Grigory V. Romanov (born 1923) was a SovietPolitburo member and chief rival to Mikhael Gorbachev in the succession struggle following the death of Konstantin Chernenko. A soldier in the Red Army during World War II and a designer in a shipyard, Romanov joined the Communist Party in 1944 and eventually rose to be the chief of the Communist Party in Leningrad. He became a candidate member of the Politburo in 1973 and a full member in 1976. The second youngest member of the Soviet leadership after Gorbachev, Romanov was the candidate of the old guard for the position of General Secretary but was unable to defeat Gorbachev for the position. It has been alleged that Romanov and two of his supporters in the Politburo were out of town and not informed of the emergency meeting held to elect Chernenko's successor and that had they been present Romanov would have had enough votes to either become the new Soviet leader or block Gorbachev from attaining the position. Other accounts claim that Romanov was at the meeting but nominated Viktor Grishin for General Secretary in hopes of stopping Gorbachev.
He was dropped from the Politburo three months after Gorbachev became General Secretary in March 1985.
External link
A Soviet War Veteran Speaks Out (http://www.northstarcompass.org/nsc0403/veteran.htm) Pro-Romanov account of the battle to succeed Chernenko
After the murder of the Romanov, Pierre Gilliard assists Sokolov judge during his inquiry and, loaded with files of the inquiry and several suitcases of human remains and elements found in the four brother's pits mines, he succeded, after a very long and hard journey, to leave Russia and come back to Switzerland.
Sharing with Romanov its passion for photography, the book is illustrated with numerous photos which give us a great and touching testimony of the daily life of the Romanov family from his peak to his exile.
Decided to join Romanov family in Tobolsk, he finished his business in Petrograd and took a train for the city where the Romanov are kept and arrive here in October 1917 to share their captivity.