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The decision was moral as well as prudent

In the mid-1980s, a federal commission investigating Nazis in Canada summoned an Estonian WWII veteran to a hearing. The Estonian Central Council in Canada (EKN) retained a recognized litigation lawyer to represent the veteran. In addition he requested an academic to research the historical background of the participation of Estonian combatants in German uniform and the treatment of Jews, including their deaths in Estonia during WWII.

After a day-long cross-examination of the veteran, one of the commissioners told me that the veteran had been falsely accused. In fact, the commission did not summon any other Estonian for further investigation.

The Canadian media in the 1980s frequently made references to “Nazi” Baltic WWII veterans. Often, these accusations were based on disinformation supplied by the KGB and sent to naive recipients ignorant of the facts.

Imants Lešinskis, the ex-chair of the Latvian version of VEKSA, defected to the US in the 1980s. He related how as a novice KGB officer he was assigned to research the backgrounds of any Latvian activist in America involved in “freedom fighting”. He was to supply falsified, documented evidence about their Nazi involvement, thus destroy their credibility in opposing Soviet rule.

In a similar fashion, Andrus Roolaht (alias Rein Kordes) was the author of multiple booklets and pamphlets badmouthing Estonian anti-Soviet activists in the West. In our community in Canada, the late Enn Salurand, Harry Pärkma, Ilmar Heinsoo, and others were targeted, all falsely implicated with Nazism, obviously implying anti-Semitism.

Täismahus artikkel on loetav Eesti Elu tellijatele

Igal nädalal toome me sinuni kõige olulisemad kogukonna uudised ja eksklusiivsed lood uutelt kolumnistidelt. Räägime eestlastele südamelähedastest teemadest, kogukonna tegijatest ja sündmustest. Loodame sinu toele, et meie kogukonna leht jätkuks pikkadeks aastateks.

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