250 Days at the Tsar's Headquarters. Diaries of a Staff Captain and Military Censor Close to the Highest State and Military Ranks

Mikhail Lemke (1872–1923) — a writer, publicist, and author of works on the history of journalism and censorship, is best known for his detailed memoirs about his service at the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander during World War I. Starting... from September 1915, M.K. Lemke served as a military censor and was also responsible for the interaction between the army command and the press. Having access to official correspondence, orders, and reports, including highly classified ones, Staff Captain Lemke copied all documents that passed through him into his diary, where he also recorded conversations with comrades of all ranks and titles — from ordinary soldiers to front commanders. From these notes, one can learn about the state of affairs in the army shortly before the fall of the Russian Empire: about supply problems, insufficient technical and engineering support for the units, the harmful practice of patronage, intrigues, and even adultery. The book is filled with dark premonitions of impending changes and a timid hope for the upcoming renewal of life.