Dirva = Field. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1915-current, 1943-07-23
THE PERISCOPE
BY SARUNAS.

WILLIAM HENRY CHAMBER
LAIN has this to say in the Sum-
mer issue of the Yale Review:
"As is wei! known, another ques-
ton that may raise difficulties
(between the Soviet Union and the
Anglo Saxon bloc), unless it is dis
cussed and settled in advance, is
the location of Russia's Western
border. Stain has publicly limited
very strongly that he expects at
least a restoration of his frontier
of 1941, including Latvia, Lithua-
mia. Estonia, Eastern Poland and
Ressarabia. A strickler for the four
freedoms might feel that plebiscites
should be held in at least some of
the countries. But the probabili-
ties are that the United States and
Great Britain, war weary and ap-
! preciative of Russia's services in
the common cause, will not object
seriously to enlargement of the
original Soviet boundaries.
TO DO so, would be to sanctify
what Hitler done when he softsoap-
ed Stain to stay quiet while he per-
formed his nefarious deeds in the
West and tried to "blitz" England.
"Pfebiscites" were already held in
the regions under discussion. AS
regards Lithuania, Bolshevik propa-
gandists claim "99.89 per cent of
the 95.51 per cent" of the Lithuan-
ians participating "voted for incor-
poration into the Soviet Union.
BUT MR.. A. STAKNYS, a well
known Newark, N. j., Lithuanian,
who participated and was forced
to vote in this "plebiscite", thus
describes it in the weekly Amerika
of Brooklyn, N. Y: The Russian
Red army occupied Lithuania on
June Is, 1910. The "plebiscite"
elections were called for July IA
Is. 1910. During the intervening
month the Russian NKVD police,
under the personal direction of
Commissar Dekanozov, confiscated
all the Lithuanian newspapers,
closed all Lithuanian organizations
and appropriated their resources,
took over all business establish
nents and commercial houses. All
political parties were closed.
THE ELECTIONS were prepared
by the Lithuanian Communist Par
ty, guided by special "counsellors"
appointed by Moscow. This party
appointed all the candidates. For
instance, in Kretinga, the candidate
was chosen at a special meeting to
which only non-Lithuanian mem
bers of q local flax factory and
and some Lithuanian Communists
were invited. The rest of the 5000
inhabitants were ignored The
chosen candidate was approved by
the County Committee of the par
ty, which debarred all 'non-reliable
candidates. The strength of the
Lithuanian Communist Party may
be guessed at by the situation in
Palanga, as described by Mr.. Stalk
nys- This town and vicinity had
1000 inhabitants. The Communists
numbered only II persons, of whom
eight were non-Lithuanans. Only
one of them was a High School
graduate. The rest were not even
primary school graduates. But
| these II were all-powerful since
thev were supported by the foreign
| NKVD police and the Red army.
EEI
THUS there were no opposition
candidates. Sensing that the people
will not go to the polls to produce
the "99.89 per cent?, the Bolshevik
authorities decreed that the world
'Balsavo' (voted) must be inscribed
in the Lithuanian passports of all
inhabitants. Those who could not
later produce a passport with this
"Balsavo" stamp would be deemed
"enemies of the people,. During
the prediction campaign nothing
was said about incorporating Lith-
uania into the Soviet Union. This
came under the insistence of Deka-
nozov when the elected Deputies
held their first session. Many even
.of this bunch Of hand-picked Soviet
stool pidgeons could not stomach
selling Lithuania's freedom down
the river, but is was too late. 1t
was do or die.
THE LITHUANIANS, the Lat
vians, the Estonians, the Poles, the
White Russians, the Ukrainians do
not want any more such "plebis-
cites".