Documents

Did Latvians welcome Nazism (or Bolshevism)? What were the Nazi orders and command structure regarding the Holocaust in Latvia? Was the Latvian Legion criminal?

• 1933, (No) Thank You! —J. Dreslers's cartoon of Latvians rejecting both Bolshevism and Nazism
• Lohse’s Provisional Directives — ...on the treatment of Jews in Reichskommissariat Ostland
• Stahlecker's Answer — ...to Lohse's directives on the treatment of Jews in Ostland. He maintains Jewish forced labor is not required, and suggests “a complete and immediate 100% clearing of the Jews from the Ost territory”, including resettlement outside Europe.
• Hitler's Order — Images of Hitler's 1943 order establishing the Latvian SS-(so-called) "Voluntary" Legion and of a subsequent conscription order.
• Evolution of Insignia — The Legion had its own insignia. The use of the SS symbol came late and its origin is unclear.
• Legionnaires Cleared of SS Status — Collection of correspondence between Chargé d’Affaires of Latvia Jūlijs Feldmanis and U.S. officials, including the final directive confirming that the Latvian Legion was not an enemy of the U.S. or of its form of government.