Ambassador Bailey Meets With Latvian Political Deportees from Valmiera

On Wednesday, July 25, Ambassador Bailey met with representatives from Valmiera Society of Latvian political deportees. The group requested the meeting to express thanks for the recently unveiled Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Bailey was touched by the gratitude expressed by the deportees.

In the city of Valmiera there are approximately 800 individuals who are returned deportees and 1,200 in Valmiera district.

During the meeting the society representatives Imants Grāvītis, Nellija Šāvēja, Daina Krēpause, Maigonis Pope, and Laimonis Ludzenieks told their stories of how they were deported and their lives upon returning to Latvia.

The group was motivated to contact the ambassador when they learned of the memorial along with the comments of President Bush at its unveiling.

National resistance member Imants Gravitis recommended that a thank you note for the President of the United States, its government and people be written.

The thank you note says:
"We, the deportees from Valmiera, are genuinely touched, that the United States of America, that have never felt the terror of communism on its soil, have yet been able to understand the suffering of the people that lived under that for almost a century. Communism used beautiful ideas, but committed the biggest crimes in the history of mankind by making nations become extinct. We are thankful to the American people, its government and the President for the memorial in Washington that has been built to commemorate the victims of communism."