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Several decades ago, Latvian filmmaker Albert Jekste produced a grim, gripping documentary entitled "My Latvia" depicting the Soviet conquest and occupation of the Baltic States. A documentary featured of the illegal Soviet military occupation of the three Baltic states in 1940. This unusual film, which illuminates communist methods of internal subversion and conquest, includes rare scenes of Stalin and other Soviet leaders attending closed Kremlin meetings, and examines the criminal background of the Latvian nationals who "invited" the Soviets into that country and subsequently assumed high communist government posts. In August 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed a treaty called the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact" to make Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union allies and divide Europe between them. In September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from the west and Stalin invaded Poland from the east, starting World War II. In late September 1939, Stalin threatening to invade and occupy Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania if they did not permit him to maintain military bases there. He promise to honor their sovereignty. After Poland's fate, the three Baltic countries saw no alternative but to yield. In June 1940, the Soviets broke their promises, took over the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian governments, and killed or deported virtually all political and business leaders. Stalin subsequently declared that the Baltic countries had "volunteered" to become part of the Soviet Union.

ussr, stalin, documentary, latvians, latvia, estonia, soviets, soviet, occupation, ww2, history, torture, deportations, executions,