The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-22

AS the local Lithuanian American
ouncil is completing preparations
or the huge mass meeting Of Lith-
,anians to take place in Bucking
lam hall Sunday afternoon at 3
o'clock, Rev. Dr. Joseph Bogusas,
curate at st. Joseph's church and
president of the organization, has
called attention to news accounts of
he small Baltic nation released to
newspapers and leaders of Lithu-
anian organizations by the Lithu-
anian Legation in Washington, d.
c.
Pointing out the suffering of
people in the Axis-conquered nation
IS disclosed by the legations sum-
mary. Father Bogusas said one of
The purposes of Sundays meeting
to commemorate the second an
adversary of the Nazi occupation
With fitting thought of what can be
done for the tiny state after the
Allied nations enemies are driven
back.
Oppose TOtalitarism
Speakers, who will include the
Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian
ministers in Washington, have been
secured to offer reminders of what
the totalitarian theory of govern
ment and existence has done to pro-
greSs In the world and of the need
of independence for all of the free
dom-loving peoples. The sponsoring
organization, which has representa-
ives from % individual Lithuanian
units of the city, hopes to draw
record attendance for the event, one
Of the major Lithuanian undertake
lngs of the year.
The most recent accounts, COM
and depicting the attitude of Lith-
uanians toward Nazziism, read in
part as follows:
Concentration Camp
Recent news, emanating from
German-oocupied Lithuania, clearly
indicates the relentless determine
zion of the Lithuanian people to
.eSiSt NaZi enslavement and to fight
tor the full restoration of sovereign
~ rights and independence in &C
cordance with the solemn pro-
III JllC AG-
lantic charter. The determined eff
forts of the Nazis to mobilize Lith-
uanias man power for labor and
FOR military purposes, in formations
similar to the Nazi S. S. elite
Guards, we're complete fiasco.
Angry NaZis of the Civil Verwaltung
threatened the LithuanianS with
reprsals which would include dis
continuing the -privatization of
private property, the closing of Viii
mis- and Kaunas universities, and
the enforcing Of mobilization for
labor in German factories, farms,
and ct the front. instead of permit
ting the formation of a Lithuanian
Legion under the command of Lith-
uanian officers.
Lithuanian resistance prompted
Herr Himmler to visit Lithuania, and
as q result Of this visit, concentra-
ton camps were again filled with
leading Lithuanians. The appear
anco of a secretly printed and wide
ly distributed publication called
Nepriklausoma Lietuva Gndepen-
dent Lithuania) is another head
achN for the Gestapo. This under
ground paper urges all Lithuanians,
without exception, to resist all for
eign foes and to strive for the in
dependence of their native land.
Perhaps 1t was in this connection
that the reported executions in the
city Of Vilnius took place German
attempts to use the Bolshevik DOGGY
have little or no effect on the Lith-
uanlan people, who are determined
to defend their sacred rights; they
are striving for full independence
from the Germans, and they are
hoping that the Allies will not a.
bandon them to the Soviets."
In past centuries, Lithuanians
stubbornly resisted the onslaughts
Of the Teutonic knights, but their
sufferings are not limited to the
past; they, no less than the Poles
and the Russians, are suffering
now from the German Drang Mach
Osten. During their period of indie
pendence G918-4 400, the Lithuanians
experienced frequent occurrences Of
an economic war forced on them by
Germany, and they continually had
to fight Nazi intrigues in Klaipeda
(MemeD territory. All this has been