Bolsheviks tell Pope they don't know where Alexandra and children are

October 15, 1918

On behalf of Pope Benedict, the Austrian Consul in Moscow has made "inquiries" to the Bolshevik authorities concerning former Empress Alexandra and her children. Recent reports state that Alexandra and her daughters perished in a house "to which a Bolshevist mob set fire."

The Consul was informed that the whereabouts of the former Empress and her daughters is "unknown." As these "affirmations are doubted, reliable persons" are undertaking a commission to further investigate the Pope's request.