Lūžio ir iššūkio mėnesiai : Lietuvos diplomatinė tarnyba 1940-1941 metais

Abstract

After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania on June 15,1940, the diplomatic corps of Lithuania became the only institution which de jure represented Lithuania abroad and undertook all possible efforts to re- establish its independence. In July-August 1940, Lithuania's diplomats abroad filed protests against the occupation of Lithuania to the states they were accredited at and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. Under the pressure of the Soviet Union some Western European countries, such as Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France, terminated the activities of the Lithuanian Legations in their countries. Lithuanian Diplomatic Service lost more than a half of its Legations. One of the main goals of Lithuanian diplomats abroad were to set up the Lithuanian Government in exile. In the autumn of 1940, Lithuanian diplomats held two meetings: one in Rome and the other in Bern. Antanas Smetona, the President of Lithuania, participated in one of them. After the meeting in Rome, the corps established the National Committee which was to co-ordinate political activities of liberation of Lithuania abroad. At the meeting in Bern, President Smetona signed the Kybartai Acts. Unfortunately, neither the National Committee nor the Kybartai Acts had any significant impact on the fight for freedom of Lithuania. The activities of the diplomatic corps had been hampered by a number of factors: first of all, it greatly depended on the current situation in Europe, like the aggressive pol- icy of the Soviet Union and Germany, or the uncertain status of the corps themselves.