760p.6111/56: Telegram
The Minister in Latvia (Wiley) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 10—6:35 p.m.]
247. Have just seen Foreign Minister. He states that Soviet garrisons will be limited to 25,000 total and that secret annex is identical with that of Estonia (see my recent telegram from Tallinn48). Latvian delegation leaves for Moscow tomorrow for trade [negotiations].
I asked Munters if he had been invited to Moscow or had gone on his own initiative. He replied that he had been invited but “without threats”. He acted on invitation at once in order to avoid “any incidents” or unpleasant pressure (referring to Soviet build up for Estonian negotiations) and in Moscow he received assurances with regard to integrity of Latvia. In his case, as in that of Estonia, [Mongolia?] was cited as example. Munters had none of his usual optimism and could not foresee how long Latvia would survive. He feared that the Soviet Union might foment internal difficulties. The situation here would be influenced by external events and might be aggravated if there was a revolution in Germany. Hitler had miscalculated and Germany, he went on, was in a sad state of [apparent omission]. Anything was possible.
In Moscow there was great frankness on the subject of German-Soviet “friendship”. They did not profess to foresee how long it would endure. Munters believes that their relations are based on mutual mistrust. Germany, who has had to retreat before the Russians, is waiting for circumstances to change in order to turn east. The Soviet Union is likewise waiting, and will wait with greatest patience, for the opportune moment: either revolution in Germany or exhaustion.
Munters is convinced that the evacuation of German minorities from this area has not been the subject of Soviet-German conversations. He believes that the Soviet Union must regard this move with suspicion. (I was unable to obtain clarification of why this might be the case). German Government assures him it has nothing to do with Baltic pact of mutual assistance with Soviet Union but will be a “blood bath” within a fortnight.
[Page 965]Munters also stated that concern was expressed in Moscow that Great Britain would violate Norwegian-Swedish neutrality. He had no information on course of Finnish-Soviet negotiations but pointed out that Finnish military [position?] was more favorable than that of Latvia.