Office of the Historian

760p.6111/50: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, October 6, 1939—6 p.m.
[Received October 6—3:35 p.m.]

693. My 690, October 6, 3 p.m. The leading editorials in both Pravda and Izvestiya this morning are devoted to the Soviet-Latvian pact of mutual assistance. Both editorials assert that the recent Baltic pacts constitute evidence of the Soviet peace policy in that they assure an enduring peace in the Baltic basin. The editorials point out that the Baltic States are now safeguarded against “any aggression of the part of Imperialist Powers”. The Izvestiya editorial makes no mention of Soviet relations with Germany in this connection, but the Pravda editorial includes the Soviet-German treaty of friendship as one of the elements in the establishment of peace in eastern Europe and the Baltic region. Both editorials quote with special emphasis the communiqué in regard to mutual non-interference in the internal affairs of the other country and Izvestiya with unconscious irony cites this understanding as proof “that the Soviet Government has never used its advantage as a great and powerful country against little countries.”

The Izvestiya editorial remarks that the treaties recently concluded by the Soviet Union are of special importance, coming at a time as they do, when the aggressive imperialist countries have continuously incited country against country, and have been searching for excuses for the continuation of the war.

Both papers carry short articles devoted to the history, economic development and strategic position of Latvia. The Izvestiya article refers to the numerous attempts of more powerful countries, with the notable omission of Germany, to conquer Latvia, beginning with ancient times, and openly charges that since the world war “the London politicians have not only attempted to use Latvia as a place d’armes for their aggressive designs against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” but have in large measure succeeded in transforming Latvia into an agrarian colony of industrialist England.

Repeated to Riga.

Steinhardt