The Soviet Union, Finland, and the Baltic StatesSoviet War News — Soviet Information Bureau, 1941

INTRODUCTION

For hundreds of years the territory on which the Baltic States were subsequently formed was part of the Russian Empire. The “ shortest ” State connection between Russia and Finland lasted from 1809 to 1917, i.e., for 108 years.

From the moment of the birth of the Soviet State one of the fundamental principles of its foreign policy was the recognition of the right of every nation to self-determination even to the extent of secession and the formation of an independent State. It was precisely this principle upon which was based the relations between the Soviet Union and her Baltic neighbours. It is necessary to stress that Soviet Russia was the first to recognise the independence and self-determination of Finland long before this was done by other States. Having broken completely with the policy of oppression pursued by the Tsarist and Provisional Governments, the Soviet Government recognised the State independence of Finland by the Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of December 31st, 1917, which was ratified by the Central Executive Committee of the R.S.F.S.R.*, January 4th, 1918.

In the same way the Soviet Government were the first to recognise the independence and self-determination of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during 1920.

The Soviet Government have never deviated from these fundamental decisions of its foreign policy in regard to the Baltic countries. In spite of the fact that Soviet Russia was deprived of such ports as Tallin, Riga, Libava and others, and the frontier with Finland ran along a line threateningly near to Leningrad—a town only second in importance to Moscow—the Soviet Union never wavered in her recognition and respect for the right to self-determination of the former Border States of the Russian Empire. For 20 years Soviet foreign policy in relation to these countries was guided by her desire for peaceful co-existence, the endeavour to establish good neighbourly relations and develop economic, political and cultural connections.

Pursuing her policy of recognition of and respect for the State independence of the Baltic countries, the Soviet Government made serious political and territorial sacrifices, they granted to these States economic concessions, exemptions and preferences (the use of the ports of the Baltic States for transit trade, orders, preferential importation from the Baltic, the establishment of the so-called “ Baltic clauses,” i.e., the granting to the Baltic countries of special trading privileges which were not applied to other countries and so on).

The Soviet Government considered that the Baltic States were in duty bound to fulfil only one condition necessary for peaceful co-existence. This condition was loyalty and readiness (and this not only in words but in deeds) on the part of the Baltic States not to violate the security of the Soviet Union, not to transform their territory into places d’armes for possible attacks on the Soviet Union, not to permit any country to establish a Protectorate over themselves, not to give their territory “ on lease ” for its possible use by any aggressor or would-be aggressor against the Soviet Union.

This, we repeat, was the only condition, in return for the loyal execution of which the Soviet Union was ready on its side loyally and sincerely to respect the independence and State self-determination of the Baltic countries. This condition did not, of course, violate the basis of their State independence in the slightest degree and was completely in conformity with the fundamental interests of the Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian and Finnish peoples, who sincerely desired to live in friendly and good-neighbourly relations with the peoples of the Soviet Union.

During more than 20 years the foreign policy of the Soviet Government insistently, systematically and in any and every international situation endeavoured to obtain from the Governments of the Baltic countries the fulfilment of this elementary condition for peaceful and good-neighbourly co-existence.

During these same more than 20 years, the Governments of the Baltic countries systematically and insistently in various international situations violated precisely this condition for peaceful co-existence. On the western and north-western frontiers of Soviet territory places d’armes were formed for anti-Soviet attacks, expeditions, political combinations, alliances and coalitions—all directed against the Soviet Union.

Whilst the Soviet press during the whole of this time never raised any doubts as to the desirability of the peaceful co-existence of the Soviet Union and the Baltic States, the press of the latter was a systematic source of the most disgusting, malicious and lying insinuations directed against the Soviet Union ; it also published appeals for crusades against the Soviet Union. It is well known, for instance, that for many years Riga was the centre for the spreading of the most lying and slanderous “ information ” about the Soviet Union. These Riga “ reports ” in the end became a byword and standing joke. And the other capitals of the Baltic States, for instance, Helsinki and Tallin, were not far behind Riga in this respect.

Whilst the Soviet Union recognised and respected the State independence of the Baltic countries and made serious political, economic and financial sacrifices, she herself had not received any real, elemental guarantees for her own security on the western and north-western frontiers. On the contrary, as a result of the hostile policy of the Governments of the Baltic States, their territory had been transformed into the most convenient places d’armes for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

Such was the objective reality of the mutual relations between the Soviet Union and the Baltic States during more than 20 years.

* R.S.F.S.R. is the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic. It includes what is usually termed Russia proper, and is the largest of the Republics which constitute the Soviet Union.