During June and July 1940 the independence of Estonia. Latvia. and Lithuania was smothered under the Soviet steamroller. and the orderly process of annexing these countries to the U.S.S.R. was systematically undertaken. Perhaps the most heartbreaking phase of this aggressive expansion of the Soviet Union was the summary arrest. imprisonment. and deportation of Estonians. Letts. and Lithuanians. in tens of thousands. to Asiatic Russia. in June of 1941. This wholesale arrest was carried out on orders from Moscow by its ruthlessly efficient agents in these countries. and this process of eliminating all Baltic elements opposed to the Soviet regime was so effective and thorough that the helpless peoples in these countries were completely subdued. This marks the 21st anniversary of Soviet Governments occupation of these countries. and the 20th anniversary of Soviet deportation of Baltic leaders. I am indeed glad that the Joint Baltic States Freedom Committee is commemorating these tragic twin anniversaries jointly. thus honoring the memory of those who suffered and died in exile for the freedom of their kinsmen in Estonia. Latvia. and Lithuania.
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Asiatic deportation