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THE  CRIMES  OF  KHRUSHCHEV 

PART  4 


CONSULTATIONS  WITH 

Dr.  ViLis  Masens 

Mr.  Vaclovas  Sidzikauskas 

COMMITTEE  ON  UN-AMERICAN  ACTIVITIES 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

EIGHTY-SIXTH  CONGRESS 

FIRST  SESSION 


SEPTEMBER  21,  1959 
(INCLUDING  INDEX) 


Printed  for  the  use  of  the  Committee  on  Un-American  Activities 


UNITED  STATES 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
4GU7°  WASHINGTON  :   1959 


COMMITTEE  ON  UN-AMERICAN  ACTIVITIES 
United  States  House  of  Representatives 

FRANCIS  E.  WALTER,  Pennsylvania,  Chairman 

MORGAN  M.  MOT'LDER,  Missouri  DONALD  L.  JACKSON,  California 

CLYDE  DOYLE,  California  GORDON  H.  SCHERER,  Ohio 

EDWIN  E.  WILLIS,  Louisiana  WILLIAM  E.  MILLER,  New  York 

WILLIAM  M.  TUCK,  Virginia  AUGUST  E.  JOHANSEN,  Michigan 

Richard  Arens,  Staff  Dhedor 
II 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Synopsis ^ 

September  21,  1959:  Testimony  of — 

Dr.  Vilis  Masens - ^ 

Mr.  Vaclovas  Sidzikauskas 12 

Index -- * 

III 


Public  Law  601,  79th  Congeess 

The  legislation  under  which  the  House  Committee  on  Un-American 
Activities  operates  is  Pubhc  Law  601,  79th  Congress  [1946],  chapter 
753,  2d  session,  which  provides: 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States 
of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  *  *  * 

PART  2— RULES  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

Rule  X 

EEC.   121.    STANDING    COMMITTEES 

*  Id  *  *  *  m  )ii 

18.   Committee  on  Un-American  Activities,  to  consist  of  nine  ^Members. 

Rule  XI 

POWERS    AND    DUTIES    OF   COMMITTEES 
******  Hf 

(q)    (1)   Committee  on  Un-American  Activities. 

(A)  Un-American  activities. 

(2)  The  Committee  on  Un-American  Activities,  as  a  whole  or  by  siibcommit- 
tee,  is  authorized  to  make  from  time  to  time  investigations  of  (i)  the  extent, 
character,  and  objects  of  un-American  propaganda  activities  in  the  United  States, 
(ii)  the  diffusion  within  tlie  United  States  of  subversive  and  un-American  propa- 
ganda that  is  instigated  from  foreign  countries  or  of  a  domestic  origin  and  attacks 
the  principle  of  the  form  of  government  as  guaranteed  by  our  Constitution,  and 
(iii)  all  other  questions  in  relation  thereto  that  would  aid  Congress  in  anj'  necessary 
remedial  legislation. 

The  Committee  on  Un-American  Activities  shall  report  to  the  House  (or  to  the 
Clerk  of  the  House  if  the  House  is  not  in  session)  the  results  of  any  such  investi- 
gation, together  with  such  recommendations  as  it  deems  advisable. 

For  the  purpose  of  any  such  investigation,  the  Committee  on  Un-American 
Activities,  or  any  subcommittee  thereof,  is  authorized  to  sit  and  act  at  such 
times  and  places  within  the  United  States,  whether  or  not  the  House  is  sitting, 
has  recessed,  or  has  adjourned,  to  hold  such  hearings,  to  require  the  attendance 
of  such  witnesses  and  the  production  of  such  books,  papers,  and  documents,  and 
to  take  such  testimony,  as  it  deems  necessary.  Subpenas  may  be  issued  under 
the  signature  of  the  chairman  of  the  committee  or  any  subcommittee,  or  by  any 
member  designated  by  any  such  chairman,  and  may  be  served  by  any  person 
designated  by  any  such  chairman  or  member. 

******* 

Rule  XII 

LEGISLATIVE    OVERSIGHT   BY    STANDING    COMMITTEES 

Sec.  136.  To  assist  the  Congress  in  appraising  the  administration  of  the  laws 
and  in  developing  such  amendments  or  related  legislation  as  it  may  deem  neces- 
sary, each  standing  committee  of  the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Representatives 
shall  exercise  continuous  watchfulness  of  the  execution  by  the  administrative 
agencies  concerned  of  any  laws,  the  subject  matter  of  which  is  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  such  committee;  and,  for  that  purpose,  shall  study  all  pertinent  reports 
and  data  submitted  to  the  Congress  by  the  agencies  in  the  executive  branch  of 
the  Government. 

IV 


RULES  ADOPTED  BY  THE  86TH  CONGRESS 
House  Resolution  7,  January  7,  1959 

4i  «  I)!  >K  *  4c  * 

Rule  X 

STANDING    COMMITTEES 

1.  There  shall  be  elected  by  the  House,  at  the  commencement  of  each  Con- 
gress, 

******* 

(q)   Committee  on  Un-American  Activities,  to  consist  of  nine  Members. 
******* 

Rule  XI 

POWERS    AND    DUTIES    OF    COMMITTEES 
******* 

18.  Committee  on  Un-American  Activities. 

(a)  Un-American  activities. 

(b)  The  Committee  on  Un-American  Activities,  as  a  whole  or  by  subcommittee, 
is  authorized  to  make  from  time  to  time  investigations  of  (1)  the  extent,  char- 
acter, and  objects  of  un-American  propaganda  activities  in  the  United  States, 
(2)  the  diffusion  within  the  United  States  of  subversive  and  un-American  prop- 
aganda that  is  instigated  from  foreign  countries  or  of  a  domestic  origin  and 
attacks  the  principle  of  the  form  of  government  as  guaranteed  by  our  Constitu- 
tion, and  (3)  all  other  questions  in  relation  thereto  that  would  aid  Congress 
in  any  necessary  remedial  legislation. 

The  Committee  on  Un-American  Activities  shall  report  to  the  House  (or  to  the 
Clerk  of  the  House  if  the  House  is  not  in  session)  the  results  of  any  such  investi- 
gation, together  with  such  recommendations  as  it  deems  advisable. 

For  the  purpose  of  any  such  investigation,  the  Committee  on  Un-American 
Activities,  or  any  subcommittee  thereof,  is  authorized  to  sit  and  act  at  such  times 
and  places  within  the  United  States,  whether  or  not  the  House  is  sitting,  has 
recessed,  or  has  adjourned,  to  hold  such  hearings,  to  require  the  attendance 
of  such  witnesses  and  the  production  of  such  books,  papers,  and  documents,  and 
to  take  such  testimony,  as  it  deems  necessary.  Subpenas  may  be  issued  under 
the  signature  of  the  chairman  of  the  committee  or  any  subcommittee,  or  by  any 
member  designated  by  any  such  chairman,  and  may  be  served  by  any  person 
designated  by  any  such  chairman  or  member,  "■ 

******* 

26.  To  assist  the  House  in  appraising  the  administration  of  the  laws  and  in 
developing  such  amendments  or  related  legislation  as  it  may  deem  necessary, 
each  standing  committee  of  the  House  shall  exercise  continuous  watchfulness 
of  the  execution  by  the  administrative  agencies  concerned  of  any  laws,  the  subject 
matter  of  which  is  within  the  jurisdiction  of  such  committee;  and,  for  that 
purpose,  shall  study  all  pertinent  reports  and  data  submitted  to  the  House  by 
the  agencies  in  the  executive  branch  of  the  Government. 


No  state  and  no  forces  from  outside  can  or  must  be  per- 
mitted to  impose  on  the  peoples  of  other  states  their  way 
of  life,  political  and  social  institutions. 

Nikita  Khrushchev  in  an  inter- 
view on  June  25,  1958. 


VI 


THE  CRIMES  OF  KHRUSHCHEV 


SYNOPSIS 


Khrushchev's  international  Communist  conspiracy  maintains  itself 
in  power  in  the  Baltic  States  only  by  Soviet  bayonets  and  tanks,  two 
former  high-ranking  Baltic  officials  state  in  the  accompanying  con- 
sultations in  which  they  relate  the  physical  deportations,  rehgious 
persecution,  economic  exploitation,  and  other  inhumanities  currently 
being  inflicted  on  the  captive  people  of  the  Baltic  States. 

Dr.  Vilis  Masens,  former  top-flight  official  of  the  Latvian  Govern- 
ment and  presently  a  member  of  the  General  Committee  of  the 
Assembly  of  Captive  European  Nations  and  chairman  of  the  Latvian 
Delegation  of  that  Assembly,  stated: 

The  aggressive  aims  and  designs,  as  well  as  methods  of 
fraud  and  violence,  of  international  communism  basically 
have  not  changed  under  Khrushchev  and  are,  in  fact,  as  cruel 
as  they  were  under  Stalin. 

***** 

There  are  no  political  freedoms  in  Latvia  whatsoever,  and 
the  Latvian  people  to  this  day  are  deprived  of  the  right  to 
elect  a  free  government  of  their  own  choice;  there  is  no  free- 
dom of  speech,  of  press,  nor  of  association;  there  is  no  freedom 
of  movement  within  the  country,  and  people  cannot  change 
their  residence  without  the  permission  of  the  police;  there  is 
no  freedom  to  leave  the  country  and  the  number  of  those 
who  have  been  able  to  leave  the  country  within  the  last 
15  years  is  insignificant;  there  is  most  certainly  present  a 
regime  of  fear — people  dare  not  go  to  church  for  fear  that 
this  may  harm  their  position  as  far  as  their  jobs,  educational 
opportunities,  and  even  their  living  facilities  are  concerned. 
People  dare  not  correspond  freely  for  fear  of  censorship  and 
persecution. 

Mass  deportations  have  been  replaced  by  "voluntary" 
compulsory  transfer  of  young  Latvians  to  Khrushchev's 
virgin  lands  in  Kazakhstan.  Many  thousand  young  Lat- 
vians have  been  compelled  to  go  and  many  more  will  have 
to  follow,  not  just  for  a  few  years,  but,  as  the  Communist 
publications  in  Latvia  openly  state,  "for  good,  to  spend  all 
their  lives  there." 

In  spite  of  Communist  assertions  to  the  contrary,  Khru- 
shchev's regime  in  Moscow  interferes  through  its  agents  in 
every  branch  of  Latvian  hfe.  They  are  the  so-called  deputy 
ministers,  of  which  every  minister  has  one  or  two;  in  many 
instances  they  are  Russians  sent  from  Russia,  and  their  names 
do  not  appear  in  the  official  list  of  members  of  government 
submitted  for  formal  approval  to  the  Supreme  Soviet  of 
Latvia, 

1 


2  THE    CRIMES    OF   KHRUSHCHEV 

General  N.  S.  Zakharov,  who  accompanied  Khrushchev  to  the  recent 
formal  dinner  at  the  White  House,  had  charge  of  deportations  and 
terrorizing  from  1947  to  1949  when  he  was  deputy  chief  of  NKVD  in 
Latvia,  Dr.  Masens  stated. 

The  number  of  those  deported  in  1949  had  reached  almost  200,000 
persons,  many  of  whom  had  died  in  Siberian  concentration  camps  and 
many  of  whom  are  still  in  Siberia,  Dr.  Masens  continued. 

Commenting  on  Khrushchev's  assertions  that  Soviet  Russia  has 
liquidated  its  military  bases  ou  territory  of  other  states,  Dr.  Masens 
stated : 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  they  maintain  military  and 
naval  bases  on  the  territory  of  Latvia  and  in  the  other  Baltic 
States.  These  bases  were  established  there  in  1939  when 
they  were  forced  upon  the  neutral  Baltic  States  by  Moscow, 
and  since  that  time  they  have  been  further  expanded  particu- 
larly by  installing  large  submarine  bases  and  shelters  and 
powerful  coastal  fortifications.  These  bases  constitute  a 
threat  to  the  free  nations,  particularly  to  the  Scandinavian 
countries.  Not  so  long  ago  the  Swedish  seismographic  sta- 
tions had  registered  heavy  underwater  explosions  in  the  Baltic 
Sea  which  caused  in  the  Scandinavian  countries  grave  con- 
cern. Khrushchev's  deeds  also  in  this  respect  do  not  corre- 
spond with  his  propaganda  for  the  Baltic  Sea  as  a  "Sea  of 
Peace." 

A  few  years  ago  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Latvian  coast,  near 
Liepaja,  an  American  plane  was  shot  down  by  the  Soviets, 
another  American  plane  was  later  attacked  near  Ventspils, 
Latvia. 

Vaclovas  Sidzikauskas,  former  Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  Lith- 
uania, who  is  presently  chairman  of  the  Committee  for  a  Free  Lithua- 
nia and  chairman  of  the  Lithuanian  Delegation  to  the  Assembly  of 
Captive  European  Nations,  commenting  on  the  crimes  of  Khrushchev, 
stated : 

The  Lithuanian  people  consider  Khrushchev,  who  has  been 
and  is  a  member  of  the  ruling  clique  of  the  Kremlin,  as  being 
co-responsible  for  all  the  crimes  committed  by  the  Soviet 
Government  against  the  Lithuanian  State  and  the  Lithuan- 
ian people.  That  means  a  breach  of  the  Peace  Treaty,  the 
Non-Aggression  Pact,  and  other  legal  and  political  commit- 
ments of  the  U.S.S.R,.;  military  invasion  and  occupation, 
suppression  of  the  independence  and  freedom,  mass  murders, 
mass  deportations  of  large  portions  of  the  population  to 
Siberia,  the  forced  Sovietization  of  the  country,  and  eco- 
nomic exploitation  of  the  resources  and  manpower  of 
Lithuania. 

At  the  20th  congress  of  the  Communist  Party,  Kltrushchev 
implicitly  endorsed  the  crimes  of  Stalin  with  regard  to 
Lithuania.  While  denouncing  some  of  Stalin's  crimes, 
among  them  the  annihilation  of  some  ethnic  groups  in  Crimea 
and  the  Caucasus,  he  was  silent  about  the  crimes  committed 
by  Stalin  against  the  Baltic  States. 

Klirushchev  continues  the  policy  of  the  Kremlin  inaugu- 
rated in  the  time  of  Stalin,  which  consists  in  the  continuous 


THE    CRIMES    OF    KHRUSHCHEV  3 

suppression  of  political  liberty,  of  independence  and  freedom 
of  Lithuania  and  other  Baltic  States. 

Mr,  Sidzikauskas  stated  that  the  crimes  of  Khrushchev  in  the  Baltic 
States  included  not  only  physical  deportations,  but  also  "Khru- 
shchevification"  or  intellectual  decapitation  of  the  nation. 

When  asked:  "What  will  be  the  reaction  in  your  native  land 
[Lithuania]  when  the  Communist  publications  feature  these  pictures 
of  Khrushchev  in  the  White  House  and  Khrushchev  meeting  the  top 
officials  in  this  country?"  Mr.  Sidzikauskas  replied:  "The  impact 
will  be  disastrous." 

In  regard  to  Khrushchev's  repeated  protestations  of  peaceful  intent, 
Mr.  Sidzikauskas  stated: 

The  protestations  of  peace  by  Khrushchev  remind  me  of 
the  similar  protestations  of  Hitler  before  the  outbreak  of 
World  W  ar  IL  At  each  rally  he  always  protested  his  desire 
for  peace.  Remember  "Peace  in  Our  Time" — paper  brought 
to  London  by  ISleville  Chamberlain  and  what  happened 
then? 

Protestations  of  peace  are  proper  to  all  totalitarians.  It 
is  the  same  method  that  is  now  used  by  Khrushchev. 

Russian  armed  forces  stay  in  the  heart  of  Europe.  What 
are  their  present  aims?     Peace? 

But  what  does  "peace"  mean  in  Russian  terms?  It  means 
Western  acquiescence  and  acceptance  of  Soviet  conquests. 
Therefore,  they  oppose  the  raising  of  the  question  of  Central 
Eastern  Europe,  he  it  in  the  United  Nations  or  summit  con- 
ference or  other  international  negotiations.  If  this  standing 
is  accepted  by  the  Vvest,  Khrushchev  is  willing  to  coexist 
with  the  West. 

And  what  does  "coexist"  mean  in  Russian  terms? 

As  Khrushchev  interprets  it,  the  present  Soviet  grip  over 
Lithuania  and  other  captive  European  countries  is  an  in- 
escapable fact  of  his  "history";  therefore,  the  West  has  no 
right  to  touch  his  colonial  empire.  As  to  the  free  part  of 
the  world,  Khrushchev  is  against  the  status  quo  and  is  for 
something  he  calls  "ideological  competition,"  meaning  free- 
dom for  communism  to  make  new  conquests  by  subversion. 


For  an  account  of  Communist  suppression  of  the  people  of  Estonia, 
see  House  Committee  on  Un-American  Activities  publication  entitled, 
"International  Communism  (Communist  Control  of  Estonia)  Staff 
Consultation  with  August  Rei,"  May  10,  1957. 


46147'— 59— pt.  4- 


THE  CRIMES  OF  KHRUSHCHEV 
(Part  4) 


MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  21,  1959 

United  States  House  of  Representatives, 

Committee  on  Un-American  Activities, 

Washington,  D.C. 
consultations 

The  following  consultations  with  Dr.  Vilis  Masens  and  IVIr.  Vaclovas 
Sidzikauskas,  respectively,  were  held  at  1:30  p.m.,  pursuant  to  call, 
in  room  226,  House  Office  Building,  Washington,  D.C,  Hon.  Francis 
E.  Walter,  of  Pennsylvania,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Un- 
American  Activities,  presiding. 

Staff  members  present:  Richard  Arens,  staff  director;  George  C. 
Williams  and  Frank  Bonora,  investigators. 

The  Chairman.  The  committee  will  come  to  order,  and  the  first 
witness  will  be  sworn. 

Do  you.  Dr.  Masens,  solemnly  swear  that  the  testimony  you  are ' 
about  to  give  this  committee  will  be  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  so  help  you  God? 

Dr.  Masens.  I  do. 

The  Chairman.  Proceed,  Mr.  Arens. 

STATEMENT  OF  DR.  VILIS  MASENS 

Mr.  Arens.  Kindly  identify  yourself  by  name,  residence,  and 
occupation. 

Dr.  Masens.  My  name  is  Vilis  Masens.  I  am  of  Latvian  origin, 
and  I  am  a  permanent  resident  of  this  country  since  1950,  when  I  was 
admitted  to  the  United  States  as  a  refugee  from  communism. 

Mr.  Arens.  Would  you  kindly  give  us  a  word  about  your  personal 
background.  Dr.  Masens? 

Dr.  Masens.  I  was  born  in  Latvia. 

I  am  a  graduate  of  the  Law  School  of  the  University  of  Latvia;  I 
possess  a  Diploma  of  Diplomatic  and  International  Studies  of  the 
London  School  of  Economics  and  Pohtical  Science;  I  obtained  my 
doctor's  degree  (magna  cum  laude,  international  law)  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Heidelberg;  I  have  also  studied  at  the  Universities  of  Grenoble 
and  Paris  and  at  the  Academy  of  International  Law  at  The  Hague. 

As  member  of  the  Latvian  Foreign  Service,  I  served  abroad  in 
London,  Kaunas,  and  Paris;  at  the  Latvian  Department  of  State  I 
held  at  different  times  the  posts  of  Acting  Political  Director;  Du-ector 
of  Western  Division  in  charge  of  relations  with  the  United  States  and 
other  Western  nations,  as  well  as  with  the  League  of  Nations;  and 

5 


6  THE    CRIMES    OF    KHRUSHCHEV 

that  of  a  Director  of  the  Baltic  and  Scandinavian  Division.  As  a 
member  of  Latvian  delegations  I  participated  in  the  work  of  the  League 
of  Nations,  in  the  regular  conferences  of  the  Baltic  Ministers  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  and  carried  out  missions  abroad.  I  also  represented 
Latvia  in  the  International  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Paris;  as  a 
regular  commentator  on  international  problems,  I  spoke  on  the  radio 
and  contributed  articles  to  the  press. 

In  recognition  of  my  services,  I  was  awarded  nine  Latvian  and 
foreign  decorations. 

During  the  Soviet  and  Nazi  occupation,  I  took  part  in  the  activities 
of  national  resistance  groups. 

I  left  Latvia  in  the  fall  of  1944,  on  the  eve  of  the  second  invasion 
of  Latvia  by  the  Communists. 

As  a  refugee  in  Germany,  I  worked  for  the  Latvian  Red  Cross; 
later  for  the  United  Nations  International  Refugee  Organization  as 
Area  Legal  Officer  in  charge  of  legal  aid  and  protection  to  almost 
20,000  refugees  of  different  nationalities  in  Germany. 

In  1950  I  was  elected  Public  Relations  Director  of  the  International 
Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Paris. 

Ever  since  I  left  Latvia,  I  have  been  active  in  Latvian  exile  political 
organizations.  In  1951  I  was  elected  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
for  a  Free  Latvia  in  New  York,  an  organization  working  for  the 
liberation  of  Latvia  from  Soviet  domination.  I  held  the  above  office 
until  1955. 

As  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Assembly  of  Captive  European  Na- 
tions, I  was  elected  in  1954  as  its  fii-st  chairman  and  was  reelected 
further  for  three  consecutive  terms  until  fall  1958.  The  Assembly 
of  Captive  European  Nations  is  an  international  exile  political  organ- 
ization working  for  the  liberation  from  Communist  domination  of 
nine  formerly  free  and  independent  nations  of  Central  and  Eastern 
Europe. 

At  present  I  am  member  of  its  General  Committee  and  the  Chair- 
man of  the  Latvian  Delegation  in  the  ACEN. 

I  have  studied  and  observed  Communist  activities  during  the  time 
of  my  service  in  Latvia  and  also  while  I  have  been  in  exile,  so  that 
what  I  have  to  say  about  the  Communist  aggression  against  Latvia 
and  what  they  have  done  in  my  country,  is  based  on  facts  and  studies. 

Mr.  Arens.  Do  you  have  current  sources  of  information  respecting 
Communist  activity  and  oppression  in  the  Baltic  States? 

Dr.  Masens.  Yes,  and  there  is  nothing  very  secret  about  it.  Now, 
what  are  the  sources? 

The  sources  are  Communist  press — I  mean  the  Latvian  Communist 
press — radio  broadcasts,  escapees  from  Latvia,  of  which  there  are  not 
too  many,  owing  to  very  great  difficulties  in  getting  out  of  the  country, 
but  nevertheless  there  are  some. 

Mr.  Arens.  And  you  have  other  sources  of  information  which  you 
feel  would  not  be  prudent  to  put  on  the  record  at  this  time? 

Dr.  Masens.  That  is  correct. 

Mr.  Arens.  Doctor,  have  you  in  the  pursuit  of  yom-  work  in  these 
various  groups  traveled  over  the  world? 

Dr.  Masens.  Yes.  Altogether  I  have  visited  about  forty-two  coun- 
tries in  Europe,  South  America,  Asia,  and  the  Far  and  Near  East;  I 
have  been  received  by  several  presidents  of  the  free  nations  and  by 
twenty  foreign  ministers. 


THE    CRIMES.  OF    KHRUSHCHE^V  7 

Mr.  Arens.  What  has  been  the  purpose  of  your  visits  to  these 
various  countries? 

Dr.  Masens.  I  was  charged  by  the  Assembly  of  Captive  European 
Nations  while  I  was  its  chairman  to  approach  the  various  govern- 
ments of  the  Iree  world  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  political  and 
diplomatic  support  for  the  cause  of  captive  nations. 

Practically,  it  meant  our  task  was,  in  essence,  to  try  to  obtain  the 
support  of  the  free  governments  so  that  the  question  of  Soviet  ar;  ;res- 
sion  against  the  nine  captive  nations  of  Central  Eastern  Europe 
would  be  placed  on  the  agenda  of  the  United  Nations  or  of  interna- 
tional conferences. 

Mr.  Arens.  Although  you  are  of  Latvian  origin  and  served  in  the 
Latvian  Government,  is  it  a  fact  that  your  sources  of  infer  Aation  and 
interest  have  encompassed  all  of  the  Baltic  States  and  their  plight 
under  communism? 

Dr.  Masens.  Certainly,  I  am  best  informed  about  the  events  in 
Latvia.  As  to  Lithuania,  my  colleague,  Mr.  Sidzikauskas,  can  tell 
you  about  that. 

But  I  also  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  a  general  character  about 
all  of  the  captive  nations  due  to  my  previous  and  present  activities. 

Mr.  Arens.  Doctor,  there  appears  to  be  a  tendency  in  certain 
quarters,  at  least  in  the  free  world,  to  feel  that  international  com- 
munism, under  its  present  leadership  of  Khrushchev,  is  taking  a 
softer  or  milder  strategy  from  the  strategy  under  Stalin.  Indeed, 
not  more  than  several  days  ago,  we  have  seen  in  certain  columns  in 
the  press  observations  that  there  are  no  longer  the  rigorous  cruelties 
inflicted,  no  longer  the  regime  of  fear,  and  the  liive. 

Based  upon  your  current  sources  of  information,  do  you  have  any 
comment  to  make  on  that  issue  in  regard  to  the  situation  in  the  Baltic 
States? 

Dr.  Masens.  My  answer  to  the  first  part  of  your  question  is  a 
definite  "No."  The  aggressive  aims  and  designs,  as  well  as  methods 
of  fraud  and  violence,  of  international  communism  basically  have  not 
changed  under  Khrushchev  and  are,  in  fact,  as  cruel  as  they  were 
under  Stalin. 

What  better  proof  is  needed  in  this  respect  than  the  behavior  of 
Khrushchev  in  the  United  States,  where  he  has  never  ceased  to  con- 
duct himself  as  an  aggressive  dictator.  He  talks  about  peaceful  co- 
existence, noninterference,  and  the  right  of  all  nations  to  decide  their 
own  fate — the  same  as  Stalin  talked  before  him  in  the  past.  Nor  is 
there  any  difference  between  Khrushchev  and  Stalin  as  far  as  their 
deeds  are  concerned  with  regard  to  other  nations— mternational  com- 
munism under  Khrushchev  continues  to  oppress  other  nations  and  to 
interfere  in  their  internal  affairs,  the  same  as  it  did  under  Stalin. 
During  a  public  appearance  here  Khrushchev  very  "generously"  de- 
clared that  Communists  do  not  force  communism  on  anyone;  and  yet 
only  three  years  earlier,  when  the  Hungarians  decided  to  rid  them- 
selves of  the  Soviet  imposed  Communist  regime,  the  same  Khrushchev 
did  not  hesitate  to  order  Russian  troops  to  crush,  in  the  most  brutal 
way,  the  Hungarian  revolt. 

In  October  1939,  Soviet  Russia  on  the  basis  of  the  Soviet-Nazi  con- 
spiracy imposed  on  Latvia,  under  military  threats,  the  so-called 
mutual  assistance  pact  and,  in  pursuit  of  its  aggressive  plans,  forced 


^  THE    CRIMES    OF   KHRUSHCHEV 

upon  neutral  Latvia  and  other  Baltic  States  Soviet  military  and  naval 
bases. 

A  few  months  later,  in  June  1940,  the  Soviet  Union,  in  complete 
disregard  of  its  international  obligations  and  in  violation  of  its  treaties 
with  Latvia,  committed  a  brutal  act  of  armed  aggression  against 
Latvia  and  occupied  its  territory  with  its  armed  forces. 

In  July  1940,  Moscow  arranged  in  Latvia  mock  elections  carried 
out  in  the  presence  of  large  Soviet  troops,  followed  by  an  illegal 
imposition  of  a  Communist  regime  and  forcible  incorporation  of  Latvia 
into  the  Soviet  Union. 

Wlien  in  1941  the  Soviet  forces  and  their  agents  were  driven  out  of 
Latvia,  we  were  in  a  position  to  establish  a  balance  of  losses  in  human 
lives  during  the  one  year  of  Soviet  occupation.  Thousands  of  Latvians 
had  been  persecuted,  imprisoned,  and  murdered  for  the  simple  reason 
that  they  had  remained  true  to  their  country,  had  opposed  Soviet 
aggression,  and  had  refused  to  accept  the  Soviet-imposed  Communist 
dictatorship.  Further,  35,000  persons  had  been  deported  for  the  same 
political  reasons  to  the  Soviet  concentration  camps  in  Siberia. 

In  1944-45  Soviets  reoccupied  Latvia  and  reintroduced  Communist 
regime  wliich,  to  this  day,  is  maintained  in  power  only  with  the  help  of 
Khrushchev  and  his  troops  in  Latvia. 

As  to  the  second  part  of  yoiu:  question  the  facts,  as  far  as  Latvia 
is  concerned,  are  as  follows: 

There  are  no  political  freedoms  in  Latvia  whatsoever,  and  the 
Latvian  people  to  this  day  are  deprived  of  the  right  to  elect  a  free 
government  of  their  own  choice;  there  is  no  freedom  of  speech,  of 
press,  nor  of  association;  there  is  no  freedom  of  movement  within 
the  country,  and  people  cannot  change  their  residence  without  the 
permission  of  the  police;  there  is  no  freedom  to  leave  the  country  and 
the  number  of  those  who  have  been  able  to  leave  the  country  within 
the  last  fifteen  years  is  insignificant;  there  is  most  certamly  present  a 
regime  of  fear — people  dare  not  go  to  church  for  fear  that  this  may 
harm  their  position  as  far  as  their  jobs,  educational  opportunities, 
and  even  their  living  facilities  are  concerned.  People  dare  not  corre- 
spond freely  for  fear  of  censorship  and  persecution. 

Mass  deportations  have  been  replaced  by  "voluntary"  compulsory 
transfer  of  young  Latvians  to  Khrushchev's  virgin  lands  in 
Kazakhstan.  Many  thousand  young  Latvians  have  been  compelled 
to  go  and  many  more  will  have  to  follow,  not  just  for  a  few  years,  but, 
as  the  Communist  publications  in  Latvia  openly  state,  "for  good, 
to  spend  all  their  lives  there." 

In  spite  of  Communist  assertions  to  the  contrary,  Khrushchev's 
regime  hi  Moscow  interferes  through  its  agents  in  every  branch  of 
Latvian  life.  They  are  the  so-called  deputy  ministers,  of  which  every 
minister  has  one  or  two;  in  many  instances  they  are  Russians  sent 
from  Russia,  and  their  names  do  not  appear  in  the  official  list 
of  members  of  government  submitted  for  formal  approval  to  the 
Supreme  Soviet  of  Latvia. 

Latelj",  several  Latvian  Communist  functionaries  have  fallen  in 
disgrace  because  they  had  dared  to  oppose  tlie  Khrushchev  line  that 
Latvian  interests  and  Latvian  economic  resources  should  be  sacrificed 
for  the  benefit  of  Russia. 

While  the  Latvian  Communist  press  and  the  Riga  radio  gave  only 
a  brief  notice  that  Deputy  Prime  Minister  Berklavs  had  been  released 


THE    CRIMES    OF   KHRUSHCHEV  9 

from  his  duties,  reasons  for  his  release  were  disclosed  only  in  the 
Russian  press.  Berklavs  had  been  accused  of  having  put  Latvian 
interests  ahead  of  those  of  Moscow;  according  to  "Premier"  Lacis, 
Berklavs  had  been  striving  toward  autocracy  and  nationalistic 
tendencies  and  had  proposed  that  Latvian  products  be  distributed 
mainly  in  Latvia  instead  for  Moscow.  In  the  eyes  of  Lacis,  such 
proposals  would  have  brought  harm  to  the  general  interests  of  Moscow, 
as  well  as  to  the  Latvian  people. 

Another  victim  is  the  so-called  chairman  of  Latvian  trade  unions 
(there  are  no  trade  unions  in  Latvia  of  the  kind  that  exist  in  the  free 
world)  Pinksis,  who  had  objected  against  sending  of  Latvian  workers 
to  the  Soviet  Union  to  work  there. 

According  to  the  latest  information,  also  the  first  secretary  and 
many  others  of  the  Latvian  Komsomol  have  been  released  from  their 
posts.  All  these  and  similar  steps  prove  to  what  extent  the  Soviet 
Union,  under  Khrushchev,  is  trying  to  exploit  Latvia  if  even  Latvian 
Communists  have  had  to  protest. 

All  this  is  happening  in  Latvia  under  Khrushchev,  and  I  am  asking 
on  what  facts  do  the  columnists  base  tlieir  statements  about  the 
alleged  improvements.  The  only  improvements  of  some  kind  are  as 
far  as  the  food  and  clothing  situation  is  concerned,  which,  until 
recently,  was  catastrophic. 

But  even  these  improvements  are  accessible  only  to  those  who  are 
in  possession  of  means  to  buy  the  commodities  available. 

Mr.  Arens.  Dr.  Masens,  some  few  days  ago  when  Khrushchev  was 
welcomed  to  the  White  House  for  this  formal  dinner,  he  was  accom- 
panied by  a  General  Zakharov.  Do  you  have  any  information 
respecting  General  Zakharov? 

Dr.  Masens.  According  to  newspaper  accounts  of  that  event,  the 
name  of  the  person  you  referred  to  is  Maj.  Gen.  N.  S.  Zakharov. 
Again  according  to  the  press,  General  Zakharov,  a  Russian  native  of 
Novgorod,  in  Russia,  had  been  Deputy  Minister  of  Internal  Affairs 
in  Latvia  in  1945,  and  had  risen  swiftly  in  the  intelligence  and  security 
police  ranks. 

According  to  the  Latvian  newspaper  "Laiks"  in  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 16,  1959,  Zakharov  is  an  experienced  Chekist  who,  from  1947 
to  1949,  had  been  deputy  chief  of  NKVD  in  Latvia.  Those  famihar 
with  Communist  tactics  in  subjugated  countries  are  aware  that  one 
of  the  fii'st  tasks  of  Moscow  is  to  send  to  the  newly  occupied  countries 
their  most  experienced  Chekists  as  deputy  ministers  of  internal  affairs. 
Their  task  is  to  organize  a  well-functioning  Cheka  for  purposes  of 
carrying  out  deportations  and  of  terrorizing  the  local  population. 
Such  men  had  the  power  over  lives  and  deaths  of  the  people  and  they 
were  usually  the  most  dreaded  persons. 

Mr.  Arens.  Can  you  kindly  tell  us,  based  upon  your  background 
and  experience,  what  the  reaction  will  be  in  your  native  land  of 
Latvia  when  the  Communist-controlled  presses  there  feature  pictures 
of  Khrushchev  and  General  Zakharov  being  welcomed  at  the  White 
House? 

Dr.  Masens.  Latvians,  the  same  as  all  captive  people,  ever  since 
their  subjugation  by  international  communism  have  been  looking  to 
the  United  States  as  their  main  hope  for  the  restoration  of  theu'  freedom. 


10  THE    CRIMES    OF   KHRUSHCHEV 

They  follow  with  due  concern  international  events  and  react  to  such 
events  according  to  what  extent  they  are  favorahle  or  unfavorable  to 
the  cause  of  their  liberation.  They  wholeheartedly  w^elcomed  the 
proclamation  of  the  Captive  Nations  Week  in  July  1959  in  the  United 
States,  w^hich,  owing  to  violent  Communist  attacks,  became  known 
all  over  the  world. 

When,  however,  they  learn  that  representatives  of  the  alien  Com- 
munist regime,  whose  iron  grip  they  feel  every  day,  have  managed  to 
obtain  prerogatives  of  privileged  guests  in  the  free  w^orld,  how  could 
they  feel  otherwise  but  sad,  discouraged,  and  disappointed?  They 
know  the  true  face  of  communism  and  who  is  responsible  for  their 
misery  and  oppression,  as  well  as  for  the  tension  and  insecurity  in  the 
world.  They  would  deeply  regret  should  their  Communist  masters 
be  hailed  in  the  free  world  as  their  leaders  or  peacemakers,  none  of 
which  they  are. 

Mr.  Arens.  Wliat  happened  in  Latvia  when  General  Zakharov 
was  Deputy  Minister  of  Internal  Affairs? 

Dr.  Masens.  As  I  mentioned  earlier,  in  all  Soviet  subjugated 
countries  at  that  time.  Ministries  of  Internal  Affairs  issued  orders  for 
deportations  and  generally  were  in  charge  of  all  repressive  measures 
against  the  civilian  population.  According  to  Latvian  press  and 
other  reliable  information  at  the  time  when  Zakharov  was  in  Latvia, 
there  took  place  large-scale  persecutions  and  deportations — in  1945 
after  the  reoccupation  of  Latvia  and  again  in  1949.  As  is  well  known, 
in  1949,  at  the  height  of  the  forced  collectivization  drive  ordered  by 
Moscow  in  Latvia,  mass  deportations  and  persecutions  particularly 
affected  farmers  and  their  families,  as  well  as  other  nationalist  circles 
of  Latvia.  According  to  some  sources,  the  number  of  those  deported 
in  1949  had  reached  almost  200,000  persons,  many  of  whom  had  died 
in  Siberian  concentration  camps  and  many  of  whom  are  still  in  Siberia. 

Mr.  Arens.  Khrushchev  has  frequently  protested  the  missile  sites 
which  the  free  world  has  developed  as  a  shield  in  various  sections  of 
the  world.  Do  you  have  any  information  respecting  the  establish- 
ment by  the  international  Communist  conspiracy  of  bases  on  your 
native  soil  in  Latvia? 

Dr.  Masens.  Khrushchev's  assertions  that  Soviet  Russia  has  liqui- 
dated its  military  bases  on  territory  of  other  states  are  not  true.  It 
is  a  well-known  fact  that  they  maintain  military  and  naval  bases  on 
the  territory  of  Latvia  and  in  the  other  Baltic  States.  These  bases 
were  established  there  in  1939  when  they  were  forced  upon  the  neutral 
Baltic  States  by  Moscow,  and  since  that  time  they  have  been  further 
expanded  particularly  by  installing  large  submarine  bases  and  shelters 
and  powerful  coastal  fortifications.  These  bases  constitute  a  threat 
to  the  free  nations,  particularly  to  the  Scandinavian  countries.  Not 
so  long  ago  the  Swedish  seismogi'aphic  stations  had  registered  heavy- 
underwater  explosions  in  the  Baltic  Sea  which  caused  in  the  Scandi- 
navian countries  gi'ave  concern.  Khrushchev's  deeds  also  in  this 
respect  do  not  correspond  with  his  propaganda  for  the  Baltic  Sea  as 
a  "Sea  of  Peace." 

A  few  years  ago  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Latvian  coast,  near  Liepaja, 
an  American  plane  was  shot  down  by  the  Soviets,  another  American 
plane  was  later  attacked  near  Ventsjjils,  Latvia. 

!Mr.  Arens.  Is  there  freedom  of  religion  in  the  Baltic  States? 


THE    CRIMES    OF   KHRUSIICHEV  11 

Dr.  Masens.  As  far  as  religion  is  concerned  in  Latvia,  there  was 
lip  to  quite  recently  a  little  more  freedom  than  in  the  Soviet  Union. 
Xow  the  situation  has  deteriorated  in  that  respect. 

]Mr.  Arens.  Under  whose  regime? 

Dr.  Ma  SENS.  Under  Khrushchev.  For  instance,  this  year  the 
archbishop's  cathedral  in  Riga  has  been  turned  into  a  museum,  and 
there  are  rumors  that  the  same  fate  is  awaiting  many  other  churches. 
The  remaining  pastors — not  a  large  number  any  more — are  no  longer 
permitted  to  visit  other  parishes.  At  the  big  Catholic  festival  in 
Aglona  attended  this  year  by  20,000  people  only  two  local  priests  had 
been  present.  Previously  clergy  could  go  and  preach  in  different 
parishes,  but  now  they  can  do  so  only  in  their  own  parislies. 

The  same  applies  to  the  choirs.  Previously  some  Baptist  parishes 
had  very  well-known  choirs.  They  are  invited  to  participate  in 
religious  ceremonies  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  but  now  it  is 
forbidden.     They  can  only  appear  in  their  own  parish. 

Communists  are  trymg  also  to  abolish  in  Latvia  many  religious 
ceremonies,  such  as  funerals,  confirmations,  weddings,  and  All  Souls 
Day,  and  have  replaced  them  by  some  type  of  civilian  ccrem.onies. 
According  to  Latvian  Communist  press,  particular  attention  is  being 
paid  just  now  to  the  campaign  against  the  above  religious  ceremonies 
and  against  the  influence  of  the  church. 

Mr.  Arexs.  What  percentage  of  the  population  of  Latvia  is 
Communist? 

Dr.  Masens.  In  spite  of  almost  twenty  years  of  Soviet  domination 
in  Latvia,  the  Communist  Party  is  as  unpopular  under  Khrushchev 
as  it  was  under  Stalin.  According  to  Latvian  Communist  press  the 
total  membership  of  Communist  Party  in  Latvia  in  1959  amounts  to 
61,414  out  of  which  only  18,500,  or  less  than  one  percent  of  the  total 
population  are  Latvians.  The  rest  are  Russians,  members  of  Soviet 
armed  forces  stationed  in  Latvia  and  all  sorts  of  Russian  experts, 
deputies,  and  advisers  sent  from  Moscow  for  the  pm-pose  of  super- 
vising the  execution  of  its  orders  by  the  local  authorities.  There  are 
districts  in  Latvia  where  there  are  no  local  Communist  Party  groups 
at  all.  If  you  would  add  to  the  number  of  Latvian  Communist 
Party  members  another  18,500  persons  with  vested  interests  in  the 
maintenance  of  the  Communist  dictatorship  that  would  represent  the 
total  number  of  Communist  population  of  Latvia. 

Mr.  Arens.  If  there  were  free  elections  in  Latvia,  would  the 
Communists  be  returned  to  power? 

Dr.  Masens.  They  wouldn't  have  the  slightest  chance  in  free 
elections.  Latvian  people,  in  spite  of  tremendous  pressure  on  the 
part  of  Soviets,  have  conserved  their  national  traits  and  pride,  as 
well  as  the  traditional  trend  towards  the  West.  They  are  among  the 
best  allies  of  the  free  world  and  deserve  all  the  political  and  diplomatic 
support  in  their  struggle  for  the  restoration  of  theh  freedom  and 
independence. 

The  Chairman.  Thank  you,  Dr.  Masens. 


The  Chairman.  Call  your  next  witness,  please,  Mr.  Arens. 

Dr.  Sidzikauskas,  you  do  solenmly  swear  that  the  testimony  you 
are  about  to  give  this  committee  will  be  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth,  so  help  you  God? 

Mr.  Sidzikauskas.  I  do. 


12  THE    CRIMES    OF   KHRUSHCHEV 

STATEMENT   OF  VACLOVAS  SIDZIKAUSKAS 

Mr,  Arens.  Please  identify  yourself  by  name. 

Mr.  SiDziKAusKAS.  My  name  is  Vaclovas  Sidzikauskas. 

Mr.  Arens.  What  is  your  occupation? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAUSKAS.  Since  1950,  I  have  been  a  permanent  resident 
of  the  United  States.  I  studied  law  at  the  University  of  Moscow 
during  the  First  World  War,  then  in  Bern,  and  then  in  Lithuania. 

Most  of  my  life  I  spent  in  the  diplomatic  service  of  my  country. 
I  was  diplomatic  representative  of  Lithuania  in  Bern,  Switzerland,  and 
for  ten  years  Minister  Plenipotentiary  in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  also 
in  Vienna  and  Budapest. 

In  1931  I  was  transferred  to  London.  I  was  Minister  Plenipoten- 
tiary at  the  Court  of  St.  James  and  at  the  same  time  I  represented  my 
country  in  The  Hague.  I  was  the  delegate  for  my  country  to  the 
League  of  Nations  and  I  also  acted  as  an  agent  of  my  government  at 
the  Permanent  Court  of  International  Justice  at  The  Hague  in  1931 
and  1932. 

Before  World  War  II,  I  was  in  my  country,  Lithuania,  as  a  manager 
of  the  Shell  Company  of  Lithuania.  I  happened  to  be  in  Lithuania 
and  witnessed  the  taking  over  of  Lithuania  by  the  Soviet  military 
forces  in  June  1940.  Then  I  was  apprehended  by  the  NKVD  in 
December  of  1940.  I  hid  myself  for  two  months  and  then  I  succeeded 
in  escapmg  at  the  risk  of  my  life  to  Germany,  which  was  the  only 
possibility.  There  I  was  arrested  by  the  Gestapo  because  they  accused 
me  of  being  anti-Nazi  and  having  been  "too  sharp"  at  the  Inter- 
national Court  of  The  Hague  where  I  defended  the  rights  of  my 
country  to  Klaipeda  (Memel)  territory.  The  German  Gestapo 
accused  me  also  of  having  intention  to  annex  Prussian  Lithuania 
(Tilsit  region) . 

The  assistant  to  Himmler,  Heydrich,  put  me  in  the  concentration 
camp  of  Auschwitz.  I  was  free  from  Auschwitz  after  twenty  months 
and  then  I  had  to  stay  in  Berlin.  It  was  my  assigned  residence,  and  I 
had  to  report  every  day  to  the  police. 

In  Berlin  I  established  contact  with  the  Lithuanian  underground 
in  my  country.  I  visited  several  times  and  for  the  last  time  I  was  in 
Lithuania  in  May  1944,  just  before  the  arrival  of  the  Soviet  troops. 
I  became  the  chairman  of  the  Lithuanian  liberation  underground 
organization  abroad.  Then  I  was  chairman  of  the  political  committee 
of  the  Supreme  Committee  for  Liberation  of  Lithuania.  When  the 
Russian  troops  approached  Berlin  I  escaped  to  Bavaria.  There  I  was 
liberated  by  the  Americans. 

Since  that  time,  I  was  working  with  the  political  committee  of  the 
Supreme  Committee  for  Liberation  of  Lithuania  and,  since  April  1947, 
was  chairman  of  its  executive  council. 

In  1949  I  was  on  a  good  will  mission  here  in  the  United  States.  In 
1950  I  emigi'ated  to  this  country.  Here  I  became  the  cliairman  of 
the  Committee  for  a  Free  Lithuania,  and  since  the  establishment  of  . 
the  Assembly  of  Captive  European  Nations,  I  have  been  chairman  [J 
of  the  Lithuanian  Delegation  to  this  body  and  I  was  for  four  years  the 
chairman  of  its  political  committee.  Now  I  am  still  chairman  of  the 
Committee  for  a  Free  Lithuania  and  chairman  of  the  Lithuanian 
Delegation  to  the  Assembly  of  Captive  European  Nations. 


THE    CRIMES   OF   KHRUSHCHEV  13 

Mr.  Arens.  Do  you,  sir,  have  present  sources  of  information 
pertaining  to  the  current  situation  in  the  Baltic  States? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAUSKAS.  Yes,  I  do.  There  are  some  official  and  public 
sources,  and  there  are  also  others  which  I  cannot  reveal,  so  that  I  am 
quite  informed  about  all  happenings  in  Lithuania. 

Mr.  Arens.  Would  you  proceed  at  your  own  pace  to  tell  us  what 
is  the  situation  and  what  has  been  the  situation  in  the  Baltic  States 
Bince  Kiirushchev  assumed  command  of  the  international  Communist 
apparatus? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAUSKAS.  The  Lithuanian  people  consider  Khrushchev, 
who  has  been  and  is  a  member  of  the  ruling  clique  of  tlie  Kremlin, 
as  being  co-responsible  for  all  the  crimes  committed  by  the  Soviet 
Government  against  the  Lithuanian  State  and  the  Lithuanian  people. 
That  means  a  breach  of  the  Peace  Treaty,  the  Non-Aggression  Pact, 
and  other  legal  and  political  commitments  of  the  U.S.S.R.;  military 
invasion  and  occupation,  suppression  of  the  mdependence  and  freedom, 
mass  murders,  mass  deportations  of  large  portions  of  the  population  to 
Siberia,  the  forced  Sovietization  of  the  country,  and  economic  exploi- 
tation of  the  resources  and  manpower  of  Lithuania. 

At  the  20th  congress  of  the  Communist  Party,  Khrushchev  im- 
plicitly endorsed  the  crimes  of  Stalin  with  regard  to  Lithuania. 
While  denouncing  some  of  Stalin's  crimes,  among  them  the  annihila- 
tion of  some  ethnic  groups  in  Crimea  and  the  Caucasus,  he  was  silent 
about  the  crimes  committed  by  Stalin  against  the  Baltic  States. 

Khrushchev  continues  the  policy  of  the  Kremlin  inaugurated  in  the 
time  of  Stalin,  which  consists  in  the  continuous  suppression  of  political 
liberty,  of  independence  and  freedom  of  Lithuania  and  other  Baltic 
States. 

Even  in  the  last  article  published  in  the  Foreign  Aifairs  magazine 
he  still  pretends  that  Lithuania,  Latvia,  and  Estonia  are  integral  parts 
of  the  Soviet  Union. 

Khrushchev  is  continuing  to  apply  measures  tending  to  destruction 
of  the  national  identity  of  the  Lithuanian  people.  These  measures 
are: 

(a)  Physical — deportations,  though  not  on  mass  scale,  and  not  per- 
mitting the  people  who  have  been  deported  by  hundreds  of  thousands 
to  Siberia  to  return  (the  number  of  those  who  were  permitted  to  return, 
is  insignificant) ;  organizing  and  practicing  of  the  so-called  "voluntary" 
deportations  of  the  Lithuanian  youth  for  the  cultivation  of  virgin  lands 
in  Kazakhstan — recently  particularly  young  girls  are  affected  by  this 
measure;  colonization  by  Russians  imported  from  various  regions  of 
the  Soviet  Union,  especially  of  the  larger  cities  of  Lithuania. 

All  these  measures  affect  and  endanger  the  physical  survival  of  the 
Lithuanian  nation. 

{h)  Moral — the  "Khrushchevification"  or  intellectual  decapitation 
of  the  nation.  I  have  in  mind  recent  reforms  of  education  which  have 
been  now  introduced  in  captive  Lithuania  under  Khrushchev,  where 
students  are  exempt  from  the  control  of  influence  of  their  parents  and 
put  in  special  boarding  schools  and  subjugated  to  intense  Communist 
mdoctrination,  in  accordance  with  the  precept  of  Lenin  who  once  said: 
"Give  me  a  child  of  eight  years,  and  he  will  be  made  for  all  his  life  a 
Communist." 

It  is  rather  a  peculiar  phenomenon  that  patriotic  feeling  is  particu- 
larly strong  among  the  younger  generation  that  has  grown  up  in 


14  THE    CRIMES   OF   KHRUSHCHEV 

Lithuania  under  the  Communist  regime.  In  order  to  kill  and  eradi- 
cate this  feeling,  Khrushchev  introduced  drastic  educational  reform 
in  Lithuania  and,  I  think,  the  same  is  also  true  in  other  Baltic  States. 

Then  there  is  the  distortion  and  denigration  of  history  of  Lithuania 
and  glorification  of  Russia  and  of  its  role  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Arens.  May  I  ask  you  a  rather  cynical  question? 

Are  Lithuania  and  the  Sovit  Union  now  at  peace? 

Mr.  SiDziKAUSKAS.  No.  Lithuania  has  tried  in  vain  to  coexist 
with  its  Russian  neighbor. 

I  neglected  to  say  that,  while  Minister  in  London  in  1933,  on  July  5 
I  personally  signed  the  Pact  on  Definition  of  Aggression  with  Mr. 
Litvinov,  Commissar  for  Foreign  Affairs.  We  did  everything  to  be 
at  peace  with  Russia,  to  coexist.  By  entering  into  the  secret  deal 
with  Hitler  in  August  and  September  1939,  U.S.S.R.  committed  an 
act  of  aggression  against  Lithuania,  and  then  invaded  her  by  its 
armed  forces.  Since  that  time  Lithuanian  people  consider  themselves 
being  at  a  state  of  war  with  Russia. 

Mr.  Arens.  Is  peaceful  coexistence  with  the  Kremlin  possible? 

Mr.  SiDziKAusKAS.  Our  experience  shows  it  is  not  possible.  Our 
experience  shows  it  is  only  possible  as  long  as  it  suits  the  interests  of 
the  Soviet  Union. 

Mr.  Arens.  What  wUl  be  the  reaction  in  your  native  land  when 
the  Communist  publications  feature  these  pictures  of  Khrushchev  in 
the  White  House  and  Khrushchev  meeting  the  top  officials  in  this 
country? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAusKAS.  The  impact  will  be  disastrous,  if  you  consider 
that  a  quarter  of  the  Lithuanian  nation  is  here  in  America.  About  a 
million  Lithuanians  are  citizens  of  America,  and  their  contact  with 
their  relatives  in  captive  Lithuania  is  very  close. 

The  population  of  Lithuania  is  about  three  million.  The  hope  of 
all  Lithuanians,  of  the  younger  generation  and  of  all  the  patriots,  is 
that  America  will  help  to  liberate  Lithuania.  It  is  the  temper  of  the 
situation. 

After  what  happened  in  Hungary,  according  to  my  information 
from  the  country,  there  is  a  great  disappointment  with  the  West. 
And  when  the  Voice  of  America  became  less  effective  in  combatting 
communism  and  Soviet  imperialism,  the  belief  in  the  sincerity  of 
Western  declarations  began  declining.  I  feel,  therefore,  that  the  fact 
that  Khrushchev  was  received  in  this  country  as  a  guest  and  was 
honored  as  a  head  of  the  Soviet  Union  which  suppressed  the  liberty 
of  the  Lithuanian  nation,  will  have  a  negative  impact  on  the  morale 
of  the  captive  Lithuanian  people. 

Mr.  Arens.  Your  people  have  seen  or  experienced  communism  in 
the  raw,  communism  in  action.  Your  people  know  communism  from 
first-hand  experience  and  first-hand  suffering. 

Now  I  should  like  to  ask  you  a  few  questions  based  on  that  experi- 
ence. 

It  is  asserted  in  certain  ofRcial  quarters  in  this  Nation  that  Khrush- 
chev's visit  here  to  the  United  States  will  be  a  good  thing  because 
Khrushchev  will  look  around  the  country  and  see  our  refrigerators 
and  see  our  factories  and  see  a  peaceful,  happy  country,  and  somehow 
decide  that  he  does  not  want  to  pursue  the  goal  of  international 
communism  and  take  over  the  world. 

What  is  your  reaction  to  that  suggestion? 


THE    CRIMES   OF   KHRUSHCHEV  15 

Mr.  SiDziKAusKAS.  I  would  say  communism  is  a  woll-establislied 
doctrine  of  government  and  it  is  mistaken,  in  my  opinion,  to  think  or 
believe  that  one  or  other  persons,  be  it  Bulganin  or  Malenkov,  would 
change  anything.  They  might  change  eventually  some  methods  or 
tactical  approaches  but  not  the  essence  which  lies  in  the  very  nature 
of  communism  itself. 

There  are  those  who  have  the  illusion  that  when  Khrushchev  sees 
the  freedom  in  practice,  that  will  somehow  have  a  positive  effect  on 
his  way  of  thmldng,  but  I  think  that  this  expectation  is  totally  unreal- 
istic. 

Mr.  Arens.  In  the  past  few  days,  Khrushchev  has  repeatedly, 
almost  to  the  extent  of  monotony,  called  for  peace  and  complete 
disarmament  in  the  course  of  the  next  four  years.  Is  it  not  good  to 
have  these  protestations  of  peace  so  forcibly  annomiced  by  Mr. 
Klirushchev? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAusKAS.  The  protestations  of  peace  by  Khrushchev 
remind  me  of  the  similar  protestations  of  Hitler  before  the  outbreak 
of  World  War  II.  At  each  rally  he  always  protested  his  desire  for 
peace.  Remember  "Peace  in  Our  Time" — paper  brought  to  London 
by  Neville  Chamberlain  and  what  happened  then? 

Protestations  of  peace  are  proper  to  all  totalitarians.  It  is  the 
same  method  that  is  now  used  by  Khrushchev. 

Russian  armed  forces  stay  in  the  heart  of  Europe.  What  are  their 
present  aims?     Peace? 

But  what  does  "peace"  mean  in  Russian  terms?  It  means  Western 
acquiescence  and  acceptance  of  Soviet  conquests.  Therefore,  they 
oppose  the  raising  of  the  question  of  Central  Eastern  Europe,  be  it. 
in  the  United  Nations  or  summit  conference  or  other  international 
negotiations.  If  this  standing  is  accepted  by  the  West,  Klirushchev 
is  willing  to  coexist  with  the  West. 

And  what  does  "coexist"  mean  in  Russian  terms? 

As  Khrushchev  interprets  it,  the  present  Soviet  grip  over  Lithuania 
and  other  captive  European  countries  is  an  inescapable  fact  of  his 
"history" ;  therefore,  the  West  has  no  right  to  toucli  his  colonial  empire. 
As  to  the  free  part  of  the  world,  Khrushchev  is  against  the  status  quo 
and  is  for  something  he  calls  "ideological  competition,"  meaning  free- 
dom for  communism  to  make  new  conquests  by  subversion. 

These  are  my  remarks  on  the  meaning  of  Khrushchev's  protesta- 
tions of  peace  and  coexistence.  Thes6  protestations  are  destined  to 
mislead  the  world's  opinion. 

I  submit  that  the  word  peace  has  been  too  much  accentuated  and 
misused  during  Khrushchev's  visit  in  this  country.  What  we  and 
the  world  want  and  need,  is  freedom.  Let's  have  freedom,  and  we 
shall  have  peace. 

As  to  the  disarmament  scream  of  Khrushchev,  there  is  nothing 
new  to  it. 

As  a  delegate  of  my  country  to  the  League  of  Nations  in  1927, 1  was 
present  personally  at  the  meeting  where  the  same  proposal  was  made 
by  Gromyko's  predecessor,  M.  Litvinov,  who  screamed:  "Let's  dis- 
arm completelyl"  Yet  in  the  next  year's  congress  of  the  Comintern 
the  Soviet  leaders  avowed  themselves  that  this  was  only  a  tactical 
maneuver  in  order  to  create  confusion  and  to  mislead  the  world's 
public  opinion. 


16  THE    CRIMES    OF   KHRUSHCHEV 

Mr.  Arens.  May  I  inquire  about  the  other  side  of  the  coin,  based 
on  your  experience  of  communism  in  action? 

Certain  of  the  officialdom  in  this  country  have  repeatedly,  with 
great  emphasis,  announced  our  peaceful  intentions  toward  Khrushchev 
and  his  international  regime  of  Communist-controlled  satellites  over 
the  world. 

Isn't  that  a  good  thing? 

Mr.  SiDziKAUSKAS.  We  are  gratified  and  it  is  a  great  comfort  for  us 
that  the  policy  of  nonrecognition  of  the  status  quo  created  by  Soviet 
Union  in  Central  Europe  has  been  reaffirmed,  even  recently  by  the 
responsible  authorities  of  this  country,  and  we  hope  that  the  question 
of  the  restoration  of  the  independence  and  freedom  of  our  nations  will 
be  raised  in  the  conversations  with  Khrushchev,  because  what  is  at 
stake  is  the  question  of  the  European  settlement  and,  as  Khrushchev 
admitted,  too,  the  political  liquidation  of  World  War  II.  But  what 
does  tJie  political  liquidation  of  World  War  II  really  mean? 

There  are  two  European  problems,  the  solution  of  which  is  long 
overdue. 

One  is  the  problem  of  Germany — the  other  the  problem  of  Central 
Eastern  Europe. 

Nine  European  states  that  had  been  sovereign  and  independent 
at  the  outbreak  of  World  War  II  have  been  transformed  into  Soviet 
colonies.  This  situation  is  a  permanent  threat  to  peace  or,  say,  one 
of  the  major  causes  of  international  tension. 

Every  Eiu-opean  settlement  must  include  the  problem  of  the  uni- 
fication of  Germany,  whereby  the  problem  of  Berlin  will  solve  itself, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  restoration  of  the  independence  and  freedom 
of  the  formerly  sovereign  states  of  Central  Eastern  Em-ope,  including 
Lithuania,  Latvia,  and  Estonia. 

Mr.  Arens.  What  is  the  situation  of  Lithuania  under  Khrushchev's 
regime  with  reference  to  the  church? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAUSKAS.  Lithuanians,  as  you  probably  know,  are  pre- 
dominantly Roman  Catholic  and  on  the  whole  very  religious  people. 
The  situation  of  the  chiu-ch  today  is  very  difficult.  There  is  no 
religious  freedom.  Some  churches  are  open,  but  some  were  closed 
or  turned  into  storehouses  or  museums.  Thus,  for  instance,  the 
famous  Cathedral  of  Vilnius,  capital  of  Lithuania,  has  been  tm-ned 
into  a  museum. 

Under  Khrushchev,  the  atheistic  Communist  propaganda  is  espe- 
cially accentuated.  Officially,  Roman  Catholic  Chm-ch  is  tolerated, 
but  practically  its  functioning  is  made  as  difficult  as  possible.  Theo- 
retically, people  are  free  to  attend  churches,  but  in  practice  church- 
going  people  are  submitted  to  all  kinds  of  discrimination.  Workers, 
employees,  or  meml^crs  of  Communist  organizations,  if  they  go  to 
church,  have  to  watch  their  step.  They  will  be  ridiculed,  reprimanded, 
and  may  even  lose  their  jobs.  And  losing  one's  job  in  Communist 
society  means  starvation.  And  yet  people  dare  to  defy  this  pressure 
and  practice  their  religion. 

Recently  a  young  Lithuanian  man,  member  of  the  Communist 
youth  organization  of  Lithuania,  was  married  in  chm'ch.  The  chair- 
man of  his  organization  attended  the  wedding  as  a  witness.  Great 
was  the  scandal.  The  newspapers  took  it  up,  widely  discussing  the 
"crime"  and  calling  the  careless  man  all  kinds  of  names,  such  as 
"reactionist,"  "blackguard,"  etc. 


THE    CRIMES   OF   KHRUSHCHEV  17 

The  very  existence  of  churches  in  Soviet-occupied  Lithuania  is 
extremely  difficult  because  heavy  taxes  must  be  paid  by  the  faithful 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  churches. 

The  teaching  of  religion  is  excluded  from  all  schools;  they  are  not 
permitted  to  possess  religious  books.  Under  Khi'ushchev's  rule,  the 
religious  persecution  has  been  even  more  intensified. 

Mr.  Arens.  Do  you  have  any  knowledge  as  to  the  economic 
exploitation  in  the  Baltic  States  under  Khrushchev? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAUSKAS.  The  economic  exploitation  is  going  on.  Khru- 
shchev made  the  "decentralization"  of  economics;  that  is  what  he 
called  it,  but  practically  it  is  merely  a  deconcentration  of  economy, 
shifting  the  responsibility  for  the  execution  of  the  Moscow-prescribed 
economic  plan  on  local  occupational  authorities.  The  illusion  that 
this  measure  would  take  more  care  of  the  needs  of  the  local  population, 
was  soon  dissipated.  Those  in  captive  Lithuania  who  tried  to  prac- 
tice "national  communism"  in  the  field  of  economics  were  soon  dis- 
missed. Even  a  law  has  been  issued  to  the  effect  thafe  those  who  will 
not  strictly  execute  the  Moscow-engineered  economic  plan  and  would 
disregard  the  needs  of  the  Soviet  Union  and  the  so-called  sister 
republics,  will  be  severely  punished.  All  that  means  that  priority 
is  to  be  given  to  the  needs  of  the  Soviet  master  and  the  so-called  sister 
republics  and  only  what  is  left  is  for  yom-  own  country  and  for  your 
own  people. 

To  give  you  only  some  figures.  In  the  seven-year  plan  announced 
by  Khrushchev,  the  Soviet  Union  is  to  take  from  Lithuania  26,110,- 
000,000  rubles;  and  from  that  amount,  they  will  reinvest  in  Lithuania 
only  12,500,000,000  rubles.  That  means  that  in  this  seven  years 
13,610,000,000  rubles  are  to  go  for  the  benefit  of  the  Soviet  Union. 
Thus,  those  who  pretend  that  the  situation  has  improved  or  changed 
are  wrong,  because  the  economic  exploitation  of  Lithuania's  resources 
continues  to  be  practiced  in  captive  Lithuania,  The  so-called  govern- 
ment of  captive  Lithuania  is  composed  of  people  who  were  selected 
by  Moscow,  not  because  of  their  qualifications,  but  rather  because  of 
their  obediency  to  the  Kremhn.  They  have  not  changed.  They 
had  been  under  Stahn  and  are  still  now  kept  in  power  under  Khru- 
shchev. I  am  positive  that  basically  similiar  situation  prevails  in 
Estonia  and  Latvia.  The  economic  misery  resulting  from  the  ruth- 
less measures  of  the  occupying  power  is  equally  a  factor  contributing 
to  the  destruction  of  the  national  identity  of  the  Lithuanian  people. 

Mr.  Arens.  If  there  were  free  elections  in  Lithuania  tomorrow, 
would  a  Communist  regime  be  retained  in  power? 

Mr.  SiDZiKAUSKAS.  I  have  no  doubt  whatsoever  that,  if  there  were 
free  elections  in  Lithuania,  98  percent — and  maybe  more— would  vote 
against  communism.  In  1940,  just  before  the  Soviet  invasion,  the 
Communist  Party  in  Lithuania  numbered  1,500  members,  and  even 
they  were  chiefly  members  of  minority  groups,  not  Lithuanians. 

Mr.  Arens.  Out  of  what  population? 

Mr,  SiDZiKAUSKAS.  Around  thi'ce  million. 

At  the  present  time,  according  to  recent  statistics  from  Lithuania, 
the  Communist  Party  numbers  49,114  members.  In  the  Central 
Committee  of  the  Lithuanian  Communist  Party,  20  percent  are 
Russians.  So  the  Communist  element  in  Lithuania  is  insignificant 
in  terms  of  numbers. 


18  THE    CRIMES    OF    KHRUSHCHEV 

Because  of  the  rather  conservative  character  of  the  Lithuanian 
people — the  word  "conservative"  I  use  in  good  sense — because  of 
traditions  of  Hberty  and  long  independent  statehood,  patriotism 
and  attachment  to  religion,  the  Communists  have  not  succeeded  in 
making  sensible  inroads.  Under  Khrushchev's  rule,  as  I  said,  the 
Soviets  are  attempting  to  apply  new  methods  which,  in  the  long  run, 
if  the  alien  occupation  will  last,  could  eventually  bring  about  the 
destruction  of  national  identity  of  the  Lithuanian  nation. 

Mr.  Arens.  Klirushcl'.ev,  in  his  addresses  around  the  country,  has 
portrayed  his  society  of  communism  as  a  society  which  can  be  ac- 
cepted or  rejected  in  a  kind  of  popularity  contest  with  freedom. 

How  do  the  Communists  maintain  themselves  in  power  in  your 
country? 

Mr.  SiDziKAusKAS.  Only  by  Soviet  bayonets  and  tanks.  All  the 
bragging  of  Khrushchev  that,  in  the  Communist  system,  the  people 
are  the  decisive  factor,  is  a  big  lie.  It  is  true  that  the  Soviet  Con- 
stitution provides  for  a  possibility  of  secession.  But  this  is  only  a 
trick  ad  usum  delphini.  When  one  American  journalist  asked  Stalin 
whether  the  so-called  Soviet  Republics  could  secede,  his  answer  was: 
"Let  them  try,  and  they  will  see  what  will  happen  to  them."  Ex- 
ample— Hungary. 

Mr.  Arens.  Is  the  free  world  in  a  popularity  contest  with  the 
Communist  world? 

Mr.  SiDziKAusKAS.  In  my  opinion,  there  is  no  comparison  possible 
of  the  Communist  and  free-world  systems.  The  free-world  system 
is  a  free  society  of  men,  wliere  all  stems  from  the  "wdll  of  the  people. 
There,  in  the  Communist  world,  the  ruling  clique  does  not  need  the 
support  of  the  people;  there  is  no  freedom  whatsoever;  there  are  no 
elections  as  the  West  understands  them,  and  the  public  opinion  has 
no  bearing  on  the  rulers.  Everything  is  ordered  by  dictators.  The 
present  Communist  regime  in  captive  Lithuania  has  been  imposed 
by  the  Soviet  Union  and  is  maintained  in  power  only  thanks  to  the 
protection  of  the  Soviet  armed  forces. 

The  Chairman.  Thank  you  very  much,  Mr.  Sidzikauskas. 

(Thereupon,  at  3:05  p.m.,  Monday,  September  21,  1959,  the 
consultations  were  concluded.) 


INDEX 


Individuals 

Fag« 

Berklavs  (Edvards  K.) 8,9 

Biilganin  (Nikolai) 15 

Chamberlain,  Neville 3,  15 

Gromy ko  (Andrei) 15 

Heydrich  (Reinhard) 12 

Himmler  (Heinrich) 12 

Hitler  (Adolf) 3,  14,  15 

Khrushchev,  Nikita vi,  1-3,  7-11,  13-18 

Lacis(Vilis) 9 

Lenin  (V.  I.) 13 

Litvinov,  Maxim 14,  15 

Malenkov  (Georgi) 15 

Masens,  Vilis 1,  2,  5-11  (statement) 

Pinksis   (I.) 9 

Sidzikauskas,  Vaclovas 2,  3,  7,  12-18  (statement) 

Stalin  (Josef) 1,  2,  7,  11,  13,  17,  18 

Zakharov,  N.  S 2,  9,  10 

Organizations 

Assembly  of  Captive  European  Nations 1,  6,  7,  12- 

Latvian  Delegation 1,  6 

Lithuanian  Delegation • 2,  12 

Comintern.      {See  International,  III.) 

Committee  for  a  Free  Latvia  (New  York) 6 

Committee  for  a  Free  Lithuania  (New  York) 2,  12 

Communist  Party: 

Latvia H 

Lithuania 17 

Central  Committee 17 

Soviet  Union,  20th  Party  Congress,  February  1956 2,  13 

International,  III  (also  known  as  Comintern)  Sixth  World  Congress,  July 

17  to  September  1,  1928,  Moscow 15 

Laiks  (newspaper) 9 

Latvian  Komsomol  (Communist  Youth  League) 9 

Supreme  Committee  for  Liberation  of  Lithuania 12 

Union  of  Soviet  Socialist  Republics,  Government  of: 
Secret  Police: 

Cheka 9 

NKVD 9 


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