Right you are, Jonah. As the world learned again this weekend, the United States never recognized the Soviet dominion over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia even though the Soviets actually swallowed those three countries whole and insisted they had become provinces of the Soviet Union. Until their liberation 50 years later, each “captive nation” had an ambassador, consulates in major cities, and even possessed a currency that we supposedly accepted in fair trade for dollars. That was a noble thing to do, and because we did it, those three countries made the easiest and most thoroughgoing transition to democracy of any of the Soviet satellites and colonies.