Simas Kurdika (9 April 1930 – 11 February 2023) was a Lithuanian sailor.
He is best known for the attempted
defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...
from the
Soviet Union in 1970 and subsequent activism against the
Soviet regime in Lithuania. An important outcome of the incident was the creation of the improved guidelines for handling defections by American officials.
Biography
Born in
Griškabūdis on 9 April 1930, Kurdika graduated from the in 1952. He worked as a radio operator on various ships from 1956 to 1970. On 23 November 1970, during a bilateral negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding fishing rights, he jumped from his ship, the trawler ''Sovetskaya Litva'', onto the American coast guard ship, the
USCGC ''Vigilant'' (WMEC-617). He requested
political asylum, but was detained and forcibly returned to the Soviet ship by Soviet troops who had been let on board by the Americans.
[
Actions by U.S. and Soviet officials were condemned by American news sources, particularly the Voice of America.][ President Richard Nixon was angered by the incident, because of the violation of the procedure of handling the defection cases. After that three high officers associated with the incident were relieved from the duties. A more important outcome was the creation of the new guidelines for handling defections, which made the standing procedures more specific to ensure that similar situations would not happen again.
In May 1971, Kurdika was sentenced to 10 years of ]correctional labour camp
The Correctional Labour Camp was a kind of penitentiary institution. Under various names and forms of ownership, they exist practically all over the world (due to the need to reduce the costs of the penitentiary system by means of its self–suffi ...
s and he served his time in camps in Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast (russian: Пско́вская о́бласть, ') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, ...
and Mordovia. His mother, who had been born in the United States, regained her U.S. citizenship, and Kurdika managed to secure release from imprisonment in 1974. He moved to the United States with his family and gave lectures about the communist regime in Lithuania. He returned to Lithuania in 2000, ten years after the country's independence.[
Kurdika died in ]Pilviškiai
Pilviškiai ( pl, Pilwiszki, yi, פילווישאָק ''Pilveshok'') is a town in Vilkaviškis district municipality and in Marijampolė County
History
In the Jewish world, it was known historically for its learned population, served among other ...
on 11 February 2023, at the age of 92.
Honors
*Commander of the Order of the Cross of Vytis
The Order of the Cross of Vytis ( lt, Vyčio Kryžiaus ordinas) is a Lithuanian presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. Histo ...
(2008)[Apdovanotų asmenų duomenų bazė]
/ref>
Works about Kudirka
Several books and films have been produced about the life and story of Kurdika:[
*''Simas'' (1971) – book written by Jurgis Gliauda
*''Day of Shame'' (1973) – book written by Algis Rukšėnas
*''Simas Kudirka in Chicago'' (1974) – film directed by Algimantas Kezys
*'' The Defection of Simas Kudirka'' (1978) – television film that won two Emmys
*''For Those Still at Sea'' (1978) – book written by Kudirka and Lawrence E. Eichel
*'' The Jump'' (2020) – Lithuanian documentary film
]
References
Further reading
* ''Smith, Terence''
Coast Guard Officers Relieved Of Duties in Defector Incident
'' New York Times'', 4 December 1970.
Coast Guard Officers Relieved Of Duties in Defector Incident
'' New York Times'', 5 December 1970.
U. S. Documents Hint Admiral Made Decision to Return Defector
'' New York Times'', 8 December 1970.
Coast Guard Aide Critical on Defector
'' New York Times'', 9 December 1970.
Coast Guard Will Retire 2 Who Blocked Defection
'' New York Times'', 21 December 1970.
* ''Fidell, Eugene R.'
How to (Mis)Handle a Defection
''Proceedings'', Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2008 (with many photos).
* [http://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/i-jav-beges-ir-uz-ssrs-isdavima-kalejes-skudirka-visas-lietuvos-gyvenimas-persunktas-bolsevikine-dvasia.d?id=60709603 Į JAV bėgęs ir už SSRS išdavimą kalėjęs S.Kudirka: visas Lietuvos gyvenimas persunktas bolševikine dvasia]
Virginija Skučaitė. Šuolio į laisvę kaina. Kauno diena, 2008-11-15
Attempted Defection by Lithuanian Seaman Simas Kudirka: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on State Department Organization and Foreign Operations…, 91-2, December 3, 7-9, 14, 17, 18, 29, 1970
'' Radio Freedom'', November 17, 2019
**A detailed description of the incident (in Russian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kudirka, Simas
1930 births
2023 deaths
Lithuanian sailors
Soviet sailors
Soviet defectors to the United States
Gulag detainees
Lithuanian emigrants to the United States
Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Vytis
People from Šakiai District Municipality