LETTONIE - RUSSIE, Traités et documents de base

Le point de vue de Litvinov sur une guerre entre Hitler et l'Occident en mai 1938

M.Litvinoff's Declaration on March 28, 1939

Discours de J. Staline au Politburo dans sa séance du 19.08.1939.

M.Litvinoff's Declaration on March 28, 1939

“…The Baltic States' two big neighbours Germany and Soviet Russia had decided to renew the balance of power politics. According to reliable information, already in March 1939 a more intimate contact had been established between Germany and Soviet Russia.

“When on March 22, 1939, Germany unilaterally broke its treaties with Lithuania and compelled it to cede Klaipeda to Germany, Lithuania heard no word of encouragement from Soviet Russia.

“However, on March 28, 1939, the Latvian and Estonia Ministers in Moscow received from Foreign Commissar M.Litvinoff a declaration, mutatis mutandis identical, in which Soviet Russia reiterates its adherence to the Baltic-Soviet Russian peace treaties, the Briand-Kellogg pact, the non-aggression treaties, and also sustains its obligation to the League of Nations. The declaration reads as follows:

"The presumption of the Latvian-Soviet peace treaty of August 11, 1920, as well as of the non-aggression treaty of February 5.1932 was to render to and secure for the Latvian nation entirely self-determining and independent existence as a state, conforming with the wishes of the Latvian people. The Soviet Government acted upon this presumption when it immediately put into force the Briand-Kellogg pact, extended the non-aggression treaty for 10 years, and assumed obligations in accordance with the statutes of the League of Nations.

"The Latvian Government is aware of the efforts exerted by the Soviet Government during the past 15 years in order to ensure the inviolability of the frontiers of the Republic of Latvia, wherein it again acted upon the same presumption. From the above emanates what enormous importance the Soviet government has constantly laid and continues to lay upon preserving the complete independence of the Latvian as well as of the other Baltic Republics, conforming not only with the interests of the peoples of these republics, but also with the vital interests of the Soviet state. From this it should be clear that no matter what kind of agreements were signed, “voluntary” or concluded under outside pressure, should they result even only in the abatement or restriction of the independence and self-determination of the Republic of Latvia, permitting in it the political, economic or other domination of a third state, and granting to the latter any exceptional rights and privileges, both within the territory of Latvia and in its ports, this would be recognised by the Soviet government as insufferable and contradictory to the stipulations and spirit of the above-mentioned treaties and agreements regulating at present its mutual relations with Latvia, and even as a violation of these agreements with all the consequences arising therefrom.

"This declaration is made in the spirit of sincere benevolence toward the Latvian people, with the purpose of enhancing in the Latvian nation a feeling of security and confidence in the readiness of the Soviet Union to prove with deeds, in case of need, its interest in preserving in its entirety for the Republic of Latvia its independent existence as a state and its political and economic independence, as well as confidence in the inability of the Soviet Union to remain an idle bystander of open or masked attempts to destroy their self-determination and independence."

In its answer the Governments of Latvia and Estonia on April 7, 1939, reassured Soviet Russia of their wish to remain neutral, to continue good neighbour relations, and to respect treaties, but also declared that they could never accede to restrictions being placed upon the sovereign will of their people, and solemnly stated that they would never recognise the right of any foreign state whatsoever to exert influence directly or indirectly upon the foreign, domestic or economic policy of the Baltic States. Latvia and Estonia refuse to share with any state their rights and obligations, but promise to continue to observe strictly their international treaties.

After this dignified answer Latvia and Estonia were left alone for a while.

Surprisingly enough, on May 3, 1939, Foreign Commissar Litvinoff, in general well disposed to the Baltic States, had to resign from his post and was replaced by the nationalistic V. Molotoff.

On June 7, 1939, Latvia and Estonia, aware of the renewed Nazi-Bolshevik friendship, signed non-aggression treaties with Germany - the best they could do in their situation. (Lithuania had signed a similar non-aggression treaty with Germany already in March, 1939.)

One should remember how Mr. V. Molotoff during the summer of 1939 held mock conferences with English and French experts in Moscow, and how suddenly Monsieur J. von Ribbentrop on August 23, 1939, appeared in Moscow as Devs ex machina. We know now that at that time Moscow's diplomacy insisted on a completely free hand in the Baltic, against what Moscow itself on March 28, 1939, had encouraged the Baltic Governments to oppose in any case. Contrary to certain unfounded rumours, the Baltic States were never approached with guarantee proposals, neither by Great Britain nor France, and also not jointly by Great Britain and Soviet Russia. Mr. V. Molotoff demanded from Great Britain and France freedom of automatic action, i.e., the right to march by Soviet Russia's sole decision into the Baltic States, Finland, and Poland, in order to meet an aggressor, "direct or indirect," the latter to have been decided as having arisen by Soviet Russia alone.

Hitler granted this to Soviet Russia-"he bartered away what was not his to give," as the Earl of Halifax said in one of his speeches (December 5, 1939).

The part of the speech concerning the Baltic States reads as follows:

"We have tried to improve our relations with Russia, but in doing so we had always maintained the position that rights of third parties must remain intact and be unaffected by our negotiations. Events have shown that the judgement and the instinct of His Majesty's Government in refusing agreement with the Soviet Government on the terms of formulae covering cases of indirect aggression on the Baltic States were right. For it is now plain that these formulae might have been cloak of ulterior designs. I have little doubt that the people of this country would prefer to face difficulties and embarrassment rather than feel that we had compromised the honour of this country and the Commonwealth on such issues.”

Under the assumption that the non-aggression pacts with Germany and Soviet Russia would be respected, the Governments of the Baltic States proceeded to follow a strict neutrality policy in the growing world conflict. At the outbreak of hostilities between Germany and Poland, the Presidents of the Baltic Republics simultaneously on September 1, 1939, proclaimed the strict neutrality of their countries, basing their decrees on the previously mentioned neutrality laws, and these neutrality laws were immediately put into force.

Source:
cité p.45, dans Dr.Alfreds Bilmanis "Baltic States and World Security Organisation", Washington, DC, 1945,