Chiune Sugihara in Kaunas
I wanted to write about the events in Lithuania in the summer of 1940 for a long time, but I could not figure out how to do it . Let me remind you that we are talking about the occupation of the Baltic republics, which was carried out almost simultaneously and using the same methodology. It is true that everyone somehow forgets the fact that Finland should have been in this company as well. According to the Molotov-Ribbentrop agreement, the line was drawn not only through the Baltic countries, Poland, Romania, but also Finland. Many thougth that non - aggresion deal beetwen the USSR and Germany was useful for the Baltics states. On September 29 , 1939 , the Soviets invited Lithuanian delegation to Moscow where they were presented with a cooperation agreement . The Soviet Union offered to hand over Vilnius , it was just torned from occupied Polen , but in return Red army would deploy 20 000 troopes in the country. The Soviet negotators sad that Lithuania was given to them and no one would help. In November Smetona ordered to prepare tor the possible tragic scenario. The country tranferred the treasury abroad, made agreement for the governmet - in- exile and withdrawing the Lithuanian military to East Prussia. Many lithuanians accepted the soviets bases in their country as a pragmatic result of the war. The international community accepted the occupaniont of the Baltic states as a realpolitiq of the day. On June 14 , 1940 Soviets issued an ultimatum for the Lithuania, demanding to form new government and let free movement of Red Army in the country. The government decided not to inform the press. During the overnight discusions the covernment was split on wtheather to accept or reject the Soviet ultimatum. Military leaders concidered that the resistence would result pointless bloodshel. Smetona was thinking politicaly and called to withdraw and send a clear signal to Europe that the country is under occupation. At that time international press was focused on the French capitulation and the besieged British forces in Dunkirk. The eventes in the Baltics only caught atention several days later. In Lithuania the scale of the tragedy were understood only later, when the killings began.
Lithuania is occupied on June 15, 15 divisions - about 150,000 soldiers - enter Lithuania. Not wanting to accept this, Smetona retreats to the west. Powers are transferred to the unpopular Prime Minister Merkis. The Soviets struck a very favorable moment in the context of world events, on June 14, German troops occupied Paris. The France is attracting the world's attention. On the other hand, the emissaries sent by the Soviets skillfully pretended that Smetona's government had collapsed. There was no force to gather the resistance, nationalists were demoralized after Smetona fled. Other parties were also weak after the ban on parties in 1936. And the active ones were quickly banned, like the Rifle union, and the Seimas is dismissed.
Only communists are admitted to the civil service. Illegal elections to the People's Seimas are held and on July 21, Soviet announced Lithuania as a Soviet Socialist Republic.
The Lithuanian army was reorganized - from 32,000 in August 1940, there were only 8,000 in June 1941. The remaining soldiers were dismissed or arrested and shot or exiled. By June 1941, most of the companies operating in Lithuania were nationalized. The litas are withdrawn from circulation. Mass repression begins.
Soviet soldiers cross the USSR–Lithuanian border in June 1940
According to the same scenario, Latvia and Estonia were occupied on June 17.
But before that, it was Poland's turn. According to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Agreement, Poland was first invaded by Germany and soon by the Soviet Union. Many refugees came to Lithuania from occupied Poland. According to data from July 1940, there were 21,700 Poles and 11,000 Jews in Lithuania, as well as about 15,000 interned Polish soldiers.
In the first days of the Second World War, in September 1939, Chiunė Sugihara also arrived in Lithuania. He was supposed to open the Japanese consulate in Kaunas. Who was Chiune Sugihara?
Japanese consulate in Kaunas
He was a diplomat, or in other words, a Japanese intelligence officer with a diplomatic cover. He comes to Kaunas from Helsinki and rents a house from Professor Juoz Tonkūnas, where the consular office is established. Officially, it was a branch of the Riga embassy for the development of economic issues. And in fact, he was tasked with collecting data on the Soviet presence on the border for diplomatic and intelligence purposes. I would like to remind you that according to the mutual aid agreement between Lithuania and the Soviet Union, by accepting the Vilnius region, Lithuania in turn undertakes to admit Soviet troops, the agreement was signed in Moscow on October 10, 1939. The same agreements were signed with Latvia and Estonia. A contingent of 20,000 Soviet soldiers was stationed in Lithuania. This was the beginning of the loss of independence.
Let's go back to Chiune Sugihara. He was born on January 1, 1900 in a rural Japanese province. He studied quite well, but he fails the medical exam and cannot continue his studies in that direction. Although he is more interested in other fields and enters Waseda University, where he studies English literature. A year later, he passes the competitive exam for the diplomatic civil service. Originally in Harbin , China. The city appeared thanks to the Russian railway. A large Russian and Jewish community lived there. While working here, Čiunė learned Russian and German, which would later have a significant impact on his life. He was a member of the Manchurian government and participated in negotiations with Soviet Russia regarding the takeover of the railway . It is interesting that while he was in Manchuria, he married a Russian emigrant Klaudia and because of that he converted to Orthodoxy. The marriage did not last long, after a conflict with his authorities, he left his post in Manchuria , and with him his wife. He returns to Japan and married a Japanese woman there, receives new assignments in Moscow and Helsinki. And soon in 1939 he moved to Kaunas, Lithuania. The reason for Ciune's transfer was his qualifying skills. Japan had limited cooperation with Germany and was very concerned about what kind of game Germany was up to here, having established friendly relations with Soviet Russia. In order for Japan to gather more information about this, Chiune was tasked with establishing relations with Polish intelligence officials.
Sugihara's intelligence report was sent on July 31, 1940
And his later decision to start handing out visas to Jewish refugees, it can be said that it stems from the data obtained from his professional activity about the real situation in Europe, but also from the whole of his decision as a Christian.
On June 15, 1940, after the Soviets occupied Lithuania, the Jews started looking for ways to leave Lithuania. No one wanted to accept them. But unexpectedly, the Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk comes to their aid.
He issues visas to go to Curaçao, a Dutch island in the Caribbean Sea, or to Suriname. But in order to reach them, these visas are not enough, because Europe is already under the control of Nazi Germany and the only way is through the Soviet Union, the new host of Lithuania. But that requires a Japanese transit visa. The Jews appeal to Chiune about these visas, he writes an appeal to his authorities, but receives a largely negative response regarding visas, but there was a more moderate attitude towards transit visas. He makes up his mind and starts issuing visas at will. It is said that up to 10,000 people could be saved this way. It is interesting that the Soviets did not object to the Jews traveling through their territory. Of course, the price of travel tickets has been raised more than once. Even after the consulate was closed on September 4, he distributed visas even from the departing train from Kaunas to Berlin. The refugees travelled to Japan, Kobe, where there was a Russian Jewish community, and then to other countries. But there was also a considerable part who were unable to leave, so the Japanese government deported them to Shanghai, China. Up to 20,000 of them gathered there, and there they met the end of the war. It is true that Germany put pressure on Japan to punish the Jews. But Japan suddenly disobeyed. It is believed that they wanted to repay the debt for a loan received from Jewish bankers from New York during the Russo-Japanese War. Another version claims that the rabbis managed to convince the authorities that Jews are closer to Asian roots than Germans.
Sugihara's fate was not easy. Although the Japanese government was still concerned about Sugihara's abilities, there was no repression. He was transferred to the Kingdom of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Bucharest. There he accepted the Soviet occupation; he was ordered to be arrested and imprisoned. He was released in 1946 and returned to Japan the same way as the Jews, via the Trans-Siberian railway and by ship from Nakhodka. The US administration has significantly reduced the number of employees at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chiune was among those laid off. In 1950, he got a job at a trade agency and lived alone in Moscow for 16 years. Until the adviser of the Israeli embassy contacted him in 1968, he was already invited to Israel the following year, where he was accepted into the government. In 1985, he was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations. He died a year later.
Streets in Vilnius and Kaunas are named after him. A museum established at his workplace operates in Kaunas. He received recognition in Japan only after his death. When Jews from all over the world gathered for his funeral, the Israeli ambassador arrived. The Tsuruga Museum, the place where refugees landed in Japan after a long and tiring journey, has been opened.
What about those whose Lithuania lost. Scientists calculates that Lithuania lost 1 million 100 thousand in 1940-1958 . 300 thousand were imprison , killed or taken to Siberia. 300 thousand became war and Nazis occupation victims , including about 210 thousand Lithuanian Jews . 1944-1947 forcibly fled from Lithuania about 500 thousand.
It is said that if not these adversity in Lithuania would live about 5 million population, the same amount lives in Finland, Denmark, Ireland or in Norway.
In summary we can say , Chiune Sugihara was extremely good , offending own professional subordination and sharing visa . Maybe that's why Japanese tourists travel to Kaunas and attends museum . Chune Sugihara becoming lighthouse of 20th century, he illuminates Japans historie .
The day before occupation, there took place meeting of the president, government and the army commander meeting. Army units were waiting for order . It was said that Lithuania in a week theoretically could mobilize 70 thousand prepared reserve soldiers. Maybe be Lithuanian example would be an example for Latvians and Estonians. And then the 200 thousands Soviets woud not be so impressively much .
But no order was given, It wasn't fired neither one shot .
How said one Swedish Diplomat, after all you didn't resist.
As Europe was burning , only the US reacted differently : on the 23 July, 1940, US secretary of State Sumner Welles made his famous anouncement that the US does not recognise the incorporation of the three Baltic states into the Soviet Union.
The Baltic countries regained their independence in 1990.
