Gothards Vilhelms Nikolajs Munters (, 25 July 1898 in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...

– 11 January 1967, Riga) was a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia from 1936 to 1940. He was also a member of the Council of the League of Nations from 1936 to 1938, Chairman of the Far East Commission and the President of the 101st Session of the League in 1938. Munters was the signatory on behalf of the Latvian government in a number of important international agreements with the

Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

from 1934 to 1939.

Biography

Early life

Vilhelms Munters was born on July 25, 1898 in Riga to

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...

trader Nikolai Munter (''Nikolajs Munters'', died 1930) and

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

mother from Estonia, Auguste Klein (''Kleina''). She and Vilhelm's sister later repatriated to Germany in 1939. He graduated with a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

from Riga Stock Exchange Business School in 1915 and enrolled in the Faculty of Chemistry of the Riga Polytechnic Institute. That same year he, together with the institute, evacuated to Moscow due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and continued his studies until 1917. On May 22, 1917, Munters was drafted into the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

, where he served in the 1st Preparatory Training Battalion in

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

and from August 8 to October 26 studied at the Vladimir Military School in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. He, together with other cadets, took part in fighting during the Bolshevik

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...

and was shortly imprisoned in the

Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early 1920 ...

, but released thanks to an acquaintance. Afterwards he worked as an oiler in the Treugolnik () factory. After the signing of the

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers ( Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire), that ended Russi ...

, Munters returned to German-occupied Riga in July 1918. During the

Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence ( lv, Latvijas Neatkarības karš), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaim ...

he was drafted by the Army of the

Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic The Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic ( lv, Latvijas Sociālistiskā Padomju Republika, LSPR) was a short-lived socialist republic formed during the Latvian War of Independence. It was proclaimed on 17 December 1918 with the political, econom ...

in March 1919, only to soon desert. After the Battle of Cēsis he joined the 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division of the

Estonian Army The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...

on June 24, 1919. Munters fought in North Vidzeme, served as the Estonian Army Command team leader and the aide-de-camp of the

Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...

Garrison of the 6th Infantry Regiment until October 17, 1920, when he was retired from active service with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. On November 22, 1920, he was drafted into the Latvian Armed Forces and assigned to the 6th Riga Infantry Regiment, but was discharged with the rank of ''virsseržants'' (

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, superv ...

) on December 20. While working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Munters resumed his studies at the Faculty of Chemistry of the

University of Latvia University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919. The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...

and graduated in 1925 with a degree in

engineering chemistry Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

(''ing. chem.)''. In 1934, he married Natālija Sūna (née Kļagina, 1897–1973 in Riga). They had one son, Andrejs (born 1935), and an adopted daughter, Margarita (born 1934), both of which died in a children's home in the

Uzbek SSR Uzbekistan (, ) is the common English name for the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR; uz, Ўзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикаси, Oʻzbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi, in Russian: Уз ...

in 1942 during the family's deportation. Natālija also had a son from a previous marriage, Nikolajs Sūna (born 1921).

Diplomatic service career

Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-E07262,_Berlin,_Nichtangriffspakt_mit_Estland_und_Lettland

Since December 20, 1920, Munters began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia. Until October 1921 he was the 3rd Secretary of the Information Section of the Political-Economic Department, reaching the post of 1st Secretary in August 1922. In April 1923 he was transferred to the Western Section, in April 1924 – the Press Section, and in February 1925 he took charge of the Baltic States Section. Two years later he was appointed as a representative of the ministry to the External Trade Commission of the Ministry of Finance, and in January 1931 Munters became the director of the Administrative-Legal Department and the Assistant General Secretary of the ministry. His salary in 1927 was 3600 Ls per year, and he lived in a three-room apartment in Stabu iela 62. In addition to his posts, Munters was a member of various high-rank committees in the ministry and took part in drafting important economic and political agreements with foreign nations. Since 1931, he participated in all plenary meetings of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...

. On 14 July 1933, Munters was appointed General Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with vice-ministerial functions. After the

1934 Latvian coup d'état The 1934 Latvian coup d'état ( lv, 1934. gada 15. maija apvērsums) known in Latvia also as the 15 May Coup (''15. maija apvērsums'') or Ulmanis' Coup (''Ulmaņa apvērsums''), was a self-coup by the veteran Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis again ...

led by

Kārlis Ulmanis Kārlis Augusts Vilhelms Ulmanis (; 4 September 1877 – 20 September 1942) was a Latvian politician. He was one of the most prominent Latvian politicians of pre-World War II Latvia during the Interwar period of independence from November 1918 to ...

, despite Ulmanis taking up the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs on July 17, Munters became the de facto head of the ministry. From 1935 to 1939 he led the Latvian delegation at the League of Nations, being the main representative from 1936 to 1938. There, in 1937 on the 13th Plenary Session he was elected Head of the Far East Commission, but in 1938 - as the President of the 101st Session. Vilhelms Munters became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia on 14 July 1936, and served in this capacity until 21 June 1940. On 7 June 1939, Munters signed the German-Latvian Non-Aggression Pact in Berlin and on 5 October 1939 - the Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty (commonly known in Latvia as the "(Military) Base Treaty"), which the USSR later used as the basis of the

Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 refers to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany and its Secret Additional Protocol signed in ...

Deportation and imprisonment

After the Soviet occupation of Latvia, he was ''de facto'' replaced by

Augusts Kirhenšteins Augusts Kirhenšteins, formerly spelt Kirchenšteins (18 September 1872 in Mazsalaca – 3 November 1963 in Riga), was a Latvian and Soviet microbiologist, politician and educator. He was the ''de facto'' prime minister of Latvia from 20 June 1 ...

, and the Munters family was deported on 16 July 1940 in the presence of the collaborationist Minister of the Interior Vilis Lācis. During forced exile in

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...

, he worked in the Institute of Foreign Language Teachers. In the meantime, Munters wrote multiple requests to Soviet

People's Commissar for Internal Affairs The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

Lavrentiy Beria Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (; rus, Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия, Lavréntiy Pávlovich Bériya, p=ˈbʲerʲiə; ka, ლავრენტი ბერია, tr, ; – 23 December 1953) was a Georgian Bolshevik ...

, sharing detailed information on many contemporaries. On 26 June 1941 Munters was arrested. First imprisoned in Voronezh, he was transferred to

Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901, ...

in September and a year later - to Kirov Prison. There, on 14 April 1952, the

Special Council of the NKVD Special Council of the USSR NKVD (Особое совещание при НКВД СССР, ОСО) was created by the same decree of Sovnarkom of July 10, 1934 that introduced the NKVD itself. By the decree, the Special Council was endowed with t ...

sentenced Munters to 25 years in prison for "active struggle against the revolutionary workers' movement and hostile actions against the USSR" and imprisoned him in Moscow's

Butyrka prison Butyrskaya prison ( rus, Бутырская тюрьма, r= Butýrskaya tyurmá), usually known simply as Butyrka ( rus, Бутырка, p=bʊˈtɨrkə), is a prison in the Tverskoy District of central Moscow, Russia. In Imperial Russia it ...

and Vladimir Central Prison. After the death of Joseph Stalin, he was released on 19 August 1954, but was forbidden to return to the Baltic states.

Final years and death

After release, Munters and his family lived in

Vladimir-on-Klyazma Vladimir ( rus, Влади́мир, p=vlɐ'dʲimʲɪr, a=Ru-Владимир.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, east of Moscow. It is served by a railway and the M7 motorway. ...

, with him working as a translator in the Vladimir Tractor Factory. In 1958 he together with his family was finally permitted to return to occupied Latvia, where in 1959 he started to work as a translator in the editorial board of the official newsletter of the Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences, with contributions to other scientific publications. Since 1962, Munters penned articles in

Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes i ...

and Soviet Latvian press, critical of

Latvian diaspora The Latvian diaspora refers to Latvians and people of Latvian descent residing outside Latvia. According to estimates by the Latvian Foreign Ministry, as at 2012, about 370,000 Latvian citizens permanently resided outside of Latvia, most of t ...

organizations (e.g. the

American Latvian Association The American Latvian Association (, ALA) is the main organization representing the Latvian American community in the United States of America, which was founded on February 24, 1951. The association and its members lead and support global effor ...

and others). In 1963, he published his memoirs ''Pārdomas'' ('Reflections') and in 1964 an essay on the

Assembly of Captive European Nations Assembly of Captive European Nations or ACEN was an organization founded on September 20, 1954, as a coalition of representatives from nine nations in Central and Eastern Europe under Soviet domination after World War II. Former political and ...

, titled ''Savu tautu ienaidnieki'' ('Enemies of Their Peoples'). The same year he was appointed a member of the KGB-controlled Latvian Committee for Cultural Relations with Compatriots Abroad. The official purpose of these committees, founded in several

Soviet republics The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...

in the 1960s, was the development of cultural contacts an promoting peace, but the secret purpose was investigation of the emigrant communities and using them in order to destabilize the democratic Western states. Vilhelms Munters died on 11 January 1967 in Riga and was buried in the Forest Cemetery on 15 January.

Awards and decorations

Order of Lāčplēsis The Order of Lāčplēsis (also Lāčplēsis Military Order, lv, Lāčplēša Kara ordenis), the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of Jānis Balodis, the Commander of the Latvian Army during ...

(1924, No. 1814) * Order of the Three Stars, 2nd (14 May 1937), 3rd and 4th Class *

Cross of Recognition The Cross of Recognition ( lv, Atzinības krusts) is a state decoration of Latvia. History The decoration was established in 1710 in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia by Duke Frederick William as a symbol of the then-established Order of Re ...

, 1st Class (16 November 1938, No. 2) *

Aizsargi Aizsargi (literally: "Defenders", "Guards") was a volunteer paramilitary organization or militia ( lv, Aizsargu organizācija, "Guards Organization", AO) in Latvia during the interbellum period (1918–1939). The Aizsargi was created on March 30, ...

Cross of Merit * Medal of the Latvian Defense Society *

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class *

Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

, 1st and 2nd Class * Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, 1st and 2nd Class * Order of Vytautas the Great, 1st Class * Order of Leopold, 1st and 2nd Class * Order of the Crown, 3rd Class * Cross of Liberty, 1st Grade 1st and 2nd Class * Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 1st and 2nd Class *

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

, 1st and 2nd Class *

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the ...

, 1st Class *

Order of St. Sava The Royal Order of St. Sava is an Order of merit, first awarded by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1883 and later by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was awarded to nationals and foreigners for meritorious ach ...

, 2nd Class *

Military Order of Christ The Military Order of Christ is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910 it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was ...

, 2nd Class *

Order of the Oak Crown The Order of the Oak Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne de chêne, german: Eichenlaubkronenorden, lb, Eechelaafkrounenuerden) is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. History The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by Grand ...

, 3rd Class *

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...

, 1st and 3rd Class *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Class * Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, 1st Class * Order of St. Gregory the Great, 1st Class *

Order of Brilliant Star Order of Brilliant Star () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation. The order is instituted in 1941 and can be awarded to both domestic and foreign nationals. ...

, 1st Class * Order of the Crown, 2nd Class *

Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle (german: Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler) was an award of the German Nazi regime, predominantly to foreign diplomats. The Order was instituted on 1 May 1937 by Adolf Hitler. It ceased to be awarded follo ...

, 1st Class *

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

, 1st and 2nd Class

References

Literature