George Matulaitis Journal

220 would come to see me today. He told me who this man was and the purpose of his visit. The Poles do not want to conduct important matters behind my back. Today this gentleman came to introduce himself. He has been appointed Commander for the City of Vilnius by the Polish Government. The Poles have a secret military organization here and even some of the Bolshevik soldiers have promised to join. Their purpose is to defend the city against robbers and vandals. When the Bolsheviks pull out, they intend to take power not only in the city itself, but in outlying areas as well. They do not propose to engage in politics nor to determine who will control the city. Their purpose is simply to maintain order and to protect the city from looters. If necessary, they even intend to disarm the Bolsheviks. I inquired whether the Lithuanians had been consulted. He said that they had, but had not come to an agreement. Later, I found out why. It appears that the Lithuanians asked them if they are prepared to recognize independent Lithuania, with Vilnius as its capital. When they refused, the Lithuanians would not consent to join them. From his talk, I understood that this gentleman expected the Polish Legionnaires to arrive from Lida very soon. Later, it turned out that only a small group of Polish soldiers showed up near Lyda, while in Vilnius rumor had it that some 10,000 Polish troops are marching toward Vilnius from Lyda. This gentleman added that he considered it his duty to inform me about what is going on in the city so I would not be surprised later. He reported that the Bolsheviks intend to arrest me on their way out of Vilnius, but that they, the Polish officers, will protect me. They have prepared a shelter—a safe house—for me. I thanked him for his kindness and consideration. This man said that the Bolsheviks will, in fact, be leaving Vilnius on the 23rd of March and advised me to go into hiding the last two or three days before this happens. Then he asked me to bless him and his efforts. For a while we spoke about relations among the major nationalities here in Vilnius: the Lithuanians, Poles, and Belorussians. I mentioned Switzerland as a place where people live together in exemplary harmony, respecting one another as equals and