In 1986 Nikolai Tolstoy published "The Minister and the Massacres", a history of the repatriations from Austria to Soviet forces of Axis supporting troops, many anti-communist Cossacks (many of the repatriated troops were killed, and the rest sent to forced labour camps). Tolstoy accused former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan of conspiring to go beyond the agreement at the Yalta Conference and send anti-Soviet troops to their deaths. When he read the book, Cowgill was shocked and formed an independent commission of inquiry to determine the truth. Tolstoy at first co-operated with the inquiry, sharing documents and contact details for surviving witnesses. Cowgill's conclusion, outlined in an initial report in September 1988 and a final report in October 1990, was that the repatriations were in line with policy, there had been no conspiracy and Macmillan's role was minimal.