NOTE ON SOURCES

THIS STUDY is based primarily on Lithuanian periodicals published in 1939-1940. International tensions make it difficult for the foreign researcher to have access to source materials in Soviet-occupied Lithuania. It is necessary to rely on collections found outside Lithuania.

Most of the principal newspapers and journals of the period under consideration can be located in the United States. Unfortunately, they are dispersed among many individuals and institutions, and as a result are not easily available to those who may want to use them.

In New York City, three institutions preserve valuable materials. Columbia University keeps Vyriausybės Žinios (Government News) and the Yearbooks of Lithuanian Statistics. The New York Public Library possesses Statistikos Biuletenis (Bulletin of Statistics), Lietuvos Banko Biuletenis (Bulletin of the Bank of Lithuania), and Lietuvos Ūkininkas (The Lithuanian Farmer). Lastly, the Consulate General of Lithuania preserves Talka (Collective Action), Tautos Ūkis (National Economy), and Vairas (The Helm). Every one of these volumes lacks some issues; but on the whole, the collections are fairly complete.

Other possessors of numerous publications include the Sisters of the Crucified Jesus in Brockton, Massachusetts, the Marianapolis Preparatory School in Thompson, Connecticut, the Lithuanian Legation in Washington, and, in Chicago, the Lithuanian Consulate, the publishers of Margutis, and the Sisters of St. Casimir. Together, these institutions contain nearly complete volumes of Lithuania’s major newspapers: Lietuvos Aidas (Echo of Lithuania), XX Amžius (Twentieth Century), Lietuvos Žinios (News of Lithuania, only for 1940), Mūsų Laikraštis (Our Newspaper), Darbo Lietuva (Labor Lithuania), Tautos Mokykla (The Nation’s School), Naujoji Romuva (The New Romuva). In addition, they have several provincial publications, such as Panevėžio Garsas (The Sound of Penevėžys), Žemaičių Prietelius (The Friend of Žemaičiai), and Šaltinis (The Fountainhead), and a number of specialized periodicals. The Sisters of the Crucified Jesus, the Sisters of St. Casimir, and the Marianapolis Preparatory School are particularly rich in Catholic sources.

Unfortunately, Vilniaus Balsas (Voice of Vilnius), Kardas (The Sword), and Mūsų Žinynas (Our Record), the capital daily and two journals of military affairs, are available only in single copies.

Books that deal with the events of 1939-1940 are few. Here are some which were especially useful:

Balčiūnas, J[uozas] (ed.). Lietuvių archyvas: bolševizmo metai. Lithuanian Archives: The Bolshevik Years. 2d ed. Kaunas: Studijų biuras, 1942. A series of articles depicting the events in Lithuania during the Soviet occupation (June 1940 to June 1941). Especially illustrative are the contributions by Liudas Dovydėnas, Antanas Garmus, and Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius.

Balčiūnas, V[alerionas]. Lietuvos kaimų žemės tvarkymas istorijos, ūkio ir statistikos šviesoje. The Organization of Lithuanian Rural Land in the Light of History, Economy, and Statistics. Kaunas: Žemės reformos valdyba, 1938. The work is a comprehensive study of the organization of rural land. It surveys the administration of land under the tsars and outlines the changes effected after 1918.

Daulius, Juozas [Stasys Yla]. Komunizmas Lietuvoje. Communism in Lithuania. Kaunas: Šviesa, 1937. The book is based on Communist sources.

Dovydėnas, Liudas. Užrašai. Diary. 2d ed. Kaunas: Br. Daunoro leidykla, 1944. Former member of the People’s Diet writes about the policies of the Communist government and the men who made them.

Krikščiūnas, Jurgis. Agriculture in Lithuania. Translated by Vikt. Kamantauskas. Kaunas: The Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture, 1938. One of the nation’s leading economists examines the rural economy.

Raštikis, Stasys. Kovose dėl Lietuvos: kario atsiminimai. In the Struggles for Lithuania: Memoirs of a Soldier. 2 vols. Los Angeles: Lietuvių Dienos, 1956-1957. Even if occasionally trifling, these voluminous memoirs contain a wealth of information relative to the military and political developments in Lithuania before and after World War II.

Smetona, Antanas. Pasakyta parašyta, 1927-1934. Spoken Written, 1927-1934. Kaunas: Pažanga, 1935. This work embodies the President’s views on nearly every aspect of the country’s life. According to the author himself, it elucidates his “national ideology.”

X. Y. [Mykolas Römeris]. Lietuvos sovietizacija, 1940-1941 m. The Sovietization of Lithuania, 1940-1941. Augsburg: Lietuvos teisininkų tremtinių draugija, 1949. A noted professor of international law gives a succinct account of Lithuania’s occupation and Sovietization.

Žiugžda, J[uozas] (ed.). Lietuvos TSR istorijos šaltiniai. Sources for the History of the Lithuanian SSR. Vol. IV. Vilnius: Lietuvos TSR mokslų akademija, 1961. This is a collection of laws, resolutions, decrees, and information about independent Lithuania published by the Communists. Although the selection of materials is tendentious, it is nevertheless an instructive source.