Thursday, February 22, 1968
The BETHPAGE TRIBUNE
Page 3
governments iouow ,
with a few exceptions, the same
pattern
of non-recognition of
Lithuania’s incorporation into the
USSR.
INTERLUDE OF
NATIONAL FREEDOM
When on June 22, 1941, Nazi
Germany attacked the Soviet Un­
ion, a spontaneous anti-Soviet
revolt erupted throughout Lithu­
ania. On June 23, 1941, a pro­
visional Lithuanian Government
was formed. Yet a genuine Lith­
uanian Government proved to be
an obstacle to the Nazi designs,
and on August 5, 1941, it was
forced by the Nazis to discontinue
its functions. Thus Lithuania be­
came a “ province” of the Third
Reich. The only change was in
the color of occupying power:
from red to brown.
LITHUANIA’S FIGHT
FOR FREEDOM
Lithuanian resistance against
the Soviet suppression of Lithu­
ania’s independence began on the
first day of the Soviet invasion.
The President erf the Republic
left the country in protest in or­
der to carry on the struggle
abroad. Several underground or­
ganizations were formed. Daring
1944-1952, well organized m ili­
tary units of the Lithuanian re­
sistance
movement waged an
armed struggle against the Soviet
organs engaged inthe destruction
of Lithuania’s sovereignty: the
Soviet administrative apparatus,
the Moscow-manipulated Lithu­
anian branch of the Communist
Party, the Russian secret police,
and the armed forces of the
NKVD-MVD. Ever since the de­
mobilization of the armed under­
ground, Lithuania remains one of
the strongest centers of passive
resistance to the Kremlin. One of
the hopes for Lithuania’s future
lies in the fact that a new gene­
ration now stands in the forefront
of resistance against the Soviet
drive to destroy the Lithuanian
nationality, and to distort the
Lithuanian culture. Young Lith­
uanian writers, painters, com­
posers and scholars refuse to
bow to the precepts of the Krem­
lin.
m u e i ivaii
B ethpage School Trustee Leads Local
Participation In Lithuanian 5 0 th Fete
FOR FREEDOM: Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Michael N. Petito, seated,
presented a proclamation declaring February 16-23 as “ Lithuanian Free­
dom Week L-R, Anicetas Simutis,* Consul General of Lithuania at New
York; Miss Eugenija Garunkstis of Jericho; Michael N. Petito, Supervisor
of Town of Oyster Bay; Kestutis K. Miklas, Member of Supreme Council of
Lituanian - American Community of USA and his children - Sandra Miklas
,and Kestutis K. Miklas, Jr., Students of Pine Avenue School in Bethpage.
Kestutis R. Miklas, Bethpage School Board Trustee and a
native of Lithuania continues
to tell the story of this Baltic
C O U n try o n tin u ed
f r om L a s t W e e k )
LITHUANIAN-POLISH
COMMONWEALTH
The growing power of Russia
became an increasing menace to
Lithuania and resulted in the e s­
tablishment of the LithuanianPolish Commonwealth in 1569. A
common king was to be elected
by the nobility of both nations,
which pledged to maintain a com­
mon foreign policy. In every oth­
er respect, however, the nations
were to remain separate and sov­
ereign political entities. At the
end of the eighteenth century
(1772, 1792 and 1795)the Euro­
pean imperial powers of Russia,
Prussia and Austria conspired
against this nation and partitioned
it among them selves. In 1831 and
again in 1863 the Lithuanian and
Polish nations revolted against
the Russian occupation, but were
suppressed.
NATIONAL RENAISSANCE
Lithuania’s subjugation to Rus­
sia lasted 120 years. Yet the
Lithuanians never lost hope to
regain independence. The nation­
al and cultural awakening of Lith­
uania began with the publication
of the Lithuanian language news­
papers in East Prussia, imme­
diately beyond the border of Rus­
sian occupied Lithuania because
the Russian government had pro­
hibited the printing of Lithuanian
books and newspapers in Latin
characters. Lithuania’s hopes for
regaining freedom surged during
the Russo-Japanese War, and the
Grand National Congress de­
manded Home Rule for Lithuania
in 1905.
RESTORATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
With the outbreak of World
War I, many Lithuanian commit­
tees were organized in Europe
and in the USA to press Lithu­
ania’s demands for national in­
dependence, In September, 1917,
Lithuanian representatives gath­
ered in Vilnius and elected a
Lithuanian National Council of 20.
prominent leaders representing
all political trends. On February
16, 1918, the National Council
unanimously proclaimed the r es­
toration of Lithuania’s independ-
Germany was the first to grant
de jure recognition to Republic of
Lithuania. On July 12,1920, Lith­
uania signed a peace treaty with
the Soviet Union. This Moscow
Treaty recognized the sovereign­
ty of Lithuania and defined the
boundaries between the two
states. In 1921 Lithuania was ad­
mitted into the League of Nations.
During its 22 years of inde­
pendence Lithuania proved itself
capable of governing its own af­
fairs and making progress in the
economic, cultural and scientific
fields. The land reform in Lithu­
ania was a true economic revo­
lution: the large latifundia were
parcelled out to the landless
peasants, small farmers andvillage artisans. This was one of
the first radical economic revo­
lutions in postwar Europe, and
this was done in Lithuania.
AGGRESSION, OCCUPATION
AND ANNEXATION
Aggression against Lithuania
was initiated on August 23,1939.
On that date a non-aggression
pact was signed in Moscow be­
tween the Soviet Union and Ger­
many. Communism and Nazism
conspired against the free world,
and on September 1, 1939 the
Second World War broke out. A
secret protocol was attached to
the so-called Molotov-Rflobentrop Pact which outlined the di­
vision of Eastern Europe between
Germany and Russia. In October,
1939 the Soviet Union forced
Lithuania to admit a large Soviet
military force into its territory
as a p reca u tio n to deter “ pos­
sible German aggression*'. In
reality, the
Soviet garrisons
served as a Trojan Horse in
Lithuania. On June 14, 1940 the
Soviet Government handed an ul­
timatum to the Lithuania Gov­
ernment demanding the forma­
tion of a pro-Soviet Government
and the admission into Lithuania
of an unlimited number of Soviet
troops. Before the deadline erfthe
ultimatum had expired, a force of
300,000 Red soldiers, supported
by armor and airplanes, invaded
Lithuania. The Kremlin imme­
diately formed a puppet regime
mostly of communists. The pup­
pet government with the help of
the Red Army immediately asked
the Kremlin to incorporate Ltih
uania into the Soviet Union. The
Supreme Soviet of the USSR com­
plied on August 3,1940, and Lith­
uania was designated a Soviet
Republic. This was a classical
example of outright annexation by
an occupying power.
NON-RECOGNITION
The attitude of the United States
had been one of absolute and un­
compromising non-recognition of
the Soviet annexation of Lithua­
nia. The automatic consequence
of this refusal to recognize the
illegal annexation is the continued
full recognition of the legal con­
tinuity of the Lithuanian Republic
and its diplomatic and consular
representatives. Great ^Britain,
France, West Germany, Italy, as
well as other European and South
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LITHUANIA’S FREEDOM
Before World War H, over
1,500,000 Lithuanian emigrants
and their descendants were living
in the United States. Some of the
Lithuanian communities in Great
Britain, Canada, and the coun­
tries of South America numbered
up to 100,000 members. These
communities reacted strongly
against the Soviet invasion of
Lithuania. Special committees
for the liberation of Lithuania
were
organized all over the
world.
Speaking about the Lithuanian
population in this country, it is a
fact that the first Lithuanians
came to Dutch New Amsterdam
in the 17th century. Several hun­
dred persons of Lithuanian de­
scent even fought under General
Washington during the War of In­
dependence. However, the first
mass
immigration came in
1880’s. Lithuanians provided the
tough sinews which helped make
America great. They also con­
tributed a number of scholars
and scientists, especially in the
fields of engineering and chem­
istry. The first classical scholar
in America was the Lithuanian
Latinist Cursius who taught in
New Amsterdam over 300 years
ago. The Lincoln head penny was
engraved by a Lithuanian immi­
grant Brenner (Baranauskas).
Today a number of Hollywood
personalities are of L ith u a n ia n
descent - Joey Bishop, RutaLee,
Sir John Gielgud, Jacque Sernas,
Lawrence Harvey, Ruth Roman,
etc. Lithuanians distinguished
themselves in the field (rfsports,
such famous names as Johny
Unitas, Jack Sharkey, Ed Waitkus, Johny Podres, Bill Katcavage, Ed Kraus, are just a few of
the better known athletes. Lithu­
anian names can be found on the
faculty lists erf all major univer­
sities and colleges. Twelve daily
and
weekly newspapers, ten
monthly magazines appear in the
Lithuanian language or jointly
with English as well as three
daily and ten weekly radio pro-
T ake Y ou r F am ily To D in n er
O IL B U R N E R S A L E S AND S E R V I C E
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S E R V IC E F O R A L L M A K E S