On 7 March, President Edgars Rinkēvičs viewed the original memorandum of the Latvian Central Council at the Latvian War Museum. The memorandum was signed 80 years ago by 188 Latvian political and public figures calling for the restoration of Latvia's independence.
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The Latvian Central Council (LCC) was established on 13 August 1943 during the occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany. It was formed by representatives of the major political parties of the pre-war Latvian Republic (the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party, the Farmers' Union, the Democratic Centre, and the Latgale Christian Farmers' Party) and headed by Professor Konstantins Čakste.
In March 1944, K. Čakste and F. Cielēns drafted the LCP memorandum, which was signed by 188 Latvian political and public figures, despite potential repression by the German occupation authorities. The memorandum called for the restoration of the independence of the Latvian state and the creation of a Latvian army to actively fight against a renewed Soviet occupation. The drafters of the memorandum stressed that the forcible annexation of Latvia to the Soviet Union was illegal. At the same time, the LCC rejected and condemned the actions of the Nazi Germany occupying authorities in Latvia. The LCC advocated for the restoration of the legitimate authority of the Latvian state as the only possible solution in the interests of the Latvian people. This document outlines the pledge of the LCC political platform and its supporters to fight for a free and independent Republic of Latvia, despite the efforts of the two occupation regimes – the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany – to destroy it. There are still occasional attempts to frame this struggle for national independence through the lens of support for one or the other of the occupation regimes. The LCC memorandum demonstrates that such claims are unwarranted and groundlessness.
The memorandum was drawn up in several copies and photographically reproduced with the intent of moving it from Latvia and handing it over to Western allied governments. For a long time, different versions of the text of the memorandum and contradictory information about its signatories were floated around. The original copy of the memorandum, owned by the Latvian War Museum, was hidden under the floorboards at 19 Peldu Street (apt. 5) in Riga, where it was discovered during renovation work in 2001. Valija Veščuna-Jansone, a member of the National Resistance Movement and recipient of the Lāčplēsis Military Order, lived in this apartment with her husband, engineer Vilhelms Jansons, who was among the signatories of the memorandum. Due to fortunate circumstances, the memorandum has survived to this day in remarkable condition. This document is the only known surviving LCC memorandum, making it unique. The original document is currently held at the Latvian War Museum and is listed in the Latvian National Register of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.
By: Deputy Director for Research, Latvian War Museum Dr hist. Juris Ciganovs.
