A chilly time in Siberia

Brought about by the Tsar’s failed monarchy and costly participation in the “War to End All Wars”, the Russian Revolution ended with Nicholas II and his family gunned down in a politically motivated execution. General bedlam then ruled in the Russian countryside as the Communists and loyalists fought a bloody civil war for total control. World War I still raged in the west with the Central powers, and some Russian soldiers continued to reluctantly participate, though often demoralized by the internal chaos of the civil war, lack of supplies and changing leadership.

American President Woodrow Wilson and his staff were not sure who to deal with in this unstable country, but wanted to foster any chance at democracy which might have surfaced from the turmoil. In addition, the new Communist