Knygotyra (Dec 2006)
THE PUBLISHING RELATIONS WITH LITHUANIAN COMMUNISTS IN THE USA IN 1920–1940
Abstract
The connection between the Lithuanian Communist Party (LCP) and their partners in the USA were quite widely researched before 1990, but for different reasons it wasn’t objective. The same thing can be said about publishing relations. This article is written using the material from the LCP archives and might be considered as an attempt to look differently at this problem.There are three main domainsof this connection. First of all, there was the cooperation in the publishing of periodicals. LCP and Lithuanian communists in the USA exchanged articles, LCP was constantly indicating the directionthat the press of Lithuanian communists in the USA had to follow, how to organize its printing. The second domain was book publishing. The manuscripts of communist’s books were sent to the USA, the local communists were told which books should be published and which shouldn’t, what their structure should be like. The third domain of above-mentioned connection was exchange of literature. The press printed in the USA was sent to Lithuania and the Soviet Union, to the leaders of LCP and the press printed by communists in the Soviet Union was sent to the USA. Lithuanian communists of the USA also helped LCP to make publishing contacts with Lithuanian communists in Canada and South America. All these relations promoted the obedience of Lithuanian communists of the USA to the Commintern policy and their approval to the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940.
