The reader is presented with memoirs written not just by a statesman, but by a “scientist in power”, inclined to impartially verify party doctrines with the data of historical experience. HE N. Pokrovsky (1865–1930) was described by his contemporaries as a person of high intellectual, business and moral qualities. He, a lawyer by education and an economist by vocation, had the opportunity to serve in various higher (Committee and Council of Ministers, State Council) and central (Ministry of Finance, State Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) government institutions, and the peak of his career was in 1916 the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs business A detailed chronicle of the last year of imperial power, especially the final three days, is complemented by sharp characterizations of Nicholas II and representatives of the House of Romanov, royal dignitaries - prime ministers, members of the Council of Ministers, as well as opposition public figures. Pokrovsky was one of the last to leave the government residence (Mariinsky Palace), and in his memoirs he wrote: “I did everything that was in my power...”