740.0011 European War 1939/4661: Telegram
The Minister in Latvia (Wiley) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:15 p.m.]
194. The source mentioned in my 171, July 1, 5 [4] p.m. tells me that the Latvian Government though professing optimism with regard to the future status of Latvia actually has no information whatsoever regarding Moscow’s real plans. He made it clear that he too is uninformed with regard to Soviet policy and added that he was at a loss to explain the tactics of the Red army. For example after its withdrawal from the German-Lithuanian frontier, see my 156, June 25, 1 p.m.,68 paragraph 2, it was again moved back to the frontier. My informant then confirmed that the Red army was hastily digging in along the Lithuanian border and the Dvina.
Though making it significantly apparent that mutual suspicion dominates German-Soviet relations69 he is apparently sincere in disbelieving current reports of imminent conflict between them. He thought Hitler would not wish to invade Russia but would obtain Lebensraum at the expense of France “by readjusting the population of France and Germany on the basis of a common denominator per square kilometer”. He made the reservation though that no forecast of future events beyond September 1 could be made.
He admitted that there had been big German troop movements eastward since a large number of divisions now superfluous were being demobilized for harvesting but vigorously denied that there was any massing of combat forces in East Prussia.