(Continued from page 5)

The short answer to that question is no.  Even if tests on one of the Romanov claimants reveals a perfect match, it will only prove that the claimaint is a member of the same family as the Tsar's wife, Empress Alexandra.  The reason for this is that the mitochondrial type of DNA used to identify the remains found in the Koptyaki Forest only passes down the maternal line.  It WILL NOT prove whether a claimant is a child of Tsar Nicholas II... and that is the most critical issue of all when the person in question has claimed to be the Tsar's only son and heir, the Tsarevich Alexei.

A perfect match to the mitochondrial DNA will only show that the claimant's mother was a member of the same female line as the Empress.  The claimant might be a brother or sister, an aunt or uncle, niece, nephew, or cousin, but it does not necessarily follow that if the DNA matches then the claimant is a son or daughter of the slain Imperial couple.

In order to prove the claimant is a child of the Tsar by using DNA technology there must be a match with the more common chromosomal (or nuclear) DNA known as short tandem repeats or STRs.  This is the sort of testing used in paternity and criminal cases and, although its accuracy is now accepted by the public and the courts, its reliability is still in some doubt.  It certainly wasn't enough to convince the jury in the case of  O.J. Simpson! 

Another example is the case of the Russian mass murderer who was executed for killing more than fifty people.  The DNA tests on his blood samples did not match his seminal fluid tests... two different test results from the same person!  This phenomenon is known to happen in a small percentage of males.  Chromosomal DNA is also much less stable than mitochondrial DNA over long periods of time, which is why it was not used for the identification of the remains.

When investigating the identity of anyone claiming to be the Tsarevich Alexei there is another issue to keep in mind.  The Tsar's son suffered from a blood disease that historians suggest was haemophilia, but, as I will discuss later in this text, the true nature of the boy's disease has never been proven.  It was... and still is... a state secret.  The disease becomes an issue in the DNA identification because it may have been caused by or the cause of mutations in the boy's DNA fingerprint... mutations which might make finding a DNA match difficult or even impossible, even if the claimant being studied really is the missing son of the Tsar!

One must also question the reliability of the published DNA information that identifies the discovered Romanov remains.  These test results are held up as the material to which any claimants must be compared, but consider this: If  the scientists and the politicians backing them know that there is a true claimant out there somewhere then are they likely to publish the combination that will open the Russian vaults?  Of course not!       

Remember that everything the Russian government now owns was once the sole possession of the Tsar.  Realizing that common law says seized goods must be returned to the original owners if they can be found, what would the implication be for the Kremlin government if a third party managed to produce a perfect DNA match and could prove that they are heir to the Romanov fortune?  You can be certain Boris Yeltsin knows the answer.

©  J. Kendrick 1997                                                                                                                                    (continued on page 7)