Author's Notes

Ben Everidge has written two books to date. Hoya: The Watchmen Waketh was published in April 2017. Rescuing Nicholas: The Secret Mission to Save the Tsar was released in January 2018. The following are the author's notes for both publications.

hoya: the watchmen waketh

ISBN-13: 978-0-9989115-0-2

722 pages released April 13, 2017

Published by Cannon & Caius LLC

Available on Amazon.com $19.99 (soft cover) & $4.99 (Kindle)

Thumbnail Summary

Released on April 13, (Thomas Jefferson’s birthday) and first published by Amazon on April 27th, this 722-page political novel is best described as fictional reality. The 47th President of the United States is forced to contend with a nuclear explosion in Pakistan that allied intelligence is unable to source. Violent Jihadists in that region retaliate world-wide through a series of spectacular attacks that lead to a declaration of war. Who did pull the trigger on a weapon of lasting destruction that John F. Kennedy once foreshadowed as the "nuclear sword of Damocles?" The Watchmen Waketh is a real-world primer that provides hope for the future, and lessons from the past, so that we better understand the morass we may all encounter as Democracy continues to unfold and flourish.

Jacket Summary

A devastating nuclear explosion is detected in Pakistan by a special working group of allied intelligence agencies. The Allies believe that a rogue group of violent Jihadists is responsible. The Jihadists believe that the United States did the dirty deed and is actually responsible for the nuclear explosion that will contaminate a large part of their country for centuries to come.

Hoya: “The Watchmen Waketh” is a novel about the 47th President of the United States and the struggle to provide security to Americans both physically and financially in the face of a serious breach in trust at the hands of an unknown vigilante group. Jihadist terrorists have now been irrevocably incited to attack the United States and her allies following that mysterious nuclear explosion in the Middle East.

Who did pull the trigger on a weapon of war that John F. Kennedy once foreshadowed as the “nuclear sword of Damocles?”

The political world of 2028 is a platter of prickly political potential. An uphill campaign by an Independent for President. The words and the traditions that make a race for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue possible. The focus on what it means that The Watchmen Waketh. A train racing toward Washington, D.C., with a smuggled nuclear weapon onboard, undetected perhaps? Crippling counter strikes at U.S landmarks. The rise of the New Mesopotamian Empire. Political trench warfare waged in American communities across the nation.

Zack Greyson’s intense endeavor to answer the Damocles question is peppered with complex Washington nuances and extraordinary political lessons. His trials make for an engaging global political thriller in an era of unnerving partisan theater and exacting extremes.

Hoya is at its heart a real-world primer into American lawmaking and governance at its best, and, its worst. It is replete with American foreign and defense policy initiatives and several innovative program concepts that might resolve a few of today’s more puzzling problems, thanks to the timely observations of an empathetic politico who has been there.

This account is an engagingly detailed political tale rooted in what might best be described as fictional reality. While Zack Greyson is not Tom Clancy’s famed Jack Ryan, or Robert Ludlum’s vexing Jason Bourne, the age of Obama and Trump, he just might be that more middle-of-the-road president we next want to meet

The Protagonists

The book has several particularly troublesome protagonists:

· The Maharib Bilad Alshsham, (the MBA) which translates to: “The Levant Warrior”

· The New Mesopotamian Empire

· EB-5 Visa Waiver Program

· Domestically-inspired vigilante groups

Frequent Themes

Hoya centers around several key principles that are repeated throughout the story:

· The story unfolds during the last 100 days of the 2028 presidential campaign and runs through the first 100 days of the new Administration.

· What it means to be a Jeffersonian in political philosophy and how an Independent can run for and win the White House, and then govern effectively from the middle of the fence.

· John F. Kennedy’s undelivered “Watchman Waketh” speech from Dallas, Texas.

· Is America at war with Islam or should it be?

· Pro-intelligence and pro-defense programs.

· Properly engaged government and collaborative foreign policy initiatives.

· Innovative legislating and responsible policymaking.

About the Characters

Zack Greyson is the 47th President of the United States, known to the Secret Service by his code name, “Hoya.” Until his surprising election in November 2028, Greyson was the Governor of Florida, an Independent who ran an outsider race for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He graduated from the U.S Naval Academy in Annapolis, was a Navy fighter pilot, and earned a doctorate from Georgetown University. Greyson was a soccer star at the Academy who eventually went on to play professionally for the EPL’s Chelsea FC and was a member of his country’s World Cup and Olympic soccer teams. Zack’s family is of Welsh ancestry from Anglesey. He was born in Colorado.

Jennifer Mason Stone of Ohio was the 46th President who preceded Greyson in the White House. Stone self-limited herself to a single term in office. While in office, a second devastating attack in San Diego in 2025 sank the U.S.S. Carl Vinson resulting in the deaths of more than 5,000 US citizens.

Steve Myerson, Ph.D., is Greyson’s able Secretary of State and one of his wisest counsellors. Myerson, a Navy Rear Admiral, has known Zack since college days at Annapolis and is himself a highly decorated soldier. He holds a doctorate from Georgetown University and did his master’s work at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies. He also served as President Stone’s Director of National Intelligence.

Ryan Greyson, MD, is a native Californian from Marin County outside of San Francisco and is now the nation’s newest First Lady. An Oncologist who graduated from Stanford University Medical School, Ryan champions regenerative and predictive medicine as a means for helping Americans obtain easier and more cost-efficient access to healthcare. The Greysons are parents to five young children.

Morgan Staples is Vice President of the United States under President Stone and a frustrated, failed candidate for President in 2028 who loses the Democratic Nomination to Alan Thomas.

Stan “Monty” Montgomery is a former CIA sniper who graduated from Stanford University with a degree in International Finance. He is a retired Marine Corps Colonel.

Alan Vincent Thomas, a widower, is Governor of California and the Democratic Nominee for President in 2028. He graduated from USC and earned a master’s degree from UC San Diego. His previous career had been in the insurance industry.

John Allen Roberts is the Republican Nominee for President when he is assassinated by violent Jihadists as his plane was landing at Reagan National Airport. A lawyer and United States Senator from New York, Roberts was married with three young children. Roberts was an outspoken opponent of Jihadists. His undergraduate degree was from Cornell University while he earned his law degree from Columbia University.

Brian David Solomon replaces Senator Roberts as the Republican Nominee for President in 2028. He is the Governor of Texas, and a decorated war veteran.

Corrine Marie Fowler is the junior U.S. Senator from Virginia and becomes Vice President of the United States under President Zack Greyson. She is an expert in foreign policy and intelligence matters. Fowler received an undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary and a law degree from the University of Virginia.

Joana Laird is President Greyson’s Director of National Intelligence. She holds a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University.

Sherry Cresswell is Zack Greyson’s White House Chief of Staff and trusted counsellor. She holds a law degree from Stanford University and previously served as his Florida Chief of Staff when Greyson was Governor.

Jackson Hughes is a highly talented CIA analyst who has earned the trust of Secretary Myerson, DNI Laird, and consequently President Zack Greyson.

The Story Revealed

· A nuclear explosion in Pakistan is detected by American intelligence. Its source is unknown but believed by the Americans to have been accidental.

· Jihadists in Pakistan believe that the nuclear detonation was triggered by the United States.

· President Jennifer Mason Stone convenes a special briefing in Washington for the three nominees chosen by their respective parties to succeed her.

· The Republican nominee, U.S. Senator Robert A. Thomas and his family are assassinated in retaliation for the Pakistan incident as their plane approaches Reagan National Airport along the Potomac River near Great Falls/McLean.

· The United States drops a security net around the national capital region and launches a massive manhunt to find the terrorists responsible for the Senator’s murder.

· A terror cell is discovered in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC, following the capture of one assassin at the scene of the airplane explosion. Additional terror cells are detected in various U.S. cities and authorities search for their members.

· Independent presidential candidate Zack Greyson gathers a group of academic experts to better understand what Jihad actually means and to discuss ways in which the United States can properly respond to the political assassination. Greyson settles on a strategy for responding to the terror and leaks his plan to the Washington Post and the Times of London.

· Senator Roberts and his family are laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery as the Republican party undertakes a heart-wrenching search for a new nominee.

· The Greyson and Thomas campaigns return to the campaign trail following the state funerals and hold their next debate in San Diego, site of the 2025 terror attack on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson and Limburg Field. The candidates for president debate U.S. foreign policy with Governor Thomas labeling Governor Greyson as naïve for his Three Trinity Doctrine (page 154) concept.

· U.S. domestic policy is the subject of debate #11 in Boston, Massachusetts. Greyson labels himself a Jeffersonian Independent.

· The final debate of the presidential election season is held in Texas and the Governor of Texas participates on the new Republican presidential nominee. Greyson and Solomon gang up on Thomas over his perceived anti-military, anti-defense policy positions. Pressed to announce his VP candidate, Greyson introduces his running mate, Virginia U.S. Senator Corrine Marie Fowler, a member of the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees.

· The one-and-only Vice Presidential debate takes place in Philadelphia while the lone female candidate successfully challenges her competitors intellectually.

· Shocking new terror attacks occur in England, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, China and Japan. False alarms are raised about strikes in Saudi Arabia.

· Election Day dawns in the turmoil of the terror attacks on key sites around the world. The context for the Greyson campaign is explained in detail.

· As election night approaches, the Independent candidate for president is pressured into considering a military response if he is elected. A number of carrier strike forces are contemplated as a razor-thin outcome is announced and a new President begins to form his cabinet.

· With the formal transition from candidate to President begins, Zack Greyson makes a number of key decisions that will dictate the success or failure of his White House. The First Lady-in-Waiting announces her project which is affordable, accessible healthcare especially centered on predictive and regenerative medicine.

· The President-elect plays street soccer with a local boys club in Arlington when he takes a break from prepping his Inaugural Address.

· The Greyson family visits the Stone White House for a special tour of their new home.

· Inauguration Day comes and President Greyson delivers his own “Watchmen Waketh” speech modeled on a similar percipient message that John F. Kennedy would have given in Dallas had tragic fate not intervened that November day.

· Following the parade and festivities, Ryan and Zack Greyson make a late night visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the Jefferson Memorial where they startle some unsuspecting visitors to our nation’s capital.

· The new President starts his day at the traditional Church of the Presidents mass and then starts calling and visiting with America’s most treasured allies. He ends the day late evening at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

· The following day, President Greyson introduces his first domestic legislative initiative, the Medical Innovation Zone Act of 2029.

· With his domestic agenda defined and first budget pending, Greyson takes his first foreign trip visiting the heads of state in England, France, Italy, Germany, the MENA region, Russia, China and Japan. He is seeking new allies in the war against violent Jihad.

· President Greyson hosts his first presidential news conference with a nod to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famed fireside chats.

· The MBA carry out a group of lone-wolf assassinations of noted political commentators.

· A sinister convoy of four-bangers flee the Camp Lejeune area of North Carolina loaded with explosives intended to destroy U.S. landmarks in and around the national capital. The drivers are part of that missing terror cell first discovered after the Potomac River incident.

· Specific American landmarks are targeted and nearly destroyed as the sinister convoy enters Washington largely undetected. A retired Army Ranger takes out one terrorist before he is able to detonate his vehicle.

· A surviving terrorist is intercepted by an American sniper on his way to attack the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

· A “debrief” of the captured terror suspects yields information that Russia is about to be attacked as well. President Greyson and his Secretary of Defense alert their Russian counterparts of the plot.

· More “minor” crises erupt in the White House Situation Room as an agricultural virus is unleashed on western U.S. crops and the Hoover Dam suffers potentially catastrophic structural anomalies that are symptomatic of other infrastructure problems plaguing the USA.

· In the middle of these security challenges, Greyson delivers his budget to Capitol Hill, personally. Media links the President’s Watchmen Waketh doctrine to domestic security issues as well as foreign ones.

· A series of mini-summit meetings are held at Camp David to discuss and explore terror response strategies with the new Tsar of Russia, the President of China, three kings from the Middle East (the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan), and one of Zack’s most valuable allies, the Prime Minister of Great Britain.

· During the Camp David meetings, a hacker makes America’s clocks tick backwards for a few brief, entertaining, but impacting moments.

· The President consults with the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and seeks the Chief’s counsel on constitutional matters pertaining to national security.

· A proportional response is considered by the President and his White House advisors but alarming intelligence comes in that identifies domestic vigilantes as being responsible for the Pakistan explosion.

· American intelligence identifies the former Vice President, Morgan Staples, as being the responsible rogue agent who authorized the attack. He was assisted by an acquaintance of the President and the Secretary of State, Stan Montgomery.

· Staples is arrested for treason on a trumped us visit to the White House while Montgomery is taken into custody by federal marshals and U.S. Secret Service along the C&O Canal path near where Senator Robert’s plane crashed.

· Interrogations of the rogue agents indicts the EB-5 Visa Waiver Program (page 573) as being the culprit for the terror cells’ ability to enter into and operate within the United States.

· The President makes a clandestine visit to Capitol Hill prior to his scheduled State of the Union speech to brief key members of Congress on the intel into the Pakistan explosion.

· The New Mesopotamian Empire is identified as being the source of violent Jihad against the Stone and Greyson Administrations.

· In his State of the Union speech, Zack Greyson requests a Declaration of War against the New Mesopotamian Empire (NME) and the MBA, which after determined consideration, Congress grants.

· The President immediately authorizes an attack on the NME and is surprisingly joined by Russian and Chinese forces who were also attacked earlier.

· The President plays another pick-up game of soccer at Long Bridge Park as a train carrying a nuclear warhead placed by the MBE approaches the 14th Street Bridge on the Potomac River.

· Was it detected?

A Political Science Primer

Hoya: The Watchman Waketh examines a number of topics that are relevant to understanding American Government, U.S. Foreign & Defense Policy, International Relations and Comparative Government. Topics examined include:

· Campaigning for President of the United States

· America’s founding fathers and documents

· American security concerns, challenges and intelligence gathering

· U.S. elections and campaign financing

· The role of political parties in the presidential election cycle

· Foreign policy doctrines of past U.S. Presidents

· Presidential debates and media coverage of the race for the White House

· The federal budget and appropriations process

· Congress and the legislative process

· The concept of proportional response

· Declarations of War and the War Powers Resolution

· Diplomacy and international relations

A lesson plan has been developed for use with the book that can be used for classroom instruction at both the high school and college/university levels.

Original Legislative Proposals Explored

The book entertains several unique governing proposals that are relevant to today’s political challenges. These include:

· The Three Trinity Foreign Policy Doctrine.

· The Medical Innovation Zone Act.

· The New Alliance for Progress (Modeled on the Kennedy Program).

· The EB-5 Visa Waiver Deauthorization Act.

· A Balanced Budget Initiative.

· Public-Private Partnerships funded by promising philanthropic initiatives such as Ben Franklin’s favored Program Related Investments.

Venues from the Story

The Watchmen Waketh story takes place in a number of intriguing venues which are mentioned in the book. These include:

· Badaling & Beijing, China

· Bergerac & Paris, France

· Hohenschwangau & Berlin, Germany

· Rome, Italy

· Tokyo, Japan

· Islamic Republic of Pakistan

· Moscow, Russian Federation

· Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

· Dubai, United Arab Emirates

· Anglesey, Wales, UK

· London, England, UK

· Marin County, California, USA

· San Diego, California, USA

· Beaver Creek & Vail, Colorado, USA

· Washington, District of Columbia, USA

· Orlando, Florida, USA

· Windermere, Florida, USA

· Annapolis, Maryland, USA

· Camp David, Maryland, USA

· Boston, Massachusetts, USA

· Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA

· New York City, New York, USA

· Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, USA

· Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

· Dallas, Texas, USA

· Houston, Texas, USA

· Arlington, Virginia, USA

· McLean/Great Falls, Virginia, USA

· Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

Suggested Interview Topics for Consideration

· Why did you want to write, Hoya?

· How long did it take you to write the book since this is your first novel?

· What does Hoya mean?

· The subtitle of your book is, “The Watchmen Waketh.” What does that mean and why did you choose that phrase?

· Your book cover mentions that President Kennedy’s White House photographer, Cecil Stoughton, first told you about the “Watchman Waketh” message. Tell us about that conversation.

· The cover of your book shows the capitol dome at night reflecting in the pool below. But the reflection is of an Islamic Mosque. What is your message here? Isn’t the cover a little controversial?

· Is America, in your opinion, at war with Islam? Should it be?

· Where did you get the idea for Zack Greyson?

· You worked on Capitol Hill for a decade or so for influential members of the House and Senate. Did you get story ideas for the book from that experience?

· Zack Greyson describes himself as a Jeffersonian Independent. What is a Jeffersonian Independent?

· Do you think that an Independent can or will get elected President these days?

· Greyson succeeds Jennifer Mason Stone who is the 46th President of the United States in Hoya. Was President Stone’s character modeled on Hillary Clinton?

· The Three Trinity Foreign Policy Doctrine? Is that a real concept?

· Do you think that EB-5 Visa Waiver Program is as dangerous as you make it out to be in Hoya?

· Tell us about your concept for a Medical Innovation Zone. Do you think such a thing is possible? And why could it be important to American healthcare?

· In your book, the President sees philanthropy, specifically Program Related Investments and public-private partnerships, as being important tools for bridging the gap in funding for public projects. Is it? And, if so, how?

· President Greyson goes to Capitol Hill to deliver his first State of the Union speech. He is greeted by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, his Vice President, both of whom are depicted as strong women. Intentional or coincidental?

· Do you think a rogue nuclear explosion, like what happens in Pakistan in your book, is in the cards for us?

· In your book, you make the Russian head of state who visits President Greyson at Camp David, the new Tsar. Why did you do that?

· In your last chapter, a nuclear explosion appears coming. What would happen to government if that were to happen?

· The end of the book appears to suggest that there is more of the story to come. Is there a sequel planned?

· What will the sequel cover?

· Hoya is described by you as being fictional reality. What does fictional reality mean?

· You also say that Hoya can be used as political science primer. How so?

· At the end of your book, you recommend a number of charitable organizations that you ask readers to consider supporting. Why did you want to ask for support through this book?

· You published Hoya on Amazon independent of traditional publishing. Tell us about that process and what you have learned by publishing the book yourself.

· Since you decided to publish yourself, does that mean that you recommend that other authors ditch the literary agent and traditional publishing house route, too?

About the Author

Ben Everidge is an impassioned Jeffersonian, and a staunch Hoya who graduated with a Master’s degree in American Government. While at Georgetown, Everidge was named a prestigious University Fellow following more than ten years of service on the professional committee, personal office, and campaign staffs of influential Members of the United States Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Today, Everidge is the Managing Partner of Cannon & Caius LLC, a strategic collaborations consulting firm specializing in transformational philanthropy, academics, media, and citizenship initiatives.

Kennedy’s Watchmen Waketh speech was never delivered to the sold-out Dallas Trade Mart Luncheon that fateful November day in 1963. It was JFK’s chief White House Photographer, Cecil Stoughton, who first made Everidge aware years later of the president’s message.

Hoya: The Watchmen Waketh is Everidge’s first novel. He is completing its sequel, Hoya Saxa: Honor Among Grey Ghosts. Five books are planned for the series. His first non-fiction work was published in January 2018 - Rescuing Nicholas: The Secret Mission to Save the Tsar.

Learn More About Hoya

rescuing nicholas: the secret mission to save the tsar

ISBN-13: 978-0-9989115-3-3

547 pages released January 12, 2018

Published by Cannon & Caius LLC

Available on Amazon.com $19.99 (soft cover) & $4.99 (Kindle)

Thumbnail Summary

Released 100 years later, when the rest of the world was being entertained by the 2018 World Cup in Russia, comes this book which recounts when Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family were reportedly murdered on July 17, 1918 in the Siberian village of Yekaterinburg. Victims, history would say, of Bolshevik Revolutionaries loyal to the communist leader, Vladimir Lenin. The remains of the assassinated Romanov family would go missing for some 70 years, despite intense searches that yielded precious few clues until their mysterious discovery in a conveniently remote forest known as the Koptyaki Woods. DNA evidence from the bodies would later claim that with a 98.5% certainty that the remains were in fact those of the Romanov family. But there were lingering questions, chief among them: were these really the remains of the Imperial Russian family. The Russian Orthodox Church does not officially recognize the remains as being authentic. An eyewitness account from a credible U.S. Army soldier, Martin V. Hutson, argues no, it was not Nicholas, at least not then. This is that soldier’s story and the remarkable search to validate his account.

Jacket Summary

For over 300 years the Tsars ruled Russia. Nicholas II would be the last. History convincingly says that the Romanov family was murdered by rebellious Bolshevik soldiers. Executed to secure power for a new Revolution led by the notorious Vladimir Lenin. Rumors of their survival lived on. Seventy years later, their remains were finally discovered in a hidden grave deep in a conveniently remote forest. Russia closed the investigation into their assassination. History needed the Romanovs dead.

But there was an eyewitness. A U.S. Army soldier from Knoxville, Tennessee, who spent a remarkable two weeks with Nicholas, Alexandra, and a Grand Duchess, aboard an American Red Cross train sixteen months after they were said to have been brutally killed. A credible eyewitness who left a previously undisclosed 45-minute recorded account that tells a very different side to the Romanov lore than what history now reports.

Rescuing Nicholas, as remembered by the soldier’s family, is Martin Hutson’s story of perhaps the greatest unknown rescue mission in history. Hidden for a century. Led by an American President and the King of England. Kept secret from Congress and Parliament. Supported by an intriguing cast of talented accomplices: The President’s son-in-law, the former head of the U.S. Secret Service; the American Secretary of War; an iconic American commanding general, Black Jack Pershing; his right hand, West Point’s Major General William Sidney Graves; a United States Consul General in Siberia; a wealthy American industrialist from Chicago; a handful of experienced railroad men from America’s Midwest; daring soldiers from the U.S. Army’s American Expeditionary Force Siberia; a future White House resident; and a number of surprising British dignitaries including a future Prime Minister.

“Nicholas,” Martin would tape decades later in testimony before he himself passed nearly ten years before the allegedly late Russian monarch was said unearthed, “was not killed in Siberia. Three other people were killed, and their bodies chopped up with broadaxes . . . They did not want me back alive . . . afraid I might put the puzzle together.”

Lies. Loyalty. Family. War. Mystery. Tsar. Power. Bribery. Bloody murder. This book digs in to it all and explores in depth why Nicholas Romanov “died . . . so that he could live.” Martin’s story is the best Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum novel come to life. It is a true story found buried deep in the American and British archives. But, will history care more than 100 years later?

The Protagonists

The book has several particularly troublesome protagonists:

· Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik Revolutionary who inspired the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics;

· The Red Army, as the Bolshevik Revolutionaries are known; and,

· Wilhelm II, Kaiser of Germany, the catalyst for World War I.

Frequent Themes

Rescuing Nicholas centers around several key principles that are repeated throughout the story:

· Martin’s story unfolds some 16 (sixteen) months after the Tsar and his family are said to have been murdered in Yekaterinburg.

· The rescue mission was authorized by President Woodrow Wilson and carried out by the American Expeditionary Forces Siberia.

· The mission was the greatest rescue never before reported to the public.

· American and allied intelligence, working collaboratively, scored a huge success that has never before been properly credited to those who pulled it off.

About the Characters

Martin V. Hutson is an 18-year-old U.S. Army Private First Class who is sent to Siberia to help rescue Nicholas Romanov and teach him a Southern dialect. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Martin is recommended for the secret mission by hold older brother, George Hutson.

George Hutson is an Army Private who works intelligence for General Black Jack Pershing, the commanding general of the U.S. Army. Hutson, while serving in Europe, earns a Distinguished Service Cross and a Purple Heart for his duty to country.

Nicholas Romanov, II is the last Tsar of Russia. He abdicates when Bolshevik Revolutionaries topple his 300-year regime during World War I. The Romanovs are reported murdered on July 17, 1918 at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Over the years, however, persistent rumors allege that the Romanovs escaped Siberia.

Woodrow Wilson is the 28th President of the United States. A scholar and former Princeton University president, Wilson is deeply suspicious of many in his government and secretive by nature in conducting his administration. Wilson empowers the AEF Siberia to go to Russia for three stated purposes that are outlined in a document that becomes known as the Aide-Mémoire.

King George V of Great Britain is Nicholas Romanov’s second cousin. After first offering the former Tsar political asylum in the United Kingdom, he is forced to rescind his offer by Prime Minister David Lloyd-George for fear of inciting instability for the monarchy in Britain as well.

David Lloyd-George is British Prime Minister during the Romanov controversy and a vocal opponent of providing the Romanov family with political asylum in Great Britain for fear of undermining King George V’s reign.

Black Jack Pershing is the Commanding General of the American Expeditionary Forces for the United States. He is a trusted commander for Woodrow Wilson and taps William Sidney Graves, a fellow West Point graduate, to conduct the mission in Siberia.

William Sidney Graves is an Army Major General who is selected by Pershing with Wilson’s approval to lead the Siberia troops. Graves, who fought under Pershing in Mexico, is highly regarded by Pershing and Baker.

Newton D. Baker is Woodrow Wilson’s trusted Secretary of War. His policy recommendations are more highly valued than that of Secretary of State Robert Lansing. Baker would become the eventual founder of the Cleveland, Ohio-based law firm, Baker Hostetler.

William Gibbs McAdoo is Woodrow Wilson’s U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and Head of the United States Secret Service when he is tapped to run the American Red Cross section in Siberia. Known for his expertise in railroad operations, McAdoo, who would later become a United States Senator from California and almost-Democratic nominee for President himself in 1928, is also Wilson’s son-in-law.

Benjamin Johnson is the American executive in charge of the Trans-Siberian Railroad and a Colonel in the U.S. Army who manages train operations for the Provisional Russian Government during the closing days of World War I.

Ernest Harris is the American Consul General in Yekaterinburg when the Tsar is reportedly assassinated. He commands special trains for the U.S. Army along the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

Charles Crane is a very wealthy American industrialist who knows the Tsar and Tsarina personally and has the ear and trust of President Wilson. An expert in Russian Imperialism, Crane helps fund American and British operations in Siberia because Congress is unaware of the mission’s true purpose.

Ralph Van Deman is known as the Father of American Intelligence and is seen operating in and around Yekaterinburg during the time of the Tsar’s alleged assassination.

HRH Prince Connaught is a trusted cousin and emissary of King George V. He is also a treasured intermediary of President Wilson’s during World War I.

Colonel Edward House is Wilson’s de-facto White House Chief of Staff who works closely with key members of British intelligence in the aftermath of the Tsar’s abdication.

Sir William Wiseman is the head of British Intelligence in the United States and a close friend of Colonel House. The two often collaborate on projects.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is Wilson’s highly-valued Assistant Secretary of the Navy. FDR, a future President of the United States, is charged with the responsibility of running America’s naval forces through Vladivostok, Russia, and San Francisco.

Sir Winston Churchill is the British Secretary of War during the Hutson mission.

Sir Thomas Preston is the British Consul General in Yekaterinburg. Evidence indicates that he may have spirited the Romanovs out of the Ipatiev House and into the British consulate on the morning that they were said to have been shot.

Lieutenant Humphries is Martin Hutson’s commanding officer in Irkutsk.

Dr. William Maples is an American forensic anthropologist who is invited by the Russian government to examine the purported remains of the Romanov family when they are finally “discovered” some 70 years after the alleged murder. Maples would have strong reservations about the forensic evidence.

Dr. Peter Gill is a British forensic scientist who also examined the Romanov remains at the invitation of the Russian government. Unlike Dr. Maples, Dr. Gill has not reservations about the remains’ true identity and publicly announced that there was 98.5% certainty.

Alexandra Romanov is the granddaughter of England’s famed Queen Victoria and first cousin to King George V. Martin Hutson says that he spent a week with the “late” Russian Empress aboard an Imperial Train that was disguised as an American Red Cross evacuation train 16 (sixteen) months after the Romanovs were claimed dead.

The Story Revealed

· AEF Siberia given its mission in writing by Woodrow Wilson on July 17, 1918, the same day that Nicholas Romanov is later reported murdered in Yekaterinburg. The document is known as the Aide-Mémoire.

· World War I ends November 11, 1918.

· President Wilson and King George V of England meet at Buckingham Palace in London, Christmas 1918. World War I ended nearly two months before.

· Martin Hutson is inducted into the U.S. Army August 20, 1919, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after pressuring his mother to let him serve.

· The U.S. Army recruiting office in Chattanooga tells young Martin that he will be serving with American troops in Mexico and is ordered to report for training at Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia.

· At Fort Oglethorpe, Martin is informed that he will be going to Siberia, not Mexico. He is then shipped to Vladivostok, Russia, by rail to San Francisco’s Fort McDowell and by transport aboard the USAT Great Northern via Honolulu and Vladivostok.

· After training in Vladivostok, Russia, Martin then travels by train to Irkutsk where he is told to guard an American Red Cross train.

· Martin guards the train for several days and is nearly killed by one of his own.

· Having performed his duties admirably, Martin is taken aboard the train in the Irkutsk railyard by his Lieutenant. The train has a number of very high ranking Allied officers and governmental officials aboard.

· In a recorded 45-minute audio that has never before been revealed, Martin says that he was introduced to “Nicholas.” The time is mid-November 1919.

· Martin spends two hours a day for two weeks with Nicholas reading to him and teaching the former Tsar a Southern dialect.

· The Imperial train, which is disguised as an American Red Cross evacuation train departs Irkutsk and travels for several weeks between Irkutsk to Harbin through Chita.

· The American Red Cross train is a “Special Train” according to the U.S. Department of War and Department of State. The Romanov train is designated “Special Train #28.” Woodrow Wilson is the 28th President of the United States.

· During the last week of travel, Martin is introduced to the Empress, an attendant, and an unnamed daughter. He spends an hour with them each day following his sessions with Nicholas.

· Outside of Chita, the train is attacked by Chinese bandits and burned. But Japanese troops intervene and save the train because a Japanese General is on board.

· In Harbin, headquarters for the Trans-Siberian Railroad, the three Romanovs are transferred from the Americans to the British hidden in burial boxes. The time is early December 1919.

· Martin is told by his Lieutenant that the Romanovs are headed to Vladivostok where they will be put on a boat to San Francisco. From San Francisco the plan is for the Imperial family members to travel to London via Chicago and New York.

· Martin and his team travel on to Vladivostok by rail.

· In Vladivostok, a firefight breaks out in the train station where Red Army troops are actively searching for a 14-year-old boy is Martin says was on his train.

· AEF Siberia is ordered home January 8, 1920.

· Martin is honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in the early 1920s.

· In the early 1930’s, Martin reads of an account by Yekaterinburg American Consul General Ernest Harris who says that the Tsar was aboard his train and removed from Russia. Harris argues, however, that the Tsar was dead and ashes.

· Martin attempts to track down the Consul General to dispute the story but is told by the U.S. Department of State that Harris is not available on assignment in another country.

· Martin writes his story but the manuscript is confiscated by State Department personnel.

· Martin Hutson passes away in the early 1970s after telling the author in person about the story and recording his experience on audio tape.

· The Romanov remains are said to have been found years after Martin’s passing. Controversy about their custody dog their burial plans.

· DNA evidence is reported to validate with 98.5% certainty that the remains are those of the Romanov family.

· Martin’s audio tapes are sent to the author in the early 2000s by family.

· The author starts to dig deep in the research archives to test how much of Martin’s story can be verified.

A Political Science Primer

Rescuing Nicholas: The Secret Mission to Save the Tsar examines a number of topics that are relevant to understanding American Government, U.S. Foreign & Defense Policy, International Relations and Comparative Government. Topics examined include:

· The American President vs. Congress

· American security concerns, challenges and intelligence gathering

· U.S. elections and campaign financing and the role of political parties in the presidential election cycle

· Foreign policy doctrines of past U.S. Presidents

· Diplomacy and international relations

· Defense policy and U.S. troop movements (naval and army)

· Russian & British history during the Romanov era

A lesson plan has been developed for use with the book that can be used for classroom instruction at both the high school and college/university levels. Guest lectures are also available. A documentary is also being produced pertaining to the search for validity on Martin’s story.

Venues from the Story

The Rescuing Nicholas story takes place in a number of intriguing venues which are mentioned in the book. These include:

· Chattanooga, Tennessee

· Knoxville, Tennessee

· Harlan, Kentucky

· Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia

· Fort McDowell, Angel Island, San Francisco

· Honolulu, Hawaii

· Vladivostok, Russia

· Archangelesk, Russia

· Murmansk, Russia

· Perm, Russia

· Yekaterinburg, Russia

· Moscow, Russia

· Tsarkoe Selo, Imperial Summer Home

· St. Petersburg, Russia

· Omsk, Russia

· Irkutsk, Russia

· Chita, Russia

· Harbin, China

· Tokyo, Japan

· Manila, Philippines

· Washington, DC

· London, England

· Colon, Ireland

· Berlin, Germany

· Rome, Italy

· Czech Republic

· Ottawa, Canada

Suggested Interview Topics for Consideration

· Why did you want to write, Rescuing Nicholas?

· How long did it take you to write the book since this is your first non-fiction book?

· Tell us about Martin Hutson. Who was he? And, what was he like?

· Why was Martin selected for this mission?

· You worked on Capitol Hill for a decade or so for influential members of the House and Senate. How did that help your research for the book?

· The DNA evidence on the Romanov remains appears to be pretty convincing. Why do you think it may be in error?

· Dr. Maples, the American forensic anthropologist who examined the Romanov remains expressed a number of reservations about their authenticity according to your book. What were those reservations?

· Any possibility in your mind that modern advances in DNA analysis and other tools might eventually answer this question for us?

· If Martin’s story is true, as you say the evidence indicates, do you think that Vladimir Lenin would have had to have had knowledge about the rescue mission?

· You say that Woodrow Wilson and George V pulled off the greatest rescue mission ever not known. Why would Wilson help King George on this, in your opinion? What was in it for President Wilson?

· Give us some more detail on Wilson’s Aide-Mémoire. It was signed on the same day that the Tsar was said to have been killed? Was that a coincidence, do you think?

· In your book, you mention that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was Wilson’s Assistant Secretary of State during the rescue mission, coordinating American and British naval ship movements in and out of Vladivostok. You tell a story from the 1940’s in which Roosevelt, now the U.S. president, pens a fictional story about Russian nobility who fakes death in order to live. FDR’s story was called, The President’s Mystery Story. Do you think he knew something he did not want to reveal – that Nicholas might have lived?

· To pull off this type of a daring mission, you would have to have a lot of remarkable resources available in Siberia. Who were they and was the head of the American Red Cross in Siberia really Woodrow Wilson’s son-in-law?

· The American Red Cross is depicted in your book as participating in the rescue mission. Is the American Red Cross a spy agency of the U.S. government?

· Martin says in his recording that Nicholas was not killed in Siberia. He says that three other people were killed and their bodies chopped up with broadaxes and doused with acid. Nicholas’ brother was murdered and never found. Could it have been the Tsar’s brother, do you think?

· A number of very reputable Romanov authors like Robert K. Massey and Helen Rappaport believe that the Romanovs were in fact killed in 1918. What do you have to say about that?

· Why do you think the evacuation train was designated as Special Train #28?

· At the end of your book, you recommend a number of charitable organizations that you ask readers to consider supporting. Why did you want to ask for support through this book?

· The 2018 World Cup is in Russia, and more interestingly, Yekaterinburg itself. What impact do you think this story will have on that world event exactly 100 years later?

· So if Nicholas lived, where did he go after Vladivostok?

· So George Hutson, Martin’s older brother who recommended him for the rescue, earned the Distinguished Service Cross and a Purple Heart. Tell us about that.

· Martin said there was a young Romanov daughter onboard the evacuation train from Irkutsk to Harbin. Did he ever tell you who he thought that daughter might be?

· And who was the 14-year-old boy, do you think in the Vladivostok train station who inspired the big gun fight? Care to offer any guesses?

· Another Romanov rescue author was reportedly poisoned years ago before telling what she knew about the various rescue attempts. Did you every have any fear for your safety while writing this book?

· Do you think there will ever be another Tsar of Russia? What happens, in your opinion, to the Romanov claim to the throne, if he did live?

· You published Hoya on Amazon independent of traditional publishing. Tell us about that process and what you have learned by publishing the book yourself.

· Since you decided to publish yourself, does that mean that you recommend that other authors ditch the literary agent and traditional publishing house route, too?

· Anything else in the works from this book? This is quite a story.

About the Author

Ben Everidge is a ten-year veteran of United States Senate and U.S. House professional, personal office, and campaign staffs, including a role as a senior aide to then-Congressman, and now former senior United States Senator/Astronaut, Bill Nelson of Florida. Everidge was designated a prestigious Georgetown University Fellow where he also earned his Master’s degree in American Government with a minor in International Relations.

Today, he is a principal of Cannon & Caius LLC, a strategic collaborations firm specializing in academic, media and government relations as well as transformational public-private partnerships funded by preeminent generosity. His career consulting has included working for World Cup, which went to Russia and the murder venue of Yekaterinburg just days before the 100th anniversary of the Tsar’s alleged assassination on July 17, 1918.

Rescuing Nicholas is Ben’s first non-fiction book. Martin Hutson, who received an Honorable Discharge from the Army in 1922, is Everidge’s late, Great Uncle. Everidge has also completed his first work of fiction, a political novel, Hoya: The Watchmen Waketh, and is working on the sequel, Hoya Saxa: Honor Among Grey Ghosts which is forthcoming in 2020.

Learn More About Nicholas

Authors Notes

Author's Notes

hoya: the watchmen waketh

rescuing nicholas: the secret mission to save the tsar