; VM 1917, 491. education in Russia: Thurston, 158, 160. foreign languages, servant beating: Interview, Nov. 8, 2006; the Thomass family history has the servant die as a result, with Frederick covering it up, which seems implausible.

21–22 Elvira: Valli to Ravndal, Feb. 13, 1922, CPI 352; Elvira to Allen, March 8, 1933, CPI 443; TT; Reynolds, 52; “In the Days of the High Commissioners,” Asia, Dec. 1923, 952; “Turkish Delight,” Outlook, Oct. 25, 1922, 329; Argus. dancer and singer: “Negro Lost Fortune in Russia,” BDG, May 14, 1926, 7; “Russian Princesses and Duchesses Earn a Living in Constantinople,” Syracuse Herald, Oct. 7, 1922, 3. Gerlach: http://www.tpa-project.info/body_index.html. American cowgirl: Vt, Dec. 25, 1913, 10. Elvira’s languages: Elvira to Allen, March 8, 1933, see above, and July 22, 1935, DPT 629; ON, June 16, 25, 1920, 4; “Spectacles et Concerts,” S, June 17, June 20, July 8, 1920, 3; Elvira’s announcement of Frederick’s death, S, June 13, 1928, 3. Frederick and Elvira’s affair: the birth of their first son in September 1914 indicates that the affair began no later than Jan. 1914: Frederick’s Passport Application, Sept. 15, 1921, DF. Frederick Jr.’s birth date: ibid.; and Dept. of State to American Consul, Istanbul, Jan. 17, 1931, DPT 430. Bruce’s birth date: given as April 12, 1915, in Frederick’s Passport Application, Sept. 15, 1921, DF, and in Dept. of State to American Consul, Istanbul, Jan. 17, 1931, above. But this must be a mistake if Frederick Jr.’s birth date is correct, because there is less than nine months’ time between them.

23 businesses with Tsarev: Rezh, May 15, 1913, 3, and June 10, 1913, 6; Tg, Sept. 29, 1913, 2. Martynov: Vt, July 1, 1913, 3; Am, Sept. 1913, 4. Theatrical Stock Company: Rezh, June 10, 1913, 6; Jan. 15, 1914, 7-8; Tg, June 1, 1914, 6–7; “Svedeniia,” RGIA, f. 1276, op. 17, d. 345, l. 135 ob.

24–25 Kitchen: Kitchen, 87–90.

26–27 music agreement, Konsky: Konsky’s pursuit of Frederick is detailed in letters that he wrote to his employer during the period 1913–1917: CADN, Fonds Saint-Pétersbourg, Série cartons et registres, Numéro d’article 538, pp. 204–7, 212, 213, 244–47, 249, 251, 279–85, 287, 302, 303, 347, 372, 378, 401, 402, 406, 407, 458.

28–29 “the most famous,” Jack Johnson: Ken Burns in his documentary film Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2005), quoted in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Johnson_(boxer). Johnson and the Mann Act: Langum, 179–86. Frederick’s offer: “Moscow, Russia, Offers Jack Johnson His Only Chance to Fight Again,” SFN, Oct. 30, 1912, 13; “Jack Johnson Wants to Leave City of Chicago,” DNT, Nov. 1, 1912, 1; “This Is Tough on Chicago,” Kansas City Star, Nov. 1, 1912, 5B; “Johnson Will Go to Russia,” Grand Forks (North Dakota) Daily Herald, Nov. 2, 1912, 2; “Two Jolts for Jack Johnson,” CDT, Nov. 2, 1912, 8; “Johnson’s Saloon Closed,” NYT, Nov. 2, 1912, 1; “Jack Johnson Signs for Fight in Russia,” EN (San Jose, California), Nov. 1, 1912, 5. Klegin, “in the hands of”: “Johnson Would Go to Russia,” LAT, Oct. 25, 1912, III3 (dispatch dated Oct. 23). picked up by the foreign press: e.g., “Jack Johnson Charged with Abduction,” MG, Oct. 19, 1912, 18; “Attempt to Lynch Jack Johnson,” Observer (England), Oct. 20, 1912, 9; untitled note, Le Figaro (France), Oct. 19, 1912, 1. “negro named Thomas”: “Two Jolts for Jack Johnson,” ibid.

30–31 Johnson in Russia: Johnson, 92; Mv, July 12/25, 1914, 4. It is possible that Frederick met Johnson earlier in Western Europe: Tg, March 23, 1914, 12. Johnson mistakenly refers to “George” rather than “Frederick.” In addition to Johnson’s own mistakes and exaggerations about Frederick, even more egregious ones are reported by deCoy, 180–83.

Chapter Five

1–2 aftermath of 1905 war: Riasanovsky, 472–74, 479–82; McMeekin, xvi–xviii. Sarajevo, war: Merriman, 964 ff; Riasanovsky, 464. “blood and faith”: Mv, July 16/29, 1914, 3.

3–4 Frederick’s petition: RGIA, f. 1284, op. 247, d. 26. 1914–1915. Adrianov’s note: RGIA, Departament obshchikh del (1811–1917 gg.), f. 1284, op. 247, d. 26. 1914–1915. form at heart of petition: RGIA, Sovet ministrov (1905–1917 gg.), f. 1276, op. 17, d. 345, l. 135 ob. Nicholas’s approval: RGIA, f. 1276 (Sovet ministrov), op. 17, d. 345, ll. 45, 46, 47, 50, 134, 135 ob.

5–6 Frederick’s passport renewal: June 24, 1914, Emergency Passport Applications Filed at Diplomatic Posts Abroad, RG59. Thomas family history: Interviews. youngest sons recognized: State Department to Consul General, Istanbul, Sept. 17, 1935, Decimal File, 367.1115–Thomas, Bruce and Frederick/2, RG 59. Valli’s 1916 application: July 27/Aug. 9, 1916, DV.

7–8 Moscow demonstrations: Mv, July 16/29, 1914, 3. German economic ties: Raffalovich, 311. benefit evening: Rzh, Aug. 16/29, 1914, 1, 4; Tg, Aug. 17/30, 1914, 2.

9–10 Germans outside Paris: Merriman, 975–77, 986–88; Riasanovsky, 464. trainloads of prisoners: “Austria’s Heavy Losses,” Scotsman, Sept. 9, 1914, 6.

11–12 prohibition, U.S. Senate request: Kurukin and Nikulina, 224–30; Herlihy, 64–65; Johnson, Liquor, 194–95, 202–4. observers concluded that Russians embraced sobriety: “One Man’s Work Sobers Russia,” NYTr, Nov. 19, 1914, 3; “Exit Vodka,” Mg, Dec. 7, 1914, 5; “Russia Without Vodka,” Mg, March 10, 1915, 12; “Russians Sell Last Belongings for Liquor,” HC, Nov. 15, 1914, 3. Muscovites’ legal method: “The Truth About Vodka,” Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Circular, March 25, 1915, 391. illegal stills: “Russia Without Vodka,” Mg, ibid.; “Russia Totally ‘Dry,’” WP, Jan. 2, 1915, 3.

13–14 bribing, bootlegging, drinking: Al’perov, 381–82; Maksimov and Kokorev, 237–39. Zhichkovsky: Kurukin and Nikulina, 228–30; name and patronymic are from VM 1917, 181. French champagne: Alekseev, 89. Frederick’s success: Am, Aug. 1915, 2; Ti, June 28, 1915, 463.

15–16 January 1915, Przemyśl: Griffiths, 54. Ottoman Empire, Constantinople: Riasanovsky, 464–66. “For the Russian Army”: Rzh, Jan. 18, 1915, 8; Feb. 1, 8, 1915, 3; Tg, Feb. 8, 1915, 5. Maxim shut: Am, April 1915, 4. Maxim had also been briefly shut down in the fall of 1914, but by January 1915, it was back in business and reported doing very well: Am, Jan. 1915, 5. Frederick continued to “prepare energetically”: Am, April 1915, 4. Bruce’s birth: Frederick’s Passport Application, 15 Sept. 1921, DF.

17–18 Serpoletti: Am, April 1915, 7–8. Serpoletti’s story: I. Yadov [the surname derives from “poisonous”], “‘Evropeets.’ Direktor iz Petrograda,” Am, April 1916, 8.

19–20 German advance, “mad bacchanalia”: Merriman, 988; “Tobacco for the Soldier”: Rzh, May 19, 1915, 10; Mv, May 20, 1915, 3; May 21, 1915, 3 (Frederick’s surname mistakenly given as “Tomson”); Sa, June 2, 1915, 9, 12. merchants’ philanthropy: Ul’ianova and Shatsillo, 22.

21–22 rampaging mobs, political cost: Mv, May 31, 1915, 4; Dzhunkovskii, II, 59–61, 563–66. English eyewitness: Houghteling, 48. Zimmermann’s store: Al’perov, 369; Dzhunkovskii, II, 562–63. damage estimate: “Blames Germans for Riots in Russia,” NYT, Oct. 19, 1915, 3.

23–24 war’s first anniversary, grand duke’s dismissal, Gallipoli: Merriman, 990; Riasanovsky, 466–67. Ciniselli Circus: Tg, June 7, 1915, 8. oldest building of its kind in Russia: “Sankt-Peterburg Entsiklopediia,” http://www.encspb.ru/article.php?kod=2804016386; http://petersburgcity.com/family/theatres/circus/; http://www.ruscircus.ru/glav21. auction: Tg, June 7, 1915, 8; Ti, Dec. 15, 1915, 945–46; Am, Dec. 1915, 3; March 1916, 3; Sa, Dec. 26, 1915, 19–20.

25–26 Odessa: Baedeker, Russia, 386, 395–96. Frederick’s trips: Tk, Feb. 6, 1916, 5–6; April 2, 1916, 7; July 16, 1916, 9; July 30, 1916, 9. villa: Am, March 1917, 5.

27–28 war’s second year: Ti, Sept. 6, 1915, 661; Ti, Sept. 13, 1915, 694; Ti, Sept. 20, 1915, 705; Am, Oct., 1915, 5; Sa, Oct. 5, 1915, 13; Sa, Dec. 25, 1915, 16; Sa, May 14, 1916, 16; Am, Oct. 1916, 2; Maksimov and Kokorev, 246–47. wartime impositions: Ti, Nov. 1, 1915, 307–8; Ti, Nov. 8, 1915, 838; Ti, Dec. 6, 1915, 919; Vt, Dec. 25, 1916, 7; Ti, Jan. 31, 1916, 95; Ti, Feb. 14, 1916, 134. Tsaritsa Alexandra: Riasanovky, 466–67; “ministerial leapfrog”: Waldron, 34.

29–30 tango craze: Vt, Dec. 25, 1913, 10; Tg, Jan. 12, 1914, 12; Vt, Jan. 15, 1914, 4; Rzh, Feb. 23, 1914, 3; Am, March 1914, 13; Rzh, March 23, 1914, inside front cover. “kingdom of the tango”: Vt, Dec. 25, 1913, 10. “Tango of Death”: Sheremet’evskaia, 24–25; “Wilhelm’s Bloody Tango”: Jahn, 103. “Cocainomaniacs”: Vt, Dec. 25, 1915, 6. Vertinsky: Tg, Jan. 3, 1916, 7–8; Vt, Jan. 1917, 6. “Kokainetka”: Vertinsky, 78. “Hashish Tango”: Tg, March 3, 1918, 6.

31–32 military losses, striking workers: Merriman, 1019, 1021–22; Burdzhalov, 29; Peimani, 194; Monkhouse, 51. Rasputin: Dzhunkovskii, II, 555, 563; Varlamov, 457–70; Radzinskii, 330–34. Frederick and Rasputin: deCoy, 180–83.

33–34 “Brusilov Offensive”: Dowling, xv; Bohon, 147; Jukes, 45. shortages: Ti, Oct. 9, 1916, 829, 820. theaters packed: Sa, Jan. 10, 1916, 15. Frederick leases theaters: Ti, Jan. 10, 1916, 32; Rzh, Jan. 31, 1916, 9; Tg, April 3, 1916, 5; Rzh, April 10, 1916, 13; Tg, Jan. 1, 1917, 6; Tg, Feb. 5, 1917, 3. Frederick rewards employees: Am, Jan. 1917, 7; Ti, Jan. 1, 1917, 6; Sa, Jan. 17, 1917, 6.

35–36 buildings purchased, previous owners: Am, March 1917, 5. “Ob otsenke vladeniia, prinadlezhashchego Brus-Tomas Fedoru Fridrikhovichu, byvshemu grazhdaninu Severo-Amerikanskikh shtatov, Sretenskoi chasti 1 uchastka No. 216/204 po Karetnomu riadu, Srednemu i Malomu Spasskim pereulkam, d. 2, 1, 2”: TsIAM, “Fond Moskovskikh gorodskikh dumy i upravy,” f. 179, op. 63, d. 12896, l. 1–4; TsANTDM, Plan vladenii kniazei Kantakuzinykh, grafov Speranskikh, f. 1, op. 13, ed. kh. 109, d. 19, l. 5 ob. “Miss Julia Grant Married,” NYT, Sept. 25, 1899, 7. 425,000 rubles: by Feb. 12, 1917, the exchange rate had dropped from 2 to 3.3 rubles to the dollar: Houghteling, 25.

Chapter Six

1–2 February Revolution, “hardly a whimper”: Merriman, 1022–30; Riasanovsky, 505–8.

3–4 Moscow demonstrations: Sack, 235–36; Pisar’kova, 583. “Liberty Parade,” men of property endangered: Houghteling, 174–78; Rieber, 405; Okunev, 19. “Order Number One”: Kenez, History, 18–19; Merriman, 1026–27.

5–6 Moscow theatrical life: Dadamian, 161; Tg, March 12, 1917, 6, 9. Merchant of the First Guild: TsIAM, Fond moskovskoi kupecheskoi upravy, “O prichislenii v kupechestvo byvshego severo-amerikanskogo poddanogo Fedora-Fridrikha Tomasa s docher’iu Ol’goiu” (1917 god), f. 3, op. 4, d. 4678, ll. 1–3. Frederick’s designation: Rieber, 13, 36, 87, 124; Ul’ianova and Shatsillo, 20.

7–8 calamitous historical events: Merriman, 1030–33; Riasanovsky, 508–11. Frederick and Moscow Soviet: Tg, Sept. 17, 1917, 5; Az, Oct. 1, 1917, 12; Rzh, Oct. 8, 1917, 9; Tg, Oct. 17, 1917, 10. Frederick first to align himself: Tg, Oct. 25, 1917, 10. Maxim leased: Tg, Sept. 24, Oct. 17, 1917, 1; Rzh, Oct. 1, 22, 1917, inside front cover.

9–10 Bolsheviks strike: Riasanovsky, 511–12, 528; Merriman, 1033–37; “The Fall of Kerensky,” 305; Pitcher, 238-39. Englishman: Monkhouse, 61.

11–12 November 10 and 20, horrified city dweller: Okunev, 99–100, 104, 106; Van Riper, 176–78. Kremlin damaged: Rzh, Nov. 19, 1917, 7; Okunev, 106. American described: Van Riper, 183. anxious time: Monkhouse, 62. Maxim’s old repertory: Rzh, Oct. 8, 22, Nov. 19, Dec. 3, 16, 1917, inside front cover; Jan. 1918, 1. Aquarium’s high-minded fare: Tg, Nov. 21, 1917, 6.

13–14 Bolshevik cease-fire, Brest-Litovsk: Riasanovsky, 528–29; Merriman, 1037. American visitor, Bolsheviks hated Americans: Van Riper, 177, 182.

15–16 Valli’s lover: Frederick to Ravndal, American Consul General, Constantinople, 10 May 1921, CPI 337. Germans in Odessa: Papers Relating, 1918, 676. Frederick’s application denied, permission for Elvira: Sackett. Frederick’s acquaintance: Dunn, 421. Frederick’s near-murder: Frederick to Ravndal, 10 May 1921, ibid. (Frederick’s spelling preserved). revision of family laws: The Marriage Laws, 5, 42, 36, 55. Frederick divorces, remarries: TT, Frederick to Ravndal, 10 May 1921, ibid.

17–18 Whites: Riasanovsky, 532. anarchist groups: Okunev, 168. Russians hoped Germans would occupy: “Making Allies Out of Enemies,” Independent, May 31, 1919, 312; Kenez, Civil War 1918, 162. Frederick’s maneuvers: Rzh, Feb. 19/6, 1918, 6–7, 1, 10; Tg, March 3, 1918, 3. Frederick’s new lease, Evelinov: Ti, Jan. 14, 1918, 24; Sa, Jan. 23, 1918, 2; Tg, Jan. 28, 1918, 3; Rzh, Feb. 1918, 1; Ti, Feb. 17, 1918, 50; April 21/8, 1918, 129. Frederick’s hopes unrealized: Rzh, Feb. 1918, 1; Tg, March 3, 1918, 3; Rzh, March 30/17, 1918, 2, 11; Kazansky, 110. Aquarium situation ends badly: Sa, Feb. 15, 1918, 4, 12; Ti, Feb. 17, 1918, 50; Rzh, Feb. 21/6, 1918, 9; Ti, May 5/22, 1918, 148–49. prohibition against “bourgeois” farces: Ti, May 5/22, 1918, 148–49, 150. classical ballet: Rzh, June 2/May 20, 1918, 8.

19–20 Bolsheviks’ changes: McMeekin, 35–38; Riasanovsky, 529–30; “The People’s Commissariat of Finance,” 219. property expropriated: Okunev, 160.

21–22 robberies: Okunev, 138, 164. police ineffective: Klement’ev, 5. Sukhodolsky: Tg, March 3, 1918, 6; about the Sukhodolsky brothers’ business dealings with Aquarium, see Rzh, May 4, 1914, 10. bank seizures, $100 billion to $150 billion: McMeekin, 17, 19, 20–21, 50. Tsarev in Kiev: Rzh, June 29/16, 1918, 8. June announcement of ban on theater middlemen: Tg, June 9, 1918, 6; Kazansky, 120. cholera: Okunev, 202. Socialist Revolutionaries: Holquist, 168–69. Nicholas II murdered: Okunev, 202. Frederick’s remaining livelihood: Sackett. “sackers” (“meshochniki”): Ponafidine, 101; Okunev, 150; Dolgorukov, 103–4.

23–24 Frederick’s escape: Valli to State Department, Jan. 16, 1921, DV; Sackett. cost of a passport, German behavior at border: Dolgorukov, 113–16. trains blocked: Klement’ev, 6. conditions on trains, pillaged stations, young women in danger: Kostrova, 20–26.

25–26 American entering German territory: by analogy with an Englishman, see White, 298. Austrian and German occupation, Bolshevik guerrilla warfare: White, 300; Bagge to Clark, February 4, 1919, FO 371/3963. Bolsheviks throw open prisons: Tumanov, 69. prominent lawyer: Margulies, 159. Frederick in newspapers: Savchenko, 196, and e-mail from Boris A. Savchenko, May 2, 2010. feast in time of plague: Tumanov, 68–70; Lobanov-Rostovsky, 330. Moscow entrepreneurs, performers: Savchenko, 195–96; Utesov, 78–79. private banks: Xydias, 301–2; Gurko, 147; Jenkins to USSS, 22 April 1919, CP Odessa, box 1, RG 84.

27–28 excited crowds: White, 309. magnificently equipped army, exotic appearance of soldiers: Kantorovich, 254–55, 259, 261–62; Brygin, 432; Xydias, 186; Silverlight, 107; Munholland, 55. Estimates of the number of troops vary from thirty thousand to eighty thousand. Allied troops around Odessa: Lobanov-Rostovsky, 329; Kantorovich, 258–59. French occupation invigorated Odessa: tumanov, 78–79. speculators busy, situation deteriorates: Papers Relating, 1919, 751–54; Munholland, 49–50, 53; Xydias, 261–62.

Chapter Seven

1–2 Galata quay, Pera Palace Hotel, Frederick and Codolban: Bareilles, 4; http://www.perapalace.com/en-EN/history/64.aspx; Kazansky, 120–22.

3–4 Pera’s mixed population: Constantinople To-Day, 18; Criss, 21. Frederick saw similarities: Kazansky, 122. soundscape, “Allahu Akbar”: http://islam.about.com/cs/prayer/f/adhan_english.htm. city’s noise and appearance: Armstrong, 72–73; Frank G. Carpenter, “Colorful Life Along the Bosporus,” LAT, April 13, 1924, J11, J22. Armstrong: Armstrong, 73–74. Galata Bridge, Stambul: “Turk Capital Inert Under Enemy Rule,” NYT, June 26, 1922, 18; “City of Minarets and Mud,” NYT, Nov. 5, 1922, 4, 13; “Constantinople, Where East Met West,” AC, Aug. 5, 1923, 21; Carpenter, above; Reshid, 75, 86–87; Dwight, 4–10, 14, 16–17; Andreev, 192.

5–6 Allied occupation: Shaw, I, 144–45. dismember Ottoman Empire: Criss, 1, 8–9, 14; Zürcher, 138–39, 145–46, 149–53. foreigners in Pera: “British Constantinople,” NYT, June 19, 1921, 35.

7 Turks on race: For this information I am indebted to Dr. András J. Riedlmayer, Documentation Center of the Aga Khan Program at the Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, e-mail Aug. 6, 2010. no special word for “Negro”: Redhouse, 217. Baldwin: Campbell, 210.

8–9 little Western entertainment: Teffi, 566; Editorial, ON, Aug. 14, 1919, 1. a few European-style establishments: e.g., advertisements: CM, Nov. 10, 1918, 2; Dec. 18, 1918, 335; March 22, 1919, 340; April 6, 1919, 341; S, Nov. 22, Dec. 13, 1918, 4; ES, March 22, May 2, 1919, 2; Galata port area, traditional Turkish habits: Constantinople To-Day, 356–57, 261–63; Armstrong, 74; Teffi, 567. moneylenders, usurious interest: Rue to Bristol, Aug. 24, 1923, DPT 470. Reyser and Proctor: Note by Burri, Nov. 26, 1920, CPI 327. 3,000 Turkish pounds: the sum paid by a new partner for Reyser and Proctor’s half share (Note by Burri, above). The exchange rate from 1920 to 1922 was approximately seventy American cents to one Turkish pound: ON, Dec. 1, 1920, 3; March 11, 1921, 3; Feb. 7, 1922, 3. Ltqs: common abbreviation for “livres turques,” French for “Turkish pounds.” Proctor, “top limey spy,” “political whispering gallery”: Gilbert, 47–48; Mackenzie, First Athenian, 331–33; Mackenzie, My Life,119–20; Rowan, 147; Dunn, 282–83, 288, 299, 420; Lawford, 130; White, 317.

10–11 “Anglo-American Garden Villa,” “Stella Club”: ES, June 14, 1919. empty lot, Chichli: Pervititch map. old shade trees: “Spectacles et Concerts,” S, June 17, 1920, 3. mini Aquarium: Zia Bey, 158. Morfessi, 150, describes the rival garden that he opened in 1920; it probably shared generic features. “Stella Club” on second floor: ES, June 14, 1919, 2. opening on June 24, 1919: advertisement, ON, 4. “Friends of the Salonica Army,” “Moscow Maitre d’hôtel”: ON, July 20, 27, 1919, 4. weather problems: ON, Sept. 19, 1919, 3. unique combination: advertisements, ON, July 20, Aug. 12, 1919, 4; Sept. 7, 1919, 3.

12 first jazz: ON, Aug. 31, 1919, 3; ON, Sept. 23, 1919, 4. Villa a success: ON, Sept. 27, 1919, 1; ON, Oct. 31, 1919, 3; Nov. 13, 1919, 3.

13–14 passport, Allen a Kentuckian: Register, 1922, 86; “The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Allen, C to D,” http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/allen2.html#0XZ1CO0HD. Frederick’s forms and what happened to them: DF. Frederick’s invented sister: Frederick never mentioned her again to American authorities. Paris hospitable: Lloyd, 75–76, 87ff. Constantinople newspapers on American racial policies: ON, June 19, 1920, 2; March 30, 1921, 3; “La question nègre aux États-Unis,” B, Oct. 20, 1921, 1. Frederick and Philippines: “Many Ugly Women Still Retain Veil,” CDM, Aug. 13, 1926, 2.

15–16 high prices: “Turk Capital Inert Under Enemy Rule,” NYT, June 26, 1922, 18. Capitulations: Constantinople To-Day, 95–96, 329–30. Matakias: DPT 403. Ravndal’s past: Register, 1922, 170. Mendelino, Bulgarian (Bochkarov), baker: CPI 320, DPT 412. another man: CPI 327. French firm (Huisman): CPI 327. Ravndal’s admonishment: to Frederick, Dec. 19, 1919, CPI 320.

17–18 search for Olga: DPT 411. Royal Dancing Club: ON, Jan. 20, 24, 25, 29, 30, Feb. 6, 11, 20, March 6, 1920, 3. baccarat; Bertha’s Bar: Gilbert, 47–48.

19–20 Frederick’s relations with Bertha and Reyser: ON, May 13, 1919, 3, lists Bertha’s Bar; the following day it is gone: B, May 14, 1920, 4; notes and correspondence: CPI 327. Frederick to Ravndal; Elvira’s help: ibid.

21–22 martial law: Criss, 2, 16, 65, 71; Shaw, II, 808, 829–31; Zürcher, 142. Wrangel: Kenez, Civil War South, 1977, 261, 265–67; S, April 7, 1920, 2. Pera’s Russian restaurants: ON, April 2, 1920, 4; April 30, 1920, 2; March 6, 1920, 4. Strelna: Morfessi, 66, 147–52.

23–24 “dame serveuse”: Mannix, 27. Caucasian jackets, “agents of vice,” British ambassador’s letter, cartoon: Mansel, 398–99. Baudelaire: ON, Oct. 21, 1920, 2. soubrettes: Murat, 70. tourist from Duluth: DNT, Oct. 22, 1922, 12. Russian officer kissing waitress’s hand: S, June 10, 1920, 2. Murat: Murat, 76.

25–26 Zia Bey: Zia Bey, 154–60.

27–28 insinuations about Frederick: Rue to Bristol, Aug. 24, 1923, DPT 470. gala evenings for waitresses: ON, April 4, 1922, 3. charity festival: S, July 20, 1920, 4; ON, July 23, 28, 1920, 2.

29–30 new creditors, Allen’s and Ravndal’s tone, Zavadsky: CPI 327, DPT 412. Valli resurfaces: Wheeler to USSS, July 18, 1920, Central Decimal File, 361.11/3465, RG 59. Valli in Berlin: CPI 326, 337, 352. Valli’s application for passport, related correspondence, Berlin consul, no record of Valli’s application: DV. life in Berlin: “Exchange Decline Depresses Berlin.” NYT, Sept. 17, 1920, 26. Valli’s letters to American consulate general and British embassy: CPI, 326, 337; FO 782/15, Correspondence Register, British Embassy, Constantinople, Nov. 16, 1921; Jan. 9, 23, 1922; Feb. 20, 1922. “I request you to indicate”: CPI 326.

Chapter Eight

1–2 Wrangel’s evacuation, refugees: Petrosian, 162–72; Russkaia armiia, 7–9; Ippolitov, 6–26; Andreev, 191–228. makeshift housing, employment, money changers: Slobodskoi, 80–90; Andreev, 173, 175, 187, 193–96. officers sell medals: ON, July 24, 1921, 2. Dos Passos: Dos Passos, 13. high culture: Deleon, 66–67. Alhambra Theater: S, Nov. 20, 22, 26, 27, Dec. 2, 1920, 3. Frederick’s meals: Argus.

3–4 pneumonia: ON, Dec. 14, 1920, 2. passport application, Allen’s statement: DF. diplomats documented past: CPI 327. Quinlan to Easley, Carr’s response: DF; Department of State Personnel, 30, 31, 25.

5–6 Valli’s documents: DV. Ravndal and “your husband,” “your wife in Germany,” Frederick’s letter: CPI 337; I preserve his spelling. “free-love companion”: DF.

7–8 Olga: CPI 337; CP Paris 837; Paris Police Prefecture Archives, telephone inquiry, Dec. 16, 2007. Elvira’s outfits: CPI 338. American tourist: Sackett. English-language schools: British school, ON, Aug. 24, 1920, 3; Bowen School for Boys, ON, April 1, 1921, 4; American School for Boys, B, Aug. 21, 1921, 3. Mikhail in Prague: Interview, Nov. 8, 2006.

9–10 victories at Sakarya, Kemal as field marshal, “Gazi”: Cleveland, 177–78; Hanioğlu, 127; Lewis, 253–54. Frederick’s situation improves: CPI 339, 354. new passport application, Burri’s assessment: DF; there are mistakes on the form. Burri a New Yorker: http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/burrage-burrowes.html.

11–12 Vertinsky: ON, Oct. 2, 1921, 3. New venture, Maxim: B, Nov. 21, 1921, 2; Karay, 104–5; Hildebrand, 280; Argus. “very special amusement”: ON, Oct. 8, 1921, 2; JO, Dec. 18, 1921, 3. Carter: CPI 344. “greatest artistic event”: B, Nov. 21, 1921, 2.

13–14 “Thomas, the founder,” “heart of gold”: Sperco, 144. less worldly Turk: Karay, 104–5. Adil: Adil, 8–10. I am indebted to Dr. András J. Riedlmayer, of the Documentation Center of the Aga Khan Program at the Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, for calling Karay’s and Adil’s recollections of Maxim to my attention, and especially for his kindness in translating them into English (I have rephrased his translations).

15–16 “going very well”: CPI 354. Valli bombards diplomats: CPI 352; Valli about Frederick to British embassy, Constantinople, Feb. 14, 1922, FO 782/15. merchants’ complaints: CPI 338, 354. provision in Carter contract: CPI 344. crime: Zia Bey, 159; “Turk Capital Inert Under Enemy Rule,” NYT, June 26, 1922, 18; “Constantinople Crime City,” WP, Oct. 24, 1920, 66. Ravndal’s watch: CPI 320. Italian count: Reynolds, 52. cocaine addicts: B, Aug. 26, 1921, 2.

17–18 State Department’s review of passport application, Randolph’s letter, Randolph informs Berlin, Carr: CPI 348. Department of State Personnel, 25. Dunn: Dunn 420–21; “He Knew the Country,” Kingston (New York) Daily Freeman, Oct. 24, 1922, 3.

19–20 American tourists: ON, March 2, 3, 8, April 2, 1922, 2; Beatty, 705–6. Farson: Farson, 442–43. Mrs. Lila Edwards Harper: “Constantinople Cafe Owned by Southern Negro,” Columbus (Georgia) Daily Enquirer, Oct. 7, 1922, 7; spelling normalized.

21–22 Mannix: Mannix, 275.

23–24 Adil, “Champion Osman”: Adil, 37–38. I am indebted to Dr. András J. Riedlmayer, of the Documentation Center of the Aga Khan Program at the Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, for calling my attention to this source, and especially for his kindness in translating it into English (I have rephrased his translation).

25–26 “as wicked as you like”: Mannix, 270; Vertinsky’s “La Rose Noire”: Duke, 77. camel fights: ON, March 4, 1922, 3. procession of sultan, dervishes: Dwight, 304–7; Sperco, 87, 113; Mannix 271–73. cockroach races: “Tarakan’i bega,” Zarnitsy, May 8–15, 1921, 28–29.

Chapter Nine

1–2 Turkish offensive: Lewis, 253–54. Bristol’s memorandum: Sept. 23, 1922: Hoover, Frank Golden Papers, box 36, file 15, Turkey/Americans in Constantinople; CPI 472. 650 Americans: “List of Americans in Constantinople,” Nov. 15, 1922, Pence, MSS 144, box 7, folder 7. Mehmet VI: Zürcher, 142; Lewis, 251–53, 257–59.

3–4 Frederick’s rush to consulate, diplomats’ reaction: DF; CPI 151, 363; Moore, Digest, 927, 936. Paris as haven: Lloyd, 74–75, 91, 95–96, 101–2, ff. Frederick’s note, Washington’s response: CPI 363.

5–6 Bristol’s involvement: March 4, Nov. 13, 1923, MLB. Rue to Bristol: DPT 470 (typos corrected). Turlington: http://www.scribd.com/doc/45752619/Rhodes-Scholars-Roster [1911]; TT. Brist asked colleague: DF.

7–8 vacillation on prohibition: Vp, Oct. 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 24, 25, 1923, 3; Hoover, Fisher, Oct. 30, 1923, 3-4; Ravndal to World League Against Alcoholism, Dec. 1, 1923, CPI 370; S, March 19, 1924, 1; May 25, 1925, 2; March 6, 1926, 2; Jan. 11, 1927, 2. epochal historical changes: Shaw, IV, 1963–1964; Lewis, 261–62; American present: Hoover, Fisher, Oct. 7, 1923, 3–4. crowds on streets: Hoover, Fisher, Oct. 30, 1923, 4. shop signs: Vp, Oct. 9, 1923, 3. Mikhail leaves for Prague: Interview, Nov. 8, 2006; Andreyev and Savický, 41, 53, 65; Keeny.

9–10 Frederick’s boasting: Sackett. Krotkov, Frederick’s “broad” Russian nature: Argus (a band’s percussion instruments are more likely than Krotkov’s “pots and pans”). Fourth of July: “Gallant Yanks Organize a Klan to Rescue Pearl,” CDT, July 27, 1924, 16.

11–12 Bebek, downpours and destruction: S, June 14, 15, 22, 24, 26–28, 1924; Jan. 20, 1925, 2. La Rose Noire: S, June 26, 1924, 3; July 19, 1925, 3; Le Moscovite: S, April 30, May 7, 1925, 3.

13–14 tourism increases: S, March 2, 5, 10, 1925, 2; July 3, 1926, 2; Hoover, Fisher, March 20, 1925. the most audacious plan: S, Aug. 25, Nov. 27, 1925, 2; S, July 2, 1926, 2. Serra’s financial deal: S, April 29, 1927, 2; Yildiz; DPT 539. Hagia Sophia: Interview, June 16, 2009. American companies write to consulate general: CPI 398. “American Association of Jazz Bands”: “Would Jazz in St. Sophia,” NYT, Jan. 12, 1927, 6; “Sophia Mosque for Dances,” NYT, Dec. 16, 1926, 10. Maxim’s entertainments: S, July 2; Aug. 5, 25, 31; Nov. 7, 11, 13; Dec. 24, 1925, 3; Jan. 28, 1926, 3; Feb. 11, March 10, 1926, 2; La République, Nov. 26, 1925, 3.

15–16 caliph leaves: Shaw, IV, 1965; S, March 10, 1924, 2. fez abandoned, Soviet Union takes over embassy: Hoover, Fisher, Sept. 26, 1925; Lewis, 253, 283–84. new laws: S, March 12, May 25, 1924; May 25, 1925; Feb. 28, March 6, 11, 1926, 2; Hoover, Fisher, Feb. 1, 1924; Vp, Feb. 2, 1925, 3. restrictions on foreign workers: Hoover, Anna V. S. Mitchell Papers, Stokes to Bouimistrow, Feb. 18, 1926, box 1. Turkish language mandatory: S, Jan. 18, 1926, 2. Nansen: Nansen, 36.

17–18 “Villa Tom”: S, May 6; June 24; July 14, 21, 27, 1926, 2; June 10, July 1, 1926, 4; Aug. 19, 1926, 3. Olga: CPI 393. waiter at Maxim, flower merchant: CPI 403.

19–20 Yildiz Municipal Casino: DPT 539; Greer, 318–20. Frederick tries to continue: S, Dec. 18, 1926; Jan. 2, 10, 11, 1927; Feb. 17, 1927, 2. Englishman: “Finds Trade Dull in Constantinople,” NYT, July 31, 1927, E2. new restrictions: S, Jan. 2, 11, 19, 1927, 2. Greer: Greer, 319–20.

21–22 Frederick flees to Angora, city character and population, “Villa Djan”: S, May 5, 1927, 2; Ahmad, 91. competition: Argus; “Angora Made into a City of Jazz Bands,” CDM, Oct. 6, 1926, 14; “Life Is Less Hectic in Constantinople,” NYT, July 8, 1928, 50. French consul general: French Consul to American Consul, June 18, 1927, DPT 660. creditors seize Maxim: S, May 18, 19, 21; Dec. 19, 1927, 2; June 17, 1927, 3. “ex-Villa Tom”: S, June 17, 1927, 3. job in Angora: “Mr. Thomas de Maxim invite ses créanciers à Angora,” P’st, April 26, 1928, 3; the note is dated April 1 and mentions that the report of Frederick’s sighting in Angora was “delayed”; other evidence also suggests that the encounter was during the last half of 1927.

23–24 in Angora prison: “Dancing Negro in Angora Jail for Old Debts,” Milwaukee Journal (The Green Sheet), Monday, Jan. 16, 1928, n. p.; Allen to USSS, Nov. 1, 1928, CPI 409; Elvira to Allen, March 8, 1933, CPI 443; Argus. demise of Yildiz Casino: Crosby to USSS, Sept. 28, 1927, DPT 539; Grew to USSS, Oct. 24, 1927, DPT 539.

25–26 Constantinople prison: “Sultan of Jazz Dies in Poverty,” Boston Post, July 9, 1928, 10. prison conditions: Constantinople To-Day, 336–43; S, Nov. 20, Dec. 22, 1927, 2; “Prison Life Is Easy in Constantinople,” NYT, Feb. 2, 1930, 53. illness: Allen to West, July 20, 1928, CPI 409. death and funeral: S, June 13, 1928, 3; Sperco, 144; SE; FC. “Sultan of Jazz”: W. G. Tinckom-Fernandez, “Life Is Less Hectic in Constantinople,” NYT, July 8, 1928, 50.

Epilogue

1–2 Elvira in Czechoslovakia, restrictions on employment, legal problems, journey to Germany, return to Constantinople: Elvira to Allen, March 8, 1933, CPI 443.

3–4 brothers’ difficulties, Fred’s passport applications, U. S. government changes mind: DPT 423, 430, 629.

5–6 Elvira’s appeal: DPT 629; USSS to Consul General, Sept. 17, 1935, Central Decimal File, box 577, 367.1115, Thomas, Bruce, and Frederick/2, RG 59. SS Excello: Bruce Thomas, Application for Passport Renewal, June 20, 1938, box 16, General Records, U.S. Consulate General, Istanbul, RG 84. Fred’s work in Manhattan: Frederick Thomas Jr.’s application for Social Security Number, Sept. 1, 1938. Bruce tries to enlist: Central Name Index, 1940–1944, box 1219, RG 59. African-American newspapers: New York Amsterdam News, February 7, 1948, 2; a garbled variant appeared in CDe, February 14, 1948, 7. Fred asks for State Department’s help: Central Name Index, 1945–1949, box 456; 1950–1954, box 463, RG 59.

7–8 Bruce travels to United States: Central Name Index, 1950–1954, box 463, RG 59. meeting with Mikhail: Interview, Nov. 8, 2006. Bruce’s death: Bruce Thomas Certificate of Death, State of California, County of Los Angeles, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Fred’s death: Death Notice, February 12, 1970, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), 7B; e-mail from Younglove-Smith & Ryan Funeral Home, Rochester, NY, October 30, 2008. Olga’s traces: Interview, Nov. 8, 2006. Irma’s fate: CPI 383; interviews, Nov. 8, 2006; June 16 and 18, 2009. Mikhail’s life, Chantal Thomass: Interview, Nov. 8, 2006; http://www.chantalthomass.fr.