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#12 - JRL 8089 - JRL Home
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004
From: Branko Milanovic (bmilanovic@ceip.org)
Subject: History according to Safire/8088 [re: Latvia, Soviet Union, Nazi Germany]

May I comment on a factual error in Safire's piece on Latvia published in NYTimes and your list Feb. 25. Safire writes: "Look for an answer in Riga, the beauiful capital of Latvia, a northern European nation conquered by Hitler before we [the United States] entered World War II. He traded it to Stalin, and Latvians lived under oppression and Russian colonization for two generations."

As everybody acquainted (even vaguely) with European history knows, Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union as result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of August 1939. The Soviet Union held to it until the Nazi invasion in June 1941. It is only then that Latvia (as well as Estonia and Lithuania) were occupied by Germany. So, Hitler never traded Latvia AFTER he occupied it as Safire implies. (Leave aside the fact that Hitler was not known for trading countries away _after_ he occupied them.)

Now, why is this chronology important? Look at Safire's view of history. Poor and nice Baltic states exist peacefully until they are occupied by Hitler, Hitler gives them to Stalin (somehow they belong to the USSR even when the German army is 15 kms from Moscow, but never mind this inconsistency), and then they languish and are "colonized" by the Russians until the dawn of freedom strikes in 1989. In truth, the forcible annexation of the Baltic states by the USSR was followed by German invasion two years later and then by some of the nastiest collaboration with the Nazis seen in Europe. But you will look in vain for that in Safire. Why not create alternative histories--they just fit much better with Safire's prejudices.

Best regards,

Branko Milanovic
Carnegie Endowment and World Bank.