George Matulaitis Journal

Many priests are fleeing to Vilnius from the areas taken by the Bolsheviks. From their talk it is evident that the Bolsheviks are steadily approaching Vilnius: one division is moving from Daugavpils (Latvia) through Utena, l apparently headed for Kaunas; another had passed through Svencionys, 2 another through Asmena, 3 and yet another is heading for Lyda. 4 It seems to me that the Legionnaires will not be able to hold Vilnius. They have needlessly antagonized people of opposing parties by their shooting, arrests, and so on. When the Bolsheviks arrive, they will doubtless take revenge—first of all on the priests, then on the Poles. Neither the Jews, nor the Lithuanians have joined the Legionnaires. If they cannot hold out against the Bolsheviks, the Legionnaires’ campaign will only bring greater misfortune on thepeople of the city. They had counted on the support of the villages, but I found out from the refugee priests that the rural people are unwilling to fight. They say: “The Bolsheviks have nothing against us—they are against the landowners and the priests.” The Poles are still hoping for reinforcements from Warsaw, but probably in vain, since one hears that Warsaw has neither weapons nor ammunition. On January 2nd, the Lithuanian ministers and their staffs moved to Kaunas. 5 Most of the Germans have cleared out. Now they are holding only the railway station and the upper part of the city. There have been clashes between the Legionnaires and the German soldiers. In some places the Legionnaires tried to disarm the Germans, but the latter resisted, and a few Legionnaires were shot. The Polish population of Vilnius is in high spirits; they are collecting donations to support the Legionnaires and so on. 168 1 The Latvian city, Daugavpils, had already been taken by the Red Army and a division was approach- ing Vilnius from the north. 2 The town of Svencionys, 75 km northeast of Vilnius, is an important Lithuanian cultural center in east- ern Lithuania. In 1919-20, it was contested by the Lithuanians, Bolsheviks, and Poles; several battles were fought here. 3 Asmena is southeast of Vilnius, near the Belorussian border. 4 Lyda is even further south, on the Lithuanian-Belorussian border. 5 The government of the Republic of Lithuania moved to Kaunas, the capital of independent Lithuania from 1919 to 1939.