Wikipedia is announcing more discoveries by the historian Dr. Rex Curry about the Soviet socialist state's swastika. Although it was an ancient symbol, it was used by socialists in modern times as S-symbolism for "socialism." Dr. Curry's work is probably the most referenced historical research on Wikipedia. http://rexcurry.net/ussr-socialist-swastika-cccp-sssr.html The discoveries are shown in Soviet Socialist banknotes that show swastikas. One of those notes is a 250 ruble note. http://rexcurry.net/ussr-socialist-swastika1917-250a.JPG The designer of that banknote was an ethnic Latvian Rihards Zarins (he spelled his name: Zarrins) (1869-1939). He was the technical director of the Soviet Socialist State printing house, where the banknotes were printed. Later he designed the first postage stamps of the Soviet Soviet State. In 1919 he returned to Latvia and created designs of paper money, postage stamps, certificates and more. He enjoyed the symbolism of the swastika and he used it frequently, as in the banknote mentioned. The Soviet socialist state at that time was known as the "PCOCP" which, with slight alteration, became simply "CCCP" (USSR or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). Transliterated it is known also as the R.S.F.S.R., the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (aka Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic) (??????????? ?????????? ????????????? ????????????????? ???????????, ?????). It is relevant to note that the Soviet socialist state's abbreviations have the pattern of double letters in PP, CC and SS. Hence, the double S letters of the Soviet socialist state's swastika stand for "Soviet Socialist" (the corresponding letters in RSFSR). The RSFSR began in 1917 and was the largest and most populous of the fifteen former republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which became known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in December 1922. The Russian SFSR became the modern day Russia after the collapse of the USSR, officially dissolved on December 31, 1991. The amazing discoveries in Dr. Curry's work have been discussed by members of the group Flags Of The World, a well-known group in the field of vexillology (the study of flags). Dr. Rex Curry's historical discoveries have been recognized by members of Flags Of The World Group (FOTW) and members of other vexillological groups. The acknowledgment occurred when the president of the group conceded defeat in a scholarly debate challenge about Dr. Curry's news-making work. http://rexcurry.net/fotw-flags-of-the-world-vexillology.html The Flags of the World web site contained an error. A fan of RexCurry.net wrote in to point out an error on the Flags of the World web site that has caused confusion among members of the North American Vexillological Association. The error is at http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/lv%5Eair.html That web page attempts to provide information about Latvia's Airforce Flag and Aircraft Marking and shows a swastika symbol (45 degrees to the horizontal and pointed clockwise) with the headline "1918-1940." That seeming error caused some members of the North American Vexillological Association to incorrectly believe that the symbol was always 45 degrees to the horizontal (as if in a diamond orientation). One NAVA member said "I checked Latvia's Air Force markings 1918-1940 and found a red swastika on its point (as in the National Socialist German Workers' Party) on white." A more searching review of the links on that FOTW page shows that the swastika symbol on Latvian planes originally was on its side (with horizontal orientation) and not 45 degrees to the horizontal. It is unclear from FOTW, and the links, when and why the change occurred in Latvia from 1918-1940. A fan writes, "It is interesting to note that a lot of the pictures available through the FOTW reference are only illustrations and not photographs. One illustration did note the change in the markings. Also interesting to note that the planes seem to be German, mostly or exclusively? And that in 1920 they were being used against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. There was also a response about Finland's use of the swastika. Can anyone provide more information about when Finland first used the symbol on its planes, why, and where the plane(s) came from? Was it a German source also?" The NAVA members who referenced the FOTW web page provided more support for Dr. Curry's work showing that the swastika was used to represent overlapping "S" letters for "socialism" under the National Socialist German Workers' Party and in the Soviet Socialist State. http://rexcurry.net/book1a1contents-swastika.html