August 23, 1939: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (MRP)

With the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Hitler and Stalin, two totalitarian killers, formally documented their odious conspiracy that launched the destruction of World War II.

Secret Protocol

" 1. In the event of a territorial and political rearrangement in the areas belonging to the Baltic States (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), the northern boundary of Lithuania shall represent the boundary of the spheres of influence of Germany and the USSR.

2. In the event of a territorial and political rearrangement of the areas belonging to the Polish state, the spheres of influence of Germany and the USSR shall be bounded approximately by the lines of the rivers Narew, Vistula and San.

The question of whether the interests of both parties make desirable the maintenance of an independent Polish state, and how such a state should be bounded, can only be definitely determined in the course of further political developments.

In any event, both Governments will resolve this question by means of a friendly agreement.

4. This Protocol shall be treated by both parties as strictly secret."

A Secret Additional Protocol of September 28, 1939, after Poland had already been occupied by Nazi and Soviet forces, altered the territory alignments in the partitioning of Poland: "... that the territory of Lithuanian state falls to the sphere of influence of the USSR, while on the other hand, the province of Lublin and parts of the province of Warsaw fall to the sphere of influence of Germany . . . "

American career diplomat and ambassador George Keenan, who served at the American Embassy in Moscow in the 1930s, summarized: "We cannot appreciate the full significance of the division of eastern Europe, unless we visualize the extent of the catastrophe it spelled for the affected peoples. Delivery into the hands of either of these great powers, Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia, was a calamity of the first order for almost everyone concerned".

Both Poles and Estonians would suffer greatly under the rule of these two brutal dictators.

Dual attack on Poland

With the Soviet Union secure in its relationship with Nazi Germany as a result of the MRP, the Soviets let the German Blitzkrieg start its attack on Poland on September 1. On September 3, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany to show support for their ally Poland, but they did not take any direct action against Germany.


After the German military had neutralized Polish armed resistance, the Soviets moved on September 17, striking eastern Poland for its share of territory as per the MRP. Stalin and the Soviets tried to play a more subtle and politically astute game than the Nazis, pretending initially to be supportive of the Polish people, telling them that the Red Army was arriving to prevent Nazi Germany from taking more Polish territory. This Soviet approach, in conjunction with the heavy German attack in the west, kept the Polish defences off balance, and in fact some Polish commanders instructed their troops not to fight the Soviets.

Soviet Annexation

In an attempt to politically justify their invasion, Soviet planners wanted to have their troops be welcomed in a friendly manner. To help create this type of friendly reception, prior to the September 17 invasion, Red Army soldiers received roubles and "special courses" in Russia to help in their communication with the locals.

The confusion of all Poles at that time was summarized by Anna Gimzewska of Nowogrod: "We were plunged into the mist of insecurity, and various most fantastic rumours became facts for us . . . the entering Soviet authourities caught us in this state of mind . . . Where was this grey army decorated with red stars going ? . . . Was it bringing assistance or final defeat ?"

Overall this Soviet ploy would have to be deemed a success, because in the annexation of their piece of Poland, they only suffered 2600 casualties; while the Nazis lost 500 aircraft, more than one thousand motor vehicles and had 50,000 casualties. In addition, there was never a formal war declared between Poland and the Soviet Union in 1939.

Once it became obvious that this occupation was not a show of support for the Polish government, the Soviets tried to position their arrival as a war of liberation to free the western Ukrainian and Belorussian territory from "the Polish fascist occupation". To keep the local populations from realizing their full intent and to help bring people to their side, the Soviets encouraged the belief that they were bringing class emancipation, while at the same time supporting Ukrainian and Belorussian nationalistic aspirations and land redistribution.

Throughout Polish territory of Western Ukraine and Belorussia, the Red Army was welcomed by crowds of young Ukrainians, Belorussians, who although a minority in Poland, were the majority in these territories. Jews also enthusiastically welcomed the Soviets telling the Poles: "You wanted Poland without Jews, so now you have Jews without Poland".

With the arrival of the Red Army, the Polish administration was no longer able to function and the power vacuum was filled by ethnic groups and individuals seeking advantage in the new system. In late September 1939, the Soviets encouraged these acts of disobedience and violence against the old order, and local Ukrainians and Belorussians ambushed Polish soldiers and civilians. Thus the last battles the Polish military fought, were against their former neighbours, the Ukrainians, Belorussians and Jews who had aligned with the Soviet communists.

In Przemysl, at the end of 1939, Ukrainians and the few remaining Poles were refugees heading west to German controlled territory, while Jews migrated east into Soviet territory.

In all of the Soviet occupied territories, it was said that the "Jews received the incoming Russians enthusiastically, they [the Russians] also trusted them [the Jews]". This was because there were proportionately more communist sympathizers among the Jews, and 'where the Soviet troops came, the Germans did not.

(To be continued)

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