Latvian and Baltic history

World War II

• Molotov–Ribbentrop PactMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact, 1939—Text of the secret protocol carving up Eastern Europe between Stalin and Hitler.
• The First Months of the WarThe First Months of the War, Mr. Munters Speaks at the University, Latvian Economic Review, No. 2 (18) April 1940, Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 1940—Foreign Minister Vilhelms Munters' speech at the University of Latvia, asking, infamously : "I should like to ask, where now is the sovietisation against which we were warned...?"
• A Shepherd DiedA Shepherd Died—A miniature folk song booklet published by Tautas Palīdzība (Peoples' Welfare) in war-time Latvia and given out for donations to help the orphaned and widowed, illustrated by a popular Latvian pre-war and post-war diaspora artist—and who dated Peters's father while they studied together at the Academy of Art.
• These Names AccuseThese Names Accuse—Nominal List of Latvians Deported to Soviet Russia in 1940-41, Second edition with supplementary list, Latvian National Foundation, Stockholm, 1982 (list, 1942)—History leading up to and including the Soviet invasion of the Baltics, the first Soviet occupation, and the first mass deportations of 1941. The originally compiled list of names was published in Riga in 1942. Documents, photographs, partial list of names. Introductory page includes links to searchable databases of the deported.
• Nazi Occupation in 1943Latvia Under German Occupation in 1943, Alfreds Bīlmanis (uncredited), Latvian Legation, Washington, DC, 1944—The Latvian diplomatic corps reports on Latvia's third year under Nazi occupation, recounting still-fresh events.
• What Latvia Wishes?What Latvia Wishes From This War?, Alfreds Bīlmanis, Latvian Legation, Washington DC, 1944—As head of the Latvian Foreign Ministry's press division, Alfreds Bīlmanis (1887-1948) actively promoted independent Latvia's interests abroad. His war-time monograph, subtitled: "Background, Current Situation, Hopes for the Future"—written while there was still hope for Latvia's post-war freedom—dispels still-prevalent misunderstandings regarding the historical inter-relationships of the Baltics, Europe, and Russia.
• Zedelgem POW CampZedelgem POW Camp 2227  Latvians whose only "crime" was to fight to free their homeland after multiple invasions are called Nazis and shot as target practice. Today, official Russia and others invested in the "Latvians are Nazis" meme keep the lie alive.