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_3
(5) Through Hahn's friend Janis_Jekabsons Lai, now
in Australia, who lived in the same residence Ca-Vipers, Hahn,
who later added Jekabsons to his group, had an opportunity to
receive reports of Vipers statements which the ].ter often
made at home. According to Jekabson, Vipers had often expressed
himself, saying that the political activities in the Academy
were quite an easy task for him -- all he had to do was pound
his fist on the table and even the old underground members from
Latgale were scared into inactivity.
(At thin point an inconsistency in Hahn's narrative.
was noted in that he had previously stated that he had been
given the position of Chairman of the Culture Committee acti-
vities because Vipers was overworked; on the other hand at this
point it appears that Vipers really considered his work at the
University to be a task he could successfully accomplish with
great ease. Hahn could not explain this discrepancy and brushed -
It aside by saying that possibly it was Vipers' Russian soul
and moodiness which caused him to have made two contradictory
statements, one directly to Hahn and the other to Jekabsons --
of course not knowing that Jekabson would tell Hahn.)
(6) It should be noted here that Hahn believes Vipers
to be a very clever, shrewd, and intelligent person. In part
this is evidenced by the fact that Prior to 1940 the faculty at
the Jelgava Academy had often stated that Vipers was the most
intelligent student that they had ever seen. Incidentally, Vipers
was always the first student in his class.
In order to camouflage his true aims still further,
Hahn organized the Atheist Section at the Jelgava Academy. He
undertook this task because such a section -- according to the
Communist order -- within a body of higher learning was deemed
of primary importance, and because such t section had not been
formed until that time Hahn felt that another opportunity had
presented itself. Furthermore Hahn felt that one Communist
position more br less meant little and that there possibly
would be no work attached to this. This assumption was quite .
correct, Hahn was given this position and did virtually nothing
for a long period of time. In order to avert suspicion Hahn
wrote one atheist Etticle in "Zemgales Komunists". This article
was read by Pastor' ulitis, who lived in the same apartment I:m.07ff
"building as Hahn, and navihg read this article told Hahn that'.
such articles should never be written and that-the way that .
• Hahn hat eipressed"Iiinieelfwaf -triiite . contrary"e6 the truth.
This article created a great deal of opposition to Hahn among.:
those who lived in the same apartment house and who knew Hahn.
' A fellow student who knew the true circumstances regarding
Hahn't activities informed the apartment house superintendent
of Hahn's true activities; she in turn further informed Kulitis.
. •
("71
it''