[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1412-E1413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

THE BALTIC STATES ARE NOT FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS

______

HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

of new york

in the house of representatives

Friday, July 11, 1997

Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, NATO member countries met in Madrid earlier
this week and announced support for a limited round of enlargement to
include Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. I was proud to
participate in these historic events.
While I believe NATO's announcement should have rightfully included
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovenia, I hope and trust
NATO will take steps to enhance the security of countries not named and
on a concrete mechanism for a second round of enlargement. Indeed, the
U.S. delegation to the summit, led by President Clinton, was successful
in inserting language into the final communique that clearly leaves the
door open to further new members.
The Russian Government will no doubt marshal its forces to prevent
any further enlargement. Over the last year, the Russian Government has
repeatedly and vociferously indicated its opposition to NATO
enlargement in principle. While it has toned down its general
opposition to any first round of enlargement to Central Europe
following the signing of the Founding Act, it has attempted to draw the
line at any countries it considers former Soviet Republics. To those
making the decisions in the Russian Government, former Soviet Republics
include Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Yet, to take Russia's understanding of which countries are former
Soviet Republics would be both wrong and historically inaccurate. Under
international law and underscored by 50 years of United States
nonrecognition policy toward the Baltic States, these countries were
never Soviet Republics. Instead, these nations were forcibly occupied
against their will for 50 years under the nefarious terms of the Nazi-
Soviet Pact of 1939 and its secret protocols.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to place in the Record the text
of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which proves definitively that the Baltics
became part of the Soviet Empire not voluntarily, but due to the evil
machinations of the two worst dictatorships of this century.

Nonaggression Pact Between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics

The Government of the German Reich and the Government of
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, led by the desire to
consolidate peace between Germany and the USSR, and on the
basis of the fundamental provisions of the Treaty of
Neutrality signed in April 1926 between Germany and the USSR,
have arrived at the following agreement.

Article I

Both parties to the treaty are obligated to refrain from
any aggressive act and any attack on each other, either
individually or jointly with other powers.

Article II

In the case that one of the parties to the treaty should
become the object of belligerance on the part of a third
power, the other party shall not support the third power in
any way.

Article III

The Governments of both contracting parties shall in the
future remain constantly in contact with each other in order
to keep each other informed about their common interests.

ARTICLE IV

Neither of the two contracting parties shall participate in
any power alignment aimed directly or indirectly at the other
party.

Article V

In the case that disputes or conflicts should arise between
the two contracting parties over questions of this or that
kind, both paties shall settle these disputes or conflicts
exclusively through a friendly exchange of opinion or, if
need be, through the intermediary of an arbitration
commission.

Article VI

The present treaty shall be valid for 10 years, subject to
the proviso that unless one of the contracting parties
terminates it one year before this period is up, the treaty
will automatically continue in force for an additional five
years.

article vii

The present treaty shall be ratified within the shortest
possible time. The documents of ratification shall be
exchanged in Berlin. The treaty shall take effect immediately
upon ratification.
Prepared in two versions, Russian and German.
Moscow, August 23, 1939.
von Ribbentrop.
(For the Government of the German Reich).
V. Molotov,
(For the Government of the USSR).

secret supplementary protocol

On the occasion of the ratification of the non-aggression
pact between the German Reich and the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, the delegates of both parties,
undersigned below, held a highly confidential discussion
concering delimitation of the spheres of interest of both
parties in Eastern Europe. This discussion led to the
following results:
1. In the case of territorial-political reorganization in
the territories belonging to the Baltic States (Finland,
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), the northern boundary of
Lithuania also forms the boundary of the spheres of interest
of Germany and the USSR. The interests of Lithuania in the
territory of Vilna are recognized in this connection.
2. In the event of a territorial-political reorganization
of the areas belonging to the Polish nation, the spheres of
interest of Germany and the USSR are approximately demarcated
by the lines of the Narew, Vistula, and San Rivers.
The question as to whether bilateral interests make the
maintenance of an independent Polish state seem desirable,
and how this state would be demarcated, can only be
determined definitively in the course of further political
developments.
In each case both Governments will solve the question by
amicable agreement.
3. As regards southeastern Europe, Soviet interest in
Bessarabia is emphasized. The German side declares its
complete lack of interest in these areas.6
4. This protocol will be treated as top secret by both
sides.
von Ribbentrop,
(For the Government of the German Reich).
V. Molotov,
(On the authority of the Government of the USSR).
(Blurred stamp in upper right-hand corner says: ``Return to
office of the Reich Foreign Minister'')

secret supplementary protocol

The undersigned delegates establish agreement between the
Government of the German Reich and the Government of the USSR
concerning the following matters:
The secret supplementary protocol signed on August 23, 1939
is amended at No. 1 in that the territory of Lithuania comes
under the USSR sphere of interest, because on the other side
the administrative district ``Woywodschaft'' of Lublin and
parts of the administrative district of Warsaw come under the
German sphere of influence (cf. map accompanying the boundary
and friendship treaties ratified today). As soon as the
Government of the USSR takes special measures to safeguard
its interests on Lithuanian territory, the present German/
Lithuanian border will be rectified in the interests of
simple and natural delimitation, so that the territory of
Lithuania lying southwest of the line drawn on the
accompanying map will fall to Germany.
It is further established that the economic arrangements in
force at the present time between Germany and Lithuania will
be in

[[Page E1413]]

no way damaged by the aforementioned measures being taken by
the Soviet Union.
Moscow, September 28, 1939.
von Ribbentrop,
(For the Government of the German Reich).
V. Molotov,
(On the authority of the Government of the USSR).

secret protocol

Graf von Schulenburg, the German Ambassador, acting for the
Government of the German Reich, and the Chairman of the
Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, W.M. Molotov,
acting for the Government of the USSR, have agreed upon the
following points:
1. The Government of the German Reich renounces its claims
to the portion of the territory of Lithuania mentioned in the
September 28, 1939 Secret Protocol and shown on the included
map.
2. The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics is prepared to compensate the Government of the
German Reich for the territory mentioned in Point 1 of this
protocol by payment of the sum of 7,500,000 gold dollars=31
million 500 thousand reichsmarks to Germany.
Payment of the sum of 31.5 million reichsmarks will be
accomplished by the USSR in the following way: one eighth,
i.e., 3,937,500 reichsmarks, in shipments of non-ferrous
metal within three months of ratification of this treaty, and
the remaining seven eighths, 27,562,500 reichsmarks, in gold
by a deduction from the German payments in gold which the
German side was to bring up by February 11, 1941. On the
basis of the correspondence concerning the February 11, 1940
economic agreement between the German Reich and the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics in the second section of the
agreement between the Chairman of the German Economic
Delegation, Herr Schnurre and the People's Commissar for USSR
Foreign Trade, Herr A.I. Mikoyan.
3. This protocol has been prepared in both German and
Russian (two originals) and goes into effect upon being
ratified.
Moscow, January 10, 1941.
illegible, presumably ``von Schulenburg,''
(For the Government of the German Reich).
V. Molotov,
(Acting for the Government of the USSR).

Mr. Speaker, from their occupation by Soviet tanks in 1940 until the
United States recognized the governments of the Baltic States in 1991,
the United States never recognized Soviet de jure control over these
countries and maintained diplomatic relations with the Baltic
governments through their representatives in Washington.
While this may seem an obvious history lesson, it is important that
the United States Government make this distinction to its Russian
counterparts and that we and our European allies not allow ourselves to
compromise future enlargement based on a faulty understanding of
history.
It is also important to note that Russian President Boris Yeltsin
himself played a pivotal and commendable role in bringing about Russian
recognition of Baltic independence by annulling the consequences of the
brutal 1940 occupation of Lithuania in a treaty signed between
Lithuania and Russia in 1991. By annulling the annexation, Russia
itself has recognized that the Baltic States were never Soviet
Republics but instead Soviet-occupied republics. Mr. Speaker, I also
ask unanimous consent that excerpts from this treaty be placed in the
Record at the conclusion of my remarks.
By treating the Baltic States as former Soviet Republics while
refusing to recognize the historical wrong of a 50-year occupation, the
Russian Government hopes to stop NATO enlargement after the first
round. They hope to secure general agreement that the former Soviet
Republics are distinctly in Russia's zone of interest.
Mr. Speaker, NATO should never agree to any Russian proposals that
would exclude any country from exercising its sovereign right to
request NATO membership.

Treaty Between the Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Soviet
Federated Socialist Republic on the Basis for Relations Between States

(Excerpts)

The Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Soviet Federated
Republic, hereinafter called ``the High Contracting
Parties,''
Assigning to the past events and actions that hindered each
High Contracting Party from fully and freely realizing its
state sovereignty,
Being convinced that once the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics annuls the consequences of the 1940 annexation
violating Lithuania's sovereignty, created will be additional
conditions for mutual trust between the High Contracting
Parties and their peoples, . . .
have agreed as follows:

Article 1

The High Contracting Parties recognize each other as full-
fledged subjects of international law and as sovereign
states. . . .
The High Contracting Parties pledge to refrain from the use
of force and the threat of the use of force in their mutual
relations, to refrain from interference in internal affairs,
to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and
inviolability of borders in accordance with the principles of
the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. . . .

Article 2

The High Contracting Parties recognize each other's right
to independently realize their sovereignty in the area of
defense and security in ways they find acceptable,
contributing to the process of disarmament and reduction of
tension in Europe, as well as through systems of collective
security. . . .

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