Lithuanians were uncertain last week whether a dictator had seized their government or not. Overnight, Conservatives, headed by onetime President Antona Smetona and a former Tsarist Russian officer, Major Plekhavicius, seized and arrested President Kasimir Grinius and Premier Nicholas Slezevicius of Lithuania, both Socialists.
Next day the Conservatives freed President Grinius, and forced him to call Professor Augustine Valdemaras (Conservative) to the Premiership. Antona Smetona, for some 20 years a tireless exponent of Lithuanian nationalism, thus halted by force last week the growing rapprochement with Soviet Russia which was the policy...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
