860P.00/283: Telegram
The Minister in Latvia (Wiley) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 26—6:20 p.m.]
162. My 161, June 26, noon. In his conversation with other Chiefs of Mission this morning the Premier talked with almost alarming openness. He made inter alia the following remarks:
The situation of Latvia could be compared with that of the Mongol People’s Republic. Several Cabinet posts remained vacant because no candidate acceptable to the Soviet authorities could be found. He expected to be in office about a month. All political parties would be allowed but in practice there would probably be only one. It would [not?] be called Communist since he understood that Moscow had another name for it—he thought it would be named Workers and Peasants Party. In discussing economic matters and trade agreements, he frankly told the Swiss Chargé that the future would be shaped by Soviet desires.