Attitudes of Lithuanian Americans Regarding Persecution of War Criminals During the Cold War: The Issue of Relations With Jews Cover Image

Amerikos lietuvių nuostatos karo nusikaltėlių persekiojimo klausimu Šaltojo karo metais: santykių su žydais problema
Attitudes of Lithuanian Americans Regarding Persecution of War Criminals During the Cold War: The Issue of Relations With Jews

Author(s): Justas Stončius
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Military history, Social history, Criminology, Cold-War History
Published by: Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas
Keywords: Lithuanian-Americans and Jews; Exile communities; War criminals; Office of Special Investigation;

Summary/Abstract: In the early 1970s, as the topic of war criminals became increasingly popular in the United States, concerns arose about many of them living freely. Among the suspects of war crimes were Lithuanian expatriates. The article analyses the prevailing attitudes of Lithuanian- Americans (primarily of main organisations) towards the prosecution of war criminals during the Cold War, and how this affected relations/communication with Jewish organisations (in the US and Israel). The research revealed that the prosecution of suspects, especially with the establishment of the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) within the Department of Justice in 1979, negatively affected the relationship between Lithuanian-Americans and Jews, and highlighted conflicts caused by a lack of empathy for the differing experiences of the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Lithuania.

  • Issue Year: 131/2023
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 66-94
  • Page Count: 29
  • Language: Lithuanian