| Latvia: Year of Horror | On August 5th: THE STATE OF LATVIA CEASED TO EXIST |
They rejoiced most.
Like a mockery of truth, the Soviet newspaper Izvestia reported on August 6th: "Yesterday, the U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet separately voting by chambers unanimously agreed to accept the request of Latvia's Saeima to include the Latvian SSR into the U.S.S.R.'s fraternal family of nations."
The Acting President and Prime Minister Prof. A. Kirchensteins
This man, to make believable the grossly falsified will of the Latvian people, hypocritically lied: "The workers of Latvia suffered from unemployment and lived in hunger. ... Every attempt to gain human subsistance and rights and to determine their own future, they paid for with suffering and torment, with incarceration of their best sons and daughters in prison and forced labour camps. ... Only the inclusion into the U.S.S.R. assures real independence, development of industry, agriculture, the blossoming of real national culture, brilliant and powerful rise of material and cultural well being. ..." [As George Orwell would write in his novel about Stalinism 1984, is the communist world peace is war, freedom is slavery.]
The new communist power was established. Loyal guards and support had to be provided. Already operational was the Institute of Police Assistance Service "P.D." With few exceptions, this was comprised of the dregs of society: thieves, burglars, cheats. This institution eventually became the People's Militia. Many hardened criminals were entrusted with the organization and supervision of these institutions. The organizer of the Workers' Guard and People's Militia, a man with a lengthy criminal record Izak Bucinskis.
The duties of the police were assumed by the newly founded People's Militia, although their prime task was not to fight crime. This concept lost its meaning when criminals were released from prisons, and the leadership of security establishments was handed over to them. The militiamen had mastered shooting, in the event they had to face their own countrymen. Hardly able to read or write, they controlled identity documents in search of enemies of the new regime. These were considered to be anyone decently attired or intelligent looking.
Workers received arms and founded Workers' Guards. Among them were women, there on the understanding they would not flinch when executing their duties.
Militiamen check identity papers of pedestrians in Riga.
To allay suspicions, many workers joined the Guard, even though they had no connections with the Bolsheviks. To justify the existence of this armed guard, the Bolsheviks invented horror stories aboout sabotage. The guards were guarding the factories against imaginary ghosts.
The Workers' Guard in formation in honour of delegation from Moscow. The women of the Workers' Guard.
