HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania or VLIK ( lt, Vyriausiasis Lietuvos išlaisvinimo komitetas) was an organization seeking independence of
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. It was established on November 25, 1943, during the
Nazi occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
it moved abroad and continued its operations in Germany and the United States. VLIK claimed to be the legal representative of the Lithuanian parliament and government, but did not enjoy international recognition. It was dissolved in 1990 when Lithuania re-established its independence.


In Lithuania

When
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
invaded An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in June 1941,
Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...
greeted Germans as "liberators" from the oppressive Soviet regime. However, soon the attitude changed and various resistance movements began to form at the end of 1941 – beginning of 1942. During 1942 and 1943 these movements began consolidating into the pro-Catholic Nation's Council ( lt, Tautos taryba) and Supreme Committee of the Lithuanians ( lt, Vyriausiasis lietuvių komitetas). After a five-month discussion, these two organizations decided to established one unified organization – VLIK, representing a wide range of political views. The first meeting of VLIK was held on November 25, 1943, in
Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...
and
Steponas Kairys Steponas Kairys (; 1879 in Užnevėžiai near Ukmergė – December 16, 1964 in Brooklyn) was a Lithuanian engineer, nationalist, and social democrat. He was among the 20 men to sign the Act of Independence of Lithuania on February 16, 1918. ...
was elected the first chairman. VLIK's mission was to act as an underground government until restoration of the Lithuanian independence. VLIK sent its envoys to Sweden and Finland, maintained contacts with Lithuanian diplomats in Switzerland, and attempted to inform the western powers about the crimes perpetrated by the Nazis. VLIK published underground newspapers and agitated for
passive resistance Nonviolent resistance (NVR), or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, const ...
against the Nazis. They thought that their biggest enemy was still the Soviet Union and that resources should be conserved for the upcoming armed resistance against the Russians. In early 1944 VLIK sent colonel Kazimieras Amraziejus on a mission to
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, but he was captured and interrogated by the
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
in Estonia. This led to arrests of eight VLIK members on April 29–30, 1944. In 1944, when the Soviets pushed the Germans from the
Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
during the Baltic Offensive, most of VLIK members retreated to Germany and VLIK ceased its functions in Lithuania. VLIK originally designed three of its members to remain in Lithuania, but only one did. It was a strategic loss as communication with Lithuania was severed and there was very little contact with remaining resistance groups.


In exile

Functions of VLIK were resumed in October 1944 in
Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...
, but soon moved to
Reutlingen Reutlingen (; Swabian: ''Reitlenga'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it has a population of 115,818. Reutlingen has a university of applied sciences, which ...
ahead of the approaching
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
. VLIK remained in Reutlingen until 1955.
Mykolas Krupavičius Mykolas Krupavičius (1 October 1885, Balbieriškis, Lithuania – 4 December 1970, Chicago, U.S.) was a Lithuanian priest and politician. He is best known for his involvement with the land reform in the interwar Lithuania. In 1900 Krupavič ...
became the new chairman. VLIK united 15 different political organizations, whose members held a variety of political views and that hindered decision making. In July 1945, before the
Potsdam Conference The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Pe ...
, VLIK sent memorandums to
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
and
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
asking not to recognize Lithuania's occupation by the Soviet Union and asking for help reestablishing independent Lithuania. Numerous further notes were sent to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, various diplomats, academics, journalists promoting their cause and reporting
human right violations Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
in Lithuania. VLIK also reestablished
ELTA ELTA may mean one of the following: Broadcasting * ELTA 1 HD, the first commercial HD cable television channel in Bosnia and Herzegovina * ELTA 2, a commercial music television channel in Bosnia and Herzegovina * , a television channel in Taiwan O ...
news service, including radio broadcasts. VLIK attempted to establish contacts with the armed resistance in Lithuania, but had only limited communication with
Juozas Lukša Juozas Lukša (10 August 1921 – 4 September 1951), also known among other pseudonyms as Daumantas and Skirmantas, was a leader of the anti-Soviet Anti-Sovietism, anti-Soviet sentiment, called by Soviet authorities ''antisovetchina'' (russia ...
. VLIK positioned itself as the Lithuanian
Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendmen ...
(the parliament) and claimed that its executives were equivalent of a
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
. Despite its claims, VLIK was not recognized by any foreign country as a representative of Lithuania. It further claimed that Lithuanian diplomats, still active in pre-war embassies of independent Lithuania, were subordinates to VLIK. This caused decade-long disagreements with
Stasys Lozoraitis :''See Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. for an article about a son of Stasys Lozoraitis.'' Stasys Lozoraitis (born: September 5, 1898 - December 24, 1983) was a prominent Lithuanian diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Lithuania fr ...
, who was in charge of the diplomatic service and had a back-dated appointment as prime minister by the last president of Lithuania
Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual and journalist and the first President of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1940, before its occupation by the Soviet Union. He was one of the m ...
. This tension was one of the reasons why the Lithuanians were unable to form a recognized
government-in-exile A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile u ...
. Several attempts were made to ease the tension between VLIK (representing the nation) and the diplomatic service (representing the state). The first was a conference in
Berne german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...
in July 1946. It was decided to form an Executive Council, but it never took off. The second conference was held in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in August 1947. As war refugees moved out of the
displaced persons camp A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for interna ...
s to the United States, VLIK also moved its headquarters to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1955. After the move, VLIK's political agenda became less prominent. The activists realized that there will be no quick solution to the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. VLIK's main goal was to maintain non-recognition of Lithuania's occupation and dissemination of information from behind the
iron curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
. VLIK established the
Lithuanian World Community The Lithuanian World Community ( lt, Pasaulio lietuvių bendruomenė or PLB) is a non-governmental and non-profit organization established in 1949 that unifies Lithuanian communities abroad. The Constitution of the Lithuanian World Community decla ...
with a mission to promote Lithuanian language and culture among Lithuanians living abroad. Eventually VLIK ceased to exist after Lithuania declared independence in 1990.


Chairmen

VLIK's chairmen were: *
Steponas Kairys Steponas Kairys (; 1879 in Užnevėžiai near Ukmergė – December 16, 1964 in Brooklyn) was a Lithuanian engineer, nationalist, and social democrat. He was among the 20 men to sign the Act of Independence of Lithuania on February 16, 1918. ...
(25 November 1943 – 15 June 1945) *
Mykolas Krupavičius Mykolas Krupavičius (1 October 1885, Balbieriškis, Lithuania – 4 December 1970, Chicago, U.S.) was a Lithuanian priest and politician. He is best known for his involvement with the land reform in the interwar Lithuania. In 1900 Krupavič ...
(15 June 1945 – 27 November 1955) * Jonas Matulionis (27 November 1955 – 1 June 1957) * Antanas Trimakas (1 June 1957 – 27 February 1964) * Juozas Audėnas (27 February 1964 – 3 October 1964) * Kipras Bielinis (3 October 1964 – 29 November 1964) *
Vaclovas Sidzikauskas Vaclovas Sidzikauskas (10 April 1893 – 2 December 1973) was a prominent diplomat in interwar Lithuania and post-war anti-communist. Educated at the University of Fribourg and Moscow University, Sidzikauskas joined the newly established Lithuan ...
(29 November 1964 – 11 December 1966) * Juozas Kęstutis Valiūnas (11 December 1966 – 24 March 1979) *
Kazys Bobelis Kazys Bobelis (4 March 1923 – 30 September 2013) was a Lithuanian surgeon and politician. Biography Bobelis was born in Kaunas. His father was Colonel Jurgis Bobelis (1885–1954). In 1941, Bobelis participated in the June Uprising against t ...
(24 March 1979 – 31 May 1992)


See also

*
National Committee of the Republic of Estonia The National Committee of the Republic of Estonia (, EVRK) was a deliberative and legislative body, formed by the government of Republic of Estonia (the last government of Estonia before the Soviet occupation) to control the resistance movement in ...
*
National Committee for a Free Germany The National Committee for a Free Germany (german: Nationalkomitee Freies Deutschland, or NKFD) was a German anti-Nazi organization that operated in the Soviet Union during World War II.The Russians in Germany: A History of the Soviet Zone of Occ ...
*
Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia The Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (russian: Комитет освобождения народов России, ', abbreviated as russian: КОНР, ') was a committee composed of military and civilian Nazi collaborator ...
*
Japanese People's Emancipation League The was a Japanese resistance organization that operated in communist China during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and World War II.Roth, Andrew (1945). Dilemma in Japan. Little, Brown. pp. 162-188 In 1944, the Japanese People's Emancipation Leag ...
*
Free Albania National Committee "Free Albania" National Committee ( sq, Komiteti Kombëtar "Shqipëria e Lirë"), also known as "Free Albania" National-Democratic Committee, also National Committee for a Free Albania or NCFA, was a political organization of post-World War II Alb ...


References

{{Authority control Organizations established in 1943 Organizations disestablished in 1992 Anti-communism in Lithuania Anti-communist organizations Lithuania in World War II Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic Governments in exile during World War II Former governments in exile