Appendix 5

The Latvian "People's Government" Deports Minister of War, General J. Balodis

Prior to the large-scale deportations on June 13 and 14, 1941, of Latvian citizens, many Latvian statesmen and prominent official persons and politicians were arrested and deported by individual orders. The above is an example of such an order, issued on July 31, 1940, by V. Lacis who was Vice-Premier and Minister of Internal Affairs of the then Latvian "People's Government". The order refers to the deportation of the former Minister of War, General J. Balodis.

Translation follows.

Edict.

In accordance with the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution of 31. August of this year based on with the 1938 law on order and national security, the Cabinet of Ministers in its 31. August July session this year resolved to eject from the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic territory and deport to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics the former minister of war Janis Balodis together with his family members.

This edict takes effect July 31, 1940.

Riga, July 31, 1940

"Tēvija", August 20

Vilis Lacis
acting Ministry President
[v.i. meaning acting in the position of]

The annotation of "Tēvija" ("Fatherland") refers to the August 20th edition of the main Latvian-language (and Nazi originated and controlled) daily newspaper. Lācis's edict is reproduced in facsimile under the headline: Betrayer of his people Vilis Lācis—deporter of Latvians to Siberia. The article reads:

In the abandoned papers of betrayer Vilis Lācis has been found the original of the edict regarding the deporation of former Latvian War Minister Jānis Balodis and members of his family. This edict was written in green ink in Rīga, July 31, 1940. Vilis Lācis wrote it. The edict text [reads] that in conformance with the 1938 law regarding order and security, the state "Cabinet of Ministers" at its meeting of July 31, 1940 decided to deport from Latvia and convey to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics the former Latvian War Minister Jānis Balodis along with members of his family. The edict took effect July 31, 1940. Betrayer of the people Vilis Lācis signed the edict as "Deputy of the Office of the President of the Ministry". It is notable, that at the beginning of the edict Vilis Lācis seemed to wish to base it on the resolution of the "Cabinet of Ministers" of August 31, 1940, but then struck out that text.

Obviously, Balodis could not have been deported in accordance with a cabinet resolution on a date yet to take place. It is quite possible that in the heat of the moment Lācis forgot what month it was. A more sinister explanation is that the Soviets already had a full plan already in place for governing Latvia before they even invaded, and Lācis jumped the gun on the next month-end edict. Notably, pre-Soviet-invasion maps of Latvia already labeled it as Soviet territory.

Many Latvian citizens who had been condemned or had simply been missing, were afterwards exhumed from secret NKVD mass graves. The shooting of the victims was executed without a previous court sentence, on the ground of a simple order. Appendix 7 shows the last page of a list containing the names of 78 executed Latvians and, at the end, a remark written in Russian and signed by S. Shustin, Commissar of NKGB: "Considering the social danger they represent, all must be shot." S. Shustin. June 26, 1941.

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