Dirva = Field. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1915-current, 1944-12-15
THE LITHUANIAN CHARACTER OF
NORTHERN EAST PRUSSIA

| kilometers. According to the of.
! ficial German statistics for 1905
the population of this area was
about $4,000. 1t goes without
, saying that the territory inhabited
| by Lithuanians from time imme.
mortal extended over a considerably
large area, but many of them sue
cumbed to Teutonic aggression, be-
came thoroughly Germanized, and
only isolated patches remain where
Lithuanian is still spoken >.
Here it is to be noted that, ac-
ccrding to an agreement of the
Allies with Russia, Lithuania Mi
nor as far AS Koenigsberg was to
be assigned to Russia; consequently
the fate of this territory was al
ready determined in advance by the
Allies and was partially recognized
as territory of Lithuania.
'The minister of foreign rela-
tions of Russia, Suzanov, at the
beginning of the war made in
cuiries among Lithuanians relative
to Lithuania Minor, and, realizing
the true situation, he evidently per-
suaded the Allies to join both parts
of Lithuania, whereby the territory
of Russia was to be increased. This
agreement was published by the
Bolsheviki and is a matter of COM
mon knowledge.
Rc-annexed by Hitler
After World War I only the Klai-
reda (Memel) territory, a part of
Prussian Lithuania, was detached
from Germany and ceded to Lithu-
ana. On the eve of the present
was Hitler, by threat of force,
succeeded in re-annexing that ter
ritory in March, 1889. With the
rise of Nazizm, the Germanization
of Prussian Lithuania was greatly
intensified. Purely Lithuanian ma
mes, and those of Lithuanian orr
gin, of towns, villages, lakes, riv-
ers, etc., were completely erased
from the map in 1887 or 1888, as
for example, Lazdenai, Budvieciai,
Silenai, Spirgiai, Zemaitkiemis, Pill
vagaliai, Puskepaliai, Siaudine, Ii
liai, Trakenai, Raltupenai. etc, not
TO mention the larger cities refer
red to above, and purely German
names substituted for them.
However, family names of Lithu-
anian origin are still common, such
as Povilat (Povilaitis), Baltruschat
(Baltrusaitis), Juozupat (Juozupai-
tis), Spirgat (Spirgaitis), Gavenat
(Gavenas), Gaidies (Gaidys), Va
nagat (Vanagaitis), Gaigalat (Gai-
galaitis), etc.
In the Polish Review OF April 20,
1912, the Polish Information Cen
ter of the United States published
a map which indicated Lithuanian
and Polish settlements in East
Prussia and acknowledged the ex-
istance of "a large number of
Lithuanians in the Gabit (Gumbi-
neGumbinen) and Krolewicze (Ka-
raliaucius-K -Koenigsberg) counties.
According to East Prussia, by
Robert Machray, well-known British
writer and journalist, published by
the American-Polish Council in
1943, Lithuanians predominate in
the eastern part of the regency of
Gabit (Gumbine). Their number
is difficult to determine because
none of the German census Stats
tics can be regarded as reliable:
"In every instance large num-
bers of Poles and Lithuanians were
only too easily and unscrupulously
entered as being of German ma
tionality" Up. 85D.
What fate the European Advisory
Commission of the Allies has de-
clded upon for East Prussia is not
known as yet, but, according to
Alex Singleton, Associated Press
in London, interna-
tional circles believe that:
east Prussia, a small part of
Old Prussia, is expected to be lar
gely incorporated into Poland, with
a small portion going to Lithuania"
Washington Sunday Star, Aug. 6,
1944).
If this were agreed upon, there
would be no difficulty in drawing
a line between the Lithuanian and
Polish populations, since the two
have remained unmixed to a re-
markable degree. What Vytautas
planned in 1410 may thus be real
zed after lapse of more than five