John Scale

Lieutenant Colonel John Dymoke Scale DSO, OBE (born 27 December 1882) was an MI6 (SIS) agent, originally from Merthyr Tydfil in Glamorgan.^[1][2] He was involved in a British propaganda unit called the Anglo-Russian Commission in St Petersburg, where his responsibilities included running Mohammed Beck Hadjetlaché.^[3] Scale served in the British Indian Army and was first sent to Russia in 1912.^[4] He qualified as a Russian translator in 1913 and rejoined the 87th Punjabis in 1914.^[5] In 1916, Scale served with Stephen Alley and Oswald Rayner under Mansfield Cumming at the time of the murder of Grigori Rasputin.^[5] Whilst a captain in St Petersburg, in the weeks leading up to the killing, Scale is recorded as having met with Oswald Rayner and Felix Yusupov in the diary of their chauffeur, William Compton.^[6] Several other books and documentaries have claimed Scale's involvement in Rasputin's death, or even alleged that Scale commanded Rayner to fatally shoot him.^[7] A letter from Alley to Scale provides the best evidence of British Intelligence involvement in the murder and torture that reads:

John Dymoke Scale
Born	(1882-12-27)27 December 1882 England
Known for	MI6 agent Alleged involvement in the murder of Rasputin

Dear Scale, ... Although matters here have not proceeded entirely to plan, our objective has clearly been achieved. Reaction to the demise of "Dark Forces" has been well received, although a few awkward questions have already been asked about wider involvement. Rayner is attending to loose ends and will no doubt brief you on your return."^[7][8]

In March 1918, Scale was an SIS bureau commander in Stockholm.^[9]

References

1. Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage. Kelly's Directories. 1931. p. 2061.
2. Andrew Cook (May 2005). To kill Rasputin: the life and death of Grigori Rasputin. Tempus. p. 269. ISBN 9780752434094.
3. Gardham, Duncan., Communists lured to their deaths by MI6 with promise of sex, Daily Telegraph, 17 September 2010
4. Andrew Cook (1 December 2002). On His Majesty's Secret Service, Sydney Reilly Codename St1. Tempus. p. 260. ISBN 9780752425559.
5. Andrew Cook (26 August 2011). Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly. History Press. pp. 311–. ISBN 978-0-7524-6953-9.
6. Fuhrmann, Joseph T. (2013). Rasputin, the untold story (illustrated ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-1-118-17276-6.
7. Douglas Smith (3 November 2016). Rasputin: The Biography. Pan Macmillan. pp. 174–. ISBN 978-1-4472-4586-5.
8. "Who Murdered Rasputin?". BBC History Magazine. 3 November 2016.
9. Nigel West (24 December 2013). Historical Dictionary of World War I Intelligence. Scarecrow Press. pp. 249–. ISBN 978-0-8108-8002-3.