The Last Days of Rasputin

"Today, at exactly 9 o'clock in the morning, Prince Yusupov came to see me... He stayed with me for more than two hours. "Your speech will not bring the results you expect," he told me right away. "The Sovereign does... not like when pressure is applied to his will, and Rasputin's significance, I believe, is not only not diminishing, but, on the contrary, will strengthen, thanks to his complete influence over Alexandra Fyodorovna, who is practically governing the state now, as the Sovereign is occupied at the Headquarters with military operations." "What should we do?" I remarked. He smiled mysteriously and, looking me in the eye with an unblinking gaze, hissed through his teeth: "Eliminate Rasputin." I laughed..."