>
>Lithuanians were thankful to the Germans
>for printing books in Lithuanian, and
>giving asylum to Lithuanian patriots
>during those desperate days.

Citation ?

Lithuanians thankful to what Germans ? Were Lithuanians thankful that Germans controlled Lithuania Minor at the time ? Should Lithuanians be thankful for German occupation in the same manner that you suggest Latvia should be thankful for German occupation - as if by some bizarre stretch of the imagination occupation is a blessing ? To be honest, I’ve seen more posts here about the glories of the Strelnieki and das Eiserne Kreuz than the glories of 21st century Latvian democracy and independence.

The Knygnesiai were more widespread than you suggest. Much of the printing did come from Lithuania Minor (not produced by Germans but by Lithuanians), but there were production facilities near Sakiai, Panevezys, Kretinga and Palanga. Your suggestion that these Lithuanian patriots had Germans to thank is desperate and insane. It wasnt the Germans who were risking their lives during that time. Dont try to extend your “German problem” southward. It wont stick.

Vidas

I’d like to see the extracts from the Stalšāns Spectator is basing his view on, too. In another work, Kārlis Stalšāns’ description of Vilnius in 1915/16 is rather anti-German, to put it mildly: “Poļi vāciešus apbēra ar puķēm. {...} Vācieši visur poļus protežēja. {...} Kā poļi rīkojās 1916. g. Viļņā vāciešu aizsegā, tad tas bij skandāls ne tikai Lietuvas, bet jau Eiropas apmēros.” (Krievu ekspansija un rusifikācija Baltijā laikmetu tecējumā. Chicago: Jāņa Šķirmanta Apgāds, 1966.)

Whilst many of the demographic details he cites are quite valuable, I daresay I would take Mag. hist. Stalšāns’ interpretations cum grano salis. When he critiques the veracity of censuses—he pooh-poohs them unless they favor Balts. He shows no skepticism at all regarding Latvia’s 1935 census, for instance, though Dunsdorfs notes that it could have been influenced by the Ulmanis régime (as it pretty obviously was); he is quite gung-ho when it comes to doubting other numbers, though, including those from Vilnius. His views on polonization and belarusianization in Lithuania are almost identical to his views on russification, polonization, and belarusianization in Latgallia—they’re the views of a very intelligent but narrow-minded and extremely slavophobic nationalist, not a historian working sine ira et studio.

Despite this, I’ve been rather eager to get a copy of the book you have for a while, Spectator—I don’t suppose you could scan it, could you? I only saw it once. Is it printed at “Draugas” on 63rd Street, too? I always imagine Stalšāns hanging with Lithuanian ultra-nationalists, which strikes me as rather unusual for the time.

By the way, Vidai—I suspect you made a mistake; you meant leģionāri, not strēlnieki, didn’t you?

Vysu lobu,
/P