Britų pėdsakai steigiant Lietuvos banką 1919-1922 m.

LTViena iš tarpukario Lietuvos atminties vietų, pasitelkiant prancūzų istoriko Pierre‘o Norra terminiją, yra nacionalinis piniginis vienetas – litas. Su auksu susieta valiuta, per visą tarpukario laikotarpį išlaikiusi stabilumą, tapo integraliu tarpukario Lietuvos, kaip „aukso amžiaus“, mito elementu. Lietuvos banko ir lito atsiradimo istorija galėtų būti dar vienas pasakojimas apie gyvybiškai svarbias tarpukario Lietuvos reformas, jei ne keli į akis krentantys niuansai. Pirma, sparta, kuria buvo įkurtas Lietuvos bankas ir piniginių ženklų gamyba. Per nepilnus du mėnesius – nuo rugpjūčio antros savaitės1 iki spalio 1 d. − buvo sukurta įstatymų bazė, sudarytos sutartys su lito banknotus turėjusiomis pagaminti spaustuvėmis Prahoje (Andreas Haase) ir Berlyne (Otto Elsner), suorganizuotas emisijos banko akcijų pasirašymas bei valdymo organų sudarymas. Antrasis, kur kas mažiau tyrinėtas lito istorijos aspektas yra siekis(-iai) įtraukti užsienio finansinius subjektus į nacionalinės pinigų sistemos kūrimą. Dėl potencialaus jų indėlio litas galėjo būti įvestas kitu laiku, turėti kitą pavadinimą, o pačią lito sistemą prižiūrėjęs Lietuvos bankas − būti valdomas ir administruojamas kitokiais pagrindais. Būtent šiam nacionalinės pinigų sistemos priešistorės epizodui yra skirtas šis tekstas, kurio tikslas – apžvelgti Lietuvos valdžios pastangas užsitikrinti britų finansų sluoksnių paramą kuriant nacionalinę valiutą bei emisijos banką. Pasirinkimas kalbėti apie D. Britanijos vaidmenį šiame kontekste neatsitiktinis – būtent su britais derybos buvo pažengusios toliausiai, o ir apie derybų turinį išliko kur kas daugiau informacijos nei apie panašias iniciatyvas kitose valstybėse. [Iš straipsnio, p. 6]

ENThe litas, which debuted on October 2, 1922, remained stable throughout circulation and was never devalued despite numerous crises. This was the main goal of Lithuania’s interwar financial policy, which could not have been accomplished without a special institution created to regulate money circulation – the Bank of Lithuania. In August 1922, while approving the law on this institution, there was a clear perception that it would be one of the most important institutions of the state, control of which must belong to the citizens of Lithuania. However, as the discussions, negotiations, and search for resources during 1919–1922 demonstrate, the Bank of Lithuania and the Lithuanian monetary system could have been created with the help of British financial assets. There were several reasons for such a turn of events. Firstly, Great Britain saw the Baltic States as a sphere of interest which was crucial to preventing rapprochement between Germany and Russia. Secondly, it was important for the British to settle themselves economically in these new states to maintain the possibility of access to Russian markets. On the other hand, despite these declared political directions, from a practical point of view the British government was not very active in trying to establish itself in the economic life of the Baltic countries. This was caused by the difficult post-war economic and financial situation of the state, which prevented it from providing the desired assistance to the Baltic countries. Moreover, the desire of the British political elite to minimize involvement in the complex politics of the region, which could have led to a conflict with other major powers, was important.In this context, private sector initiatives seemed the only logical prospect. That is why the National Chemical and Metal Bank (NCaMB) plan was born in August 1919, the essence of which was to help the Baltic States financially by introducing stable currencies while securing opportunities for the export of raw materials for the British economy, such as flax and wood. In turn, the political elite of Lithuania saw Great Britain as their closest ally among the great powers, and it was from her that they hoped for financial assistance. British private capital was also imagined as a potential partner in solving the extremely difficult financial situation of the young state, so the project proposed by the NCaMB looked promising. The Lithuanian Cabinet of Ministers (1919–1922) held the opinion that foreign investments and the participation of influential persons in the development of the monetary system were vital in order to ensure both the activity of the coming issuing bank and its prestige abroad. Surviving drafts of the statute of the Bank of Lithuania bear witness to fairly advanced cooperation with groups of British financiers; it can be seen from these drafts that the British saw the issuing bank as a company that they, together with the Lithuanian government and other shareholders, were to manage with equal rights. At the end of 1921, Lithuanian government also began to actively search for a person to assist in the organization of the Bank of Lithuania, with whom an employment contract was signed in August 1922.However, despite these government actions, on October 2, 1922, the Bank of Lithuania, which had by then started its operations, was essentially a company with Lithuanian capital managed by Lithuanian citizens. The positions of the members of the Constituent Seimas, which was hostile to the policy direction chosen by the government, led the Law on the Bank of Lithuania to limit the opportunities for foreigners to participate in the management of the bank. This law also caused potential investors to lose interest in the Bank of Lithuania project in the second half of 1922. [From the publication]