124.60M/25: Telegram
The Chargé in Lithuania (Gufler) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:20 p.m.]
217. Reference is made to a telegram received yesterday19 from the American Embassy at Moscow informing the Legation that a note had been handed to the Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs stating that this Legation and Consulate were to be closed in the near future but requesting an extension of the closing time to October 1.
With reference to this telegram [and?] Legation’s No. 205, August 13, I respectfully request that immediate authorization be given (1) to ship from Lithuania to Berlin in the case of persons transferred to the west and to Moscow in the case of those transferred to the east, all personal property of members of the Legation, (2) to evacuate all personnel, (3) to send by courier to Berlin all code books and archives that are not to be destroyed or sent to Moscow, (4) to ship to Berlin or to Moscow all other Government property. If this authorization is granted immediately it might be possible to get the Government-owned property loaded and under orders for shipment by the 25th. Property shipped to nearby overland destination can be packed directly in the freight cars which thus serve as vans.
We have been informed that this country will not be unsafe for Government property after the 25th but that our own goods must be over the border by that date.
The considerations which lead the Legation to make this request despite the request for an extension of time made in Moscow are as follows:
1. There are no further useful functions that this office is in a position to perform.
[Page 423](a) Protection. There now remain in Lithuania no citizens who have not been offered an opportunity to leave. The remainder with three exceptions have dual nationality under local laws.
2. American companies have branches here. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer distributing agency has been put out of business by the nationalization of all theaters which now show Soviet films only and the Singer Sewing Machine Company is virtually nationalized. All property and claims of American citizens who have applied have been already recorded. No applications for recording have been brought in during the past week.
(b) Reporting can be done only on a basis of newspaper reports. Every other source of information has been dried up by the terror.
(c) Our visas are useless to 99% of the applicants despite the demand for them since few can obtain proper travel documents and fewer can obtain exit visas or arrange transportation.
2. [3.] This office is under constant pressure to leave exercised through every agency with which the office deals and obviously dictated from above. Offers of assistance from local authorities are always coupled with a statement that they will be able to give assistance only up to August 25. Incidents have occurred which show that purely Soviet agencies such as the border guard are not inclined to give much consideration to Americans. Reference is being made to the Legation’s telegram No. 216 of today’s date.20
In arranging to depart the Legation must undertake simultaneously negotiations with various local agents including the Foreign Office, the Foreign Exchange Commission, packing and forwarding and other private companies, travel bureau, bank, railway administration, Minister of the Interior and other Legations. Many of these organizations will leave, or be abolished or reorganized after the 25th so that even though permission be given by Moscow for us to remain the agencies here with the assistance of which we can arrange for our departure from this country and for our admission into other countries will have ceased to exist. Everything will then have to be done in Moscow or through American missions in the countries of destination or transit of goods and personnel.
I do not know what the situation may be in the other Baltic States but special military zones have already been established along the border with Germany and Kaunas is being rapidly and thoroughly transformed into a pure garrison town by the wholesale eviction of the civilian population. The capital will soon be transferred to Vilna, and Kaunas [will?] practically have its former status of fortress. At least 50,000 troops are believed to be now quartered within the city.
The British Minister has informed me that no reply has been received to his Government’s request for an extension of time until September 10.
[Page 424]The German Legation and its consular section will cease to exist as such on August 25. They will be succeeded by a “sort of consular repatriation office with some measure of diplomatic immunity”. All other missions and consulates have arranged to depart by August 25.