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The Change in Attitude of the Lithuanian Political Elite towards Poland in 1934–1939 The present article analyses the efforts of the political elite of Lithuania to change the policy towards Poland in 1934–1939. The beginning of the changes is related to geopolitical changes, first of all, the coming of the National Socialists to power in Germany in 1933 and the German-Polish Agreement in 1934. Reacting to this, President Antanas Smetona appointed Stasys Lozoraits as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, who did not have a negative attitude towards Poland. In addition, other famous society members expressed the opinion to soften the attitude towards Poland; after Stasys Raštikis was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief in 1935, a large number of officials supported this opinion. Still, the processes were not changing immediately: the Lithuanian press was still dominated by the image of a Pole as an enemy despite the fact that diplomats and officials saw Germany, which was getting increasingly stronger, as the main threat. The political elite gradually perceived that Lithuania could not regain Vilnius in the nearest future, but there was a real threat to lose Klaipėda, the gate to the sea.These factors preconditioned the first changes. In 1937, in the plans of the Lith-uanian army, Germany was viewed as the main threat, and questions were raised that an agreement with Poland had to be made. It was difficult to achieve this; there-fore, the relations were established by an unpleasant way, after the Polish ultima-tum. This situation provoked a considerable moral and political crisis in Lithuania. The first Lithuanian Army volunteer, an officer, and diplomat Kazys Škirpa, who was renowned as the supporter of the "hard line" towards Poland, was appointed as the first envoy to Poland, while Aloyzas Valušis, the son-in-law of President Anta-nas Smetona was appointed as a military attaché. K. Škirpa attempted to change the relations with the Polish colleagues towards a more constructive direction and warned them about the aggression of Germany and its real plans. The heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sometimes had to stop the initiatives of the envoy, being afraid that society could understand them in a wrong way. For instance, the arrival of the influential members of the Polish political elite to Kaunas was post-poned due to the start of winter, as it was explained.After the Munich Conference, Germany posed even more threat to Europe, particularly to Klaipėda. Poland was not interested in Lithuania losing the port, and this was one more reason for closer contacts. In order to soften the pressure from Germany, Lithuania sent K. Škirpa to Berlin, as he had many acquaintances among the authorities of the Third Reich. For the sake of strengthening relations with Poland, it transferred the diplomat and the signatory of February 16 Act, Jurgis Šaulys, to Warsaw, who was a strong supporter of renewing relations with Po-land. Despite this, Germany annexed Klaipėda, while a closer connection between Lithuania and Poland was not created. Still, especially after the annexation of Klaipėda Region, Lithuanian society was much more favourable towards Poland. This was highlighted by the Lithuanian and Polish media, which described the visit of the Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Army General, Stasys Raštikis, who was particularly popular in society, in a very warm way. The visit, which took place in May, 1939, was possibly the warmest episode in the Polish-Lithuanian relations during the whole interwar period.

Kazys Škirpa (1895-1979) was significant person in 20th century Lithuania's history. He was the first volunteer of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, a member of the Constituent Seimas, Colonel of the General Staff, and later a diplomat. During the period from 1938 to 1945, he was very active and and tried to implement his own vision of preserving Lithuania's statehood. He thought that the size of Lithuania was significantly smaller than that of its three great neighbours, Poland, Germany and USSR, so Lithuania could survive only with cooperating with the strongest of them, and thus counterbalancing others. In 1939 Poland was occupied by Germany and USSR, and in 1940 latter country occupied Lithuania. After that K. Škirpa saw the only alternative in Germany, because Western countries were too far away, and they needed USSR as counterbalance against Germany. The main way for K. Škirpa to implement his ideas was to establish Lithuanian Activist Front and became it's leader. Even though, because of orientation towards Germany, there were number of features of National Socialist ideology and anti-Semitic beliefs, the main aim of the organisation was restoration of independent Lithuania. For that, K.Škirpa never made a compromise with Germans, but still felt biggest threat to Lithuania from the side of USSR and till the end of WWII hoped that Germany would recognize Lithuania as an independent state. In dissertation a lot of archives from various countries and quantity number of literature are being used in order to research geopolitical ideas of K. Škirpa and their implementation. ; Kazys Škirpa (1895-1979) buvo ryškus asmuo XX a. Lietuvos istorijoje. Jis buvo pirmasis Lietuvos kariuomenės savanoris, Steigiamojo Seimo narys, generalinio štabo pulkininkas, diplomatas. Ypač aktyvi jo veikla buvo 1938 – 1945 m. laikotarpiu, kai jis siekė įgyvendinti savitą Lietuvos išlikimo geopolitinę viziją. Jo nuomone, trijų gerokai galingesnių valstybių - Vokietijos, Lenkijos ir SSRS apsupta nedidelė Lietuva galinti išlikti tik orientuodamasi į stipriausią savo kaimynę ir atsverdama kitų įtaką. 1939 m. Lenkija buvo okupuota Vokietijos ir SSRS, o 1940 m. pastaroji okupavo ir Lietuvą. Tai lėmė, kad vienintelę alternatyvą K. Škirpa matė tik Vokietijoje, kadangi Vakarų valstybes jis laikė esančias per tolimomis ir nesuinteresuotomis padėti Lietuvai, nes joms pačioms reikėjo SSRS pagalbos pries Vokietiją. Pagrindinis būdas, kuriuo K. Škirpa siekė įgyvendinti savo idėjas, buvo Lietuvių aktyvistų fronto sukūrimas ir tapimas jo lyderiu. Nors organizacijoje dėl orientacijos į Vokietiją buvo nacionalsocialistinės ideologijos bruožų ir antisemitinių nuostatų, vis dėlto, pagrindinis tikslas buvo nepriklausomos Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimas. K. Škirpa dėl jo nesutiko eiti į kompromisus su vokiečiais, tačiau didesne grėsme Lietuvos išlikimui matydamas SSRS iki pat karo pabaigos vylėsi, kad Vokietija pripažins Lietuvos nepriklausomybę. Disertacijoje naudojantis daugelio šalių archyvų medžiaga ir gausia literatūra tiriamos K. Škirpos geopolitinės idėjos ir bandymai jas įgyvendinti. ; Humanitarinių mokslų fakultetas ; Istorijos katedra

The Change in Attitude of the Lithuanian Political Elite towards Poland in 1934–1939 The present article analyses the efforts of the political elite of Lithuania to change the policy towards Poland in 1934–1939. The beginning of the changes is related to geopolitical changes, first of all, the coming of the National Socialists to power in Germany in 1933 and the German-Polish Agreement in 1934. Reacting to this, President Antanas Smetona appointed Stasys Lozoraits as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, who did not have a negative attitude towards Poland. In addition, other famous society members expressed the opinion to soften the attitude towards Poland; after Stasys Raštikis was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief in 1935, a large number of officials supported this opinion. Still, the processes were not changing immediately: the Lithuanian press was still dominated by the image of a Pole as an enemy despite the fact that diplomats and officials saw Germany, which was getting increasingly stronger, as the main threat. The political elite gradually perceived that Lithuania could not regain Vilnius in the nearest future, but there was a real threat to lose Klaipėda, the gate to the sea.These factors preconditioned the first changes. In 1937, in the plans of the Lith-uanian army, Germany was viewed as the main threat, and questions were raised that an agreement with Poland had to be made. It was difficult to achieve this; there-fore, the relations were established by an unpleasant way, after the Polish ultima-tum. This situation provoked a considerable moral and political crisis in Lithuania. The first Lithuanian Army volunteer, an officer, and diplomat Kazys Škirpa, who was renowned as the supporter of the "hard line" towards Poland, was appointed as the first envoy to Poland, while Aloyzas Valušis, the son-in-law of President Anta-nas Smetona was appointed as a military attaché. K. Škirpa attempted to change the relations with the Polish colleagues towards a more constructive direction and warned them about the aggression of Germany and its real plans. The heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sometimes had to stop the initiatives of the envoy, being afraid that society could understand them in a wrong way. For instance, the arrival of the influential members of the Polish political elite to Kaunas was post-poned due to the start of winter, as it was explained.After the Munich Conference, Germany posed even more threat to Europe, particularly to Klaipėda. Poland was not interested in Lithuania losing the port, and this was one more reason for closer contacts. In order to soften the pressure from Germany, Lithuania sent K. Škirpa to Berlin, as he had many acquaintances among the authorities of the Third Reich. For the sake of strengthening relations with Poland, it transferred the diplomat and the signatory of February 16 Act, Jurgis Šaulys, to Warsaw, who was a strong supporter of renewing relations with Po-land. Despite this, Germany annexed Klaipėda, while a closer connection between Lithuania and Poland was not created. Still, especially after the annexation of Klaipėda Region, Lithuanian society was much more favourable towards Poland. This was highlighted by the Lithuanian and Polish media, which described the visit of the Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Army General, Stasys Raštikis, who was particularly popular in society, in a very warm way. The visit, which took place in May, 1939, was possibly the warmest episode in the Polish-Lithuanian relations during the whole interwar period.

The present article analyses the efforts of the political elite of Lithuania to change the policy towards Poland in 1934–1939. The beginning of the changes is related to geopolitical changes, first of all, the coming of the National Socialists to power in Germany in 1933 and the German-Polish Agreement in 1934. Reacting to this, President Antanas Smetona appointed Stasys Lozoraits as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, who did not have a negative attitude towards Poland. In addition, other famous society members expressed the opinion to soften the attitude towards Poland; after Stasys Raštikis was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief in 1935, a large number of officials supported this opinion. Still, the processes were not changing immediately: the Lithuanian press was still dominated by the image of a Pole as an enemy despite the fact that diplomats and officials saw Germany, which was getting increasingly stronger, as the main threat. The political elite gradually perceived that Lithuania could not regain Vilnius in the nearest future, but there was a real threat to lose Klaipėda, the gate to the sea. These factors preconditioned the first changes. In 1937, in the plans of the Lithuanian army, Germany was viewed as the main threat, and questions were raised that an agreement with Poland had to be made. It was difficult to achieve this; therefore, the relations were established by an unpleasant way, after the Polish ultimatum. This situation provoked a considerable moral and political crisis in Lithuania. The first Lithuanian Army volunteer, an officer, and diplomat Kazys Škirpa, who was renowned as the supporter of the "hard line" towards Poland, was appointed as the first envoy to Poland, while Aloyzas Valušis, the son-in-law of President Antanas Smetona was appointed as a military attaché. [.] ; Istorijos katedra ; Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas

Działania dyplomatyczne Kazysa Škirpy, pierwszego litewskiego posła w Polsce, w marcu–grudniu 1938 r. Artykuł poświęcony jest działalności pierwszego posła litewskiego w Polsce, pułkownika sztabu generalnego Kazysa Škirpy w Warszawie od marca do grudnia 1938 roku. Mimo że uczestniczył on w wielu najważniejszych wydarzeniach historii Litwy XX w., a jego działalność dyplomatyczna i polityczna miała wpływ również na inne państwa regionu, w historiografii działalność ta nie doczekała się należytej uwagi. Celem niniejszej pracy jest wypełnienie tej luki, czyli zbadanie działalności dyplomatycznej K. Škirpy w minionym okresie. W celu realizacji wyznaczonego celu, przedstawione zostają okoliczności mianowania K. Škirpy na stanowisko posła litewskiego w Polsce, dokonana zostaje próba odpowiedzi na pytanie, dlaczego władza litewska wybrała właśnie tę osobę, analizie poddane są kontakty K. Škirpy z polskimi politykami i działaczami społecznymi oraz ich znaczenie dla stosunków obu państw. Omawiane są relacje litewskiego dyplomaty z przedstawicielami innych państw w Warszawie oraz ich wpływ na stosunki polsko-litewskie. Z zebranego materiału wynika, że K. Škirpa został wyznaczony na wspomniane stanowisko nie tylko dlatego, że znany był jako zwolennik bezkompromisowego stanowiska wobec Polski i dlatego mógł zmniejszyć niezadowolenie litewskiego społeczeństwa wywołane przyjęciem ultimatum. Wpływ na tę decyzję miały również wewnętrzne sprawy litewskiej polityki. Prezydent Antanas Smetona wolał przenieść wpływowego oficera za granicę, wykazując tym samym opozycji, że na ważne stanowiska wyznacza również osoby otwarcie sprzeciwiające się reżimowi narodowościowemu. W Warszawie K. Škirpa utrzymywał stosunki z większością najważniejszych polskich urzędników państwowych. Przede wszystkim szukał sojuszników pośród tych, którzy zaniepokojeni byli wzrastającą groźbą od strony niemieckiej. Ludzi tych interesowało wieloletnie doświadczenie wojskowo-dyplomatycznej pracy K. Škirpy w Berlinie i jego dobre orientowanie się w niemieckiej polityce. Równolegle K. Škirpa cierpliwie rozwijał stały lobbing w sprawie sytuacji Litwinów na Wileńszczyźnie, co dla niektórych polskich urzędników było nie do przyjęcia. Czynnik ten bardzo utrudniał poszukiwanie kompromisu. W Warszawie K. Škirpa ściśle współpracował również z przedstawicielami dyplomacji innych krajów. Tradycyjnie przyjacielskie były jego stosunki z kolegami z Łotwy i Estonii. Duży pożytek dla kompromisu pomiędzy Litwą a Polską przyniosła ścisła współpraca K. Škirpy z ambasadorem Stanów Zjednoczonych Anthonym Drexelem Biddlem juniorem, który cieszył się dużym szacunkiem wśród warszawskich warstw dyplomatycznych. Choć K. Škirpa nigdy nie został szczególnie entuzjastycznym zwolennikiem zbliżenia z Polską, okres jego pracy w Warszawie zmusił go do przemyślenia niektórych poglądów i przynajmniej tymczasowego zwrócenia się w kierunku bardziej konstruktywnego dialogu z kolegami w Polsce, co bez wątpienia przyczyniło się do zmniejszenia napięcia pomiędzy sąsiadami w 1938 r. Diplomatic activities of Kazys Škirpa, the first lithuanian envoy to Poland, in March–December, 1938 The article discusses the activities of the first Lithuanian envoy to Poland, General Staff Colonel Kazys Škirpa in Warsaw, in March–December, 1938. Even though this person participated in many important events of the Lithuanian history in the 20th century, and his diplomatic and political activities were related to other countries of the region as well, he has attracted only fragmentary attention in historiog raphy. Therefore, the aim of the present article is to investigate Škirpa's diplomatic activities in Warsaw in March-December, 1938. In order to fulfill the aim, the circumstances of appointing Škirpa as an envoy to Poland are discussed; the research also aims to answer the question why the Lithuanian government chose this personality; Škirpa's contacts with Polish politicians and public actors, the importance of these contacts in the development of bilateral relationship, as well as Škirpa's relationship with the diplomats of other countries in Warsaw and their influence on Lithuanian – Polish relationship are analysed. It becomes clear that Škirpa was appointed to this position not only because he was famous for his uncompromisable attitude towards Poland and, therefore, could decrease reproaches of Lithuanian society to the government about the ultimatum, but also because of internal political reasons. President Smetona wanted to see this influential politician outside the country as well as to prove to the opposition that the people who openly oppose the regime of the Nationalists are appointed to an important position. In Warsaw, Škirpa maintained relationship with many important Polish officials; first, he was looking for allies among those who were anxious about the threat from Germany. These people were interested in his long lasting experience in a military and diplomatic job, and his vast knowledge in German politics. Meanwhile, Škirpa was developing constant lobbying about the position of Lithuanians in Vilnius region, which seemed unacceptable to a part of Polish officials. This complicated the search for compromises. In Warsaw, Škirpa maintained close contacts with the diplomatic representatives of other countries as well. Traditionally, the relationship was friendly with the colleagues from Latvia and Estonia, however, Škirpa's cooperation with the USA ambassador Anthony Drexel Biddle Jr. was especially beneficial in the search for the compromise between Lithuania and Poland, as he was especially respected in the diplomatic circles in Warsaw. Even though Škirpa did not become an enthusiastic supporter of closer contacts with Poland, the job in Warsaw made him rethink some of his views and to choose the direction of a more constructive dialogue with colleagues in Poland at least temporarily, which undoubtedly contributed to decreasing tension between the neighbouring states in 1938.

Działania dyplomatyczne Kazysa Škirpy, pierwszego litewskiego posła w Polsce, w marcu–grudniu 1938 r. Artykuł poświęcony jest działalności pierwszego posła litewskiego w Polsce, pułkownika sztabu generalnego Kazysa Škirpy w Warszawie od marca do grudnia 1938 roku. Mimo że uczestniczył on w wielu najważniejszych wydarzeniach historii Litwy XX w., a jego działalność dyplomatyczna i polityczna miała wpływ również na inne państwa regionu, w historiografii działalność ta nie doczekała się należytej uwagi. Celem niniejszej pracy jest wypełnienie tej luki, czyli zbadanie działalności dyplomatycznej K. Škirpy w minionym okresie. W celu realizacji wyznaczonego celu, przedstawione zostają okoliczności mianowania K. Škirpy na stanowisko posła litewskiego w Polsce, dokonana zostaje próba odpowiedzi na pytanie, dlaczego władza litewska wybrała właśnie tę osobę, analizie poddane są kontakty K. Škirpy z polskimi politykami i działaczami społecznymi oraz ich znaczenie dla stosunków obu państw. Omawiane są relacje litewskiego dyplomaty z przedstawicielami innych państw w Warszawie oraz ich wpływ na stosunki polsko-litewskie. Z zebranego materiału wynika, że K. Škirpa został wyznaczony na wspomniane stanowisko nie tylko dlatego, że znany był jako zwolennik bezkompromisowego stanowiska wobec Polski i dlatego mógł zmniejszyć niezadowolenie litewskiego społeczeństwa wywołane przyjęciem ultimatum. Wpływ na tę decyzję miały również wewnętrzne sprawy litewskiej polityki. Prezydent Antanas Smetona wolał przenieść wpływowego oficera za granicę, wykazując tym samym opozycji, że na ważne stanowiska wyznacza również osoby otwarcie sprzeciwiające się reżimowi narodowościowemu. W Warszawie K. Škirpa utrzymywał stosunki z większością najważniejszych polskich urzędników państwowych. Przede wszystkim szukał sojuszników pośród tych, którzy zaniepokojeni byli wzrastającą groźbą od strony niemieckiej. Ludzi tych interesowało wieloletnie doświadczenie wojskowo-dyplomatycznej pracy K. Škirpy w Berlinie i jego dobre orientowanie się w niemieckiej polityce. Równolegle K. Škirpa cierpliwie rozwijał stały lobbing w sprawie sytuacji Litwinów na Wileńszczyźnie, co dla niektórych polskich urzędników było nie do przyjęcia. Czynnik ten bardzo utrudniał poszukiwanie kompromisu. W Warszawie K. Škirpa ściśle współpracował również z przedstawicielami dyplomacji innych krajów. Tradycyjnie przyjacielskie były jego stosunki z kolegami z Łotwy i Estonii. Duży pożytek dla kompromisu pomiędzy Litwą a Polską przyniosła ścisła współpraca K. Škirpy z ambasadorem Stanów Zjednoczonych Anthonym Drexelem Biddlem juniorem, który cieszył się dużym szacunkiem wśród warszawskich warstw dyplomatycznych. Choć K. Škirpa nigdy nie został szczególnie entuzjastycznym zwolennikiem zbliżenia z Polską, okres jego pracy w Warszawie zmusił go do przemyślenia niektórych poglądów i przynajmniej tymczasowego zwrócenia się w kierunku bardziej konstruktywnego dialogu z kolegami w Polsce, co bez wątpienia przyczyniło się do zmniejszenia napięcia pomiędzy sąsiadami w 1938 r. Diplomatic activities of Kazys Škirpa, the first lithuanian envoy to Poland, in March–December, 1938 The article discusses the activities of the first Lithuanian envoy to Poland, General Staff Colonel Kazys Škirpa in Warsaw, in March–December, 1938. Even though this person participated in many important events of the Lithuanian history in the 20th century, and his diplomatic and political activities were related to other countries of the region as well, he has attracted only fragmentary attention in historiog raphy. Therefore, the aim of the present article is to investigate Škirpa's diplomatic activities in Warsaw in March-December, 1938. In order to fulfill the aim, the circumstances of appointing Škirpa as an envoy to Poland are discussed; the research also aims to answer the question why the Lithuanian government chose this personality; Škirpa's contacts with Polish politicians and public actors, the importance of these contacts in the development of bilateral relationship, as well as Škirpa's relationship with the diplomats of other countries in Warsaw and their influence on Lithuanian – Polish relationship are analysed. It becomes clear that Škirpa was appointed to this position not only because he was famous for his uncompromisable attitude towards Poland and, therefore, could decrease reproaches of Lithuanian society to the government about the ultimatum, but also because of internal political reasons. President Smetona wanted to see this influential politician outside the country as well as to prove to the opposition that the people who openly oppose the regime of the Nationalists are appointed to an important position. In Warsaw, Škirpa maintained relationship with many important Polish officials; first, he was looking for allies among those who were anxious about the threat from Germany. These people were interested in his long lasting experience in a military and diplomatic job, and his vast knowledge in German politics. Meanwhile, Škirpa was developing constant lobbying about the position of Lithuanians in Vilnius region, which seemed unacceptable to a part of Polish officials. This complicated the search for compromises. In Warsaw, Škirpa maintained close contacts with the diplomatic representatives of other countries as well. Traditionally, the relationship was friendly with the colleagues from Latvia and Estonia, however, Škirpa's cooperation with the USA ambassador Anthony Drexel Biddle Jr. was especially beneficial in the search for the compromise between Lithuania and Poland, as he was especially respected in the diplomatic circles in Warsaw. Even though Škirpa did not become an enthusiastic supporter of closer contacts with Poland, the job in Warsaw made him rethink some of his views and to choose the direction of a more constructive dialogue with colleagues in Poland at least temporarily, which undoubtedly contributed to decreasing tension between the neighbouring states in 1938.

Kazys Škirpa (1895 - 1979) was one of the most contraversial personalities in Lithuania's history. Even though, he is best known as military officer and first volunteer of Lithuania's armed forces. 1927 – 1940 he was diplomat in Germany, Poland and League of Nations. In any means necessary K.Škirpa tried his best, that his activities would be useful for Lithuania. Main aim of K.Škirpa was strong independent Lithuania with capital in Vilnius. He tried to maneouvre Lithuania between interests of her big neighbours, and use their geopolitical clashes in favor of his native country.

Kazys Škirpa (1895 - 1979) was one of the most contraversial personalities in Lithuania's history. Even though, he is best known as military officer and first volunteer of Lithuania's armed forces. 1927 – 1940 he was diplomat in Germany, Poland and League of Nations. In any means necessary K.Škirpa tried his best, that his activities would be useful for Lithuania. Main aim of K.Škirpa was strong independent Lithuania with capital in Vilnius. He tried to maneouvre Lithuania between interests of her big neighbours, and use their geopolitical clashes in favor of his native country.

Kazys Škirpa (1895 - 1979) was one of the most contraversial personalities in Lithuania's history. Even though, he is best known as military officer and first volunteer of Lithuania's armed forces. 1927 – 1940 he was diplomat in Germany, Poland and League of Nations. In any means necessary K.Škirpa tried his best, that his activities would be useful for Lithuania. Main aim of K.Škirpa was strong independent Lithuania with capital in Vilnius. He tried to maneouvre Lithuania between interests of her big neighbours, and use their geopolitical clashes in favor of his native country.