JAV lietuvių pasiruošimas dalyvauti San Fransisko konferencijoje 1945 m. kovo-balandžio mėnesiais

LTJAV lietuvių politinėje veikloje Antrojo pasaulinio karo metais reikšmingą vietą užėmė tarptautinė San Fransisko konferencija, į kurią buvo pasiųstos net dvi išeivijos atstovų delegacijos. Vis dėlto šis klausimas dar nėra aptartas istorikų darbuose. Kyla nemažai klausimų: kodėl JAV lietuvių vadovai nusprendė į konferenciją pasiųsti savo atstovus ir kodėl vyko dvi delegacijos? Kokie tikslai buvo keliami delegacijoms? Ar Amerikos lietuvių tarybos vadovybė ir JAV lietuvių tautininkų organizacijų vadovai bandė susitarti tuo klausimu? Kaip JAV lietuvių visuomenė ir Lietuvos atstovai JAV reagavo į delegacijų siuntimą? Pirmieji apie delegacijos siuntimą viešai paskelbė JAV lietuviai tautininkai, o nuo jų nenorėjo atsilikti Amerikos lietuvių tarybos vadovybė, nors jų nuomonių būta įvairių. Straipsnyje siekiama, remiantis archyvine bei spaudos medžiaga, nušviesti delegacijų rengimo procesą, išsiaiškinant esminius atsakymus į iškeltus klausimus. Nors San Fransisko konferencijoje nebuvo sprendžiama sovietų okupuotų teritorijų perspektyva, JAV lietuvių vadovai planavo konferencijos nariams, ypač JAV delegacijai, priminti Lietuvos, taip pat Latvijos ir Estijos norą atgauti nepriklausomybę ir dar kartą viešai paskelbti apie Baltijos tautų tragišką padėtį. Drauge buvo siekiama neoficialiai atstovauti toms okupuotoms valstybėms ir jų tautoms. Raktažodžiai: San Fransisko konferencija, Amerikos lietuvių misija, Amerikos lietuvių taryba, JAV lietuviai tautininkai, Antanas Olis, Pijus J. Žiūris, Aleksandras Kumskis, Leonardas Šimutis, Pijus Grigaitis, „Dirva“, „Vienybė“, „Draugas“. [Iš leidinio]

ENLeaders of Lithuanian community organizations in the United States anxiously followed, and the Lithuanian diaspora press amply commented on, the conferences that the Allies held during World War II. The patriots in the diaspora were saddened by the ambiguous views of the Allies on the postwar fate of the Baltic States. It was feared that Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which had been occupied by the Red Army towards the end of the war, would be consigned to the Soviets. The Conference planned in San Francisco for April and May 1945 with the intention of completing the founding of the United Nations did not foresee any official participation by representatives of the Baltic States. Therefore the idea arose in the diaspora that Lithuania had to be represented at least unofficially by community activists who would present information about the tragedy of the Baltics as well as their right to exist as independent states in the postwar era. The first to speak publicly about the need to send delegates to the San Francisco Conference were the Lithuanian-American Nationalists or tautininkai. Having raised the issue in a newspaper article on March 9, 1945, they not only promoted the idea throughout March and April in meetings with U.S. senators, congressmen, and State Department officials but also began forming a Lithuanian delegation to be sent to San Francisco and consisting of the most prominent Lithuanian-American Nationalist activists working in conjunction with a Lithuanian-American Mission in Washington on March 23–24, 1945.Th ese activities of the tautininkai provoked their competitors in the Lithuanian-American Council to take a position on this issue as well. At first the latter suggested preparing only a Memorandum to be distributed among the Conference’s official delegates and prominent U.S. political leaders. But soon the idea, championed by Leonardas Šimutis and Konstantinas Jurgėla, gained strength that it was necessary to send a delegation to San Francisco as well. However, a strong dissenting voice was that of the socialist Pijus Grigaitis, who argued that presenting a well-argued Memorandum was more than sufficient. Nevertheless the idea of dispatching a delegation ultimately prevailed and one was formed consisting of prominent non-Nationalist figures including William Laukaitis, Vincent Kvietkus, Kazys Grinius and Marijona Kižytė. The idea of sending a Lithuanian-American delegation to San Francisco was debated in the diaspora press, with most supporting the notion of presenting a united front. The Lithuanian diplomats who found themselves in the United States recognized the possibility of joint action but also witnessed the discord between the Nationalists, on the one hand, and the leadership of the Lithuanian-American Council, on the other.Povilas Žadeikis, Lithuania’s representative to the United States, realizing the purpose of the Conference, was skeptical about sending a delegation to San Francisco but requested to be informed about any documents prepared to this end. As a result the idea of sending a delegation lost support even among the patriotically inclined segment of the Lithuanian-American community, with many coming to the belief that the delegates would not be able to change anything because the Conference would not take up the issue of the occupied territories any way; therefore sending delegates to San Francisco would just be a waste of resources and deepen the already great division within Lithuanian- American ranks. Keywords: San Francisco Conference, Lithuanian-American Mission, Lithuanian-American Council, Lithuanian-American Nationalists, Antanas Olis, Pijus J. Žiūris, Aleksandras Kumskis, Leonardas Šimutis, Pijus Grigaitis, “Dirva”, “Vienybė”, “Draugas”. [From the publication]