The Holocaust and Lithuania

Your article, “Lithuania’s Blind Eye to Nazi Past” (Jan. 4) and your editorial, “The Hidden Horror of Lithuania” (Jan. 6), leave the false impression that Lithuania is a haven for war criminals who seek to escape justice. Quite the contrary; the current government of Lithuania is making a good-faith effort to both bring to trial those individuals accused of war crimes, as well as to educate the broad public concerning the tragic consequences of the Holocaust in German-occupied Lithuania.

The wartime activities of suspected criminals are being investigated and they will be brought to justice.

Lithuania, which has opened its archives to foreign investigators, including the gentlemen used as sources in your article, cannot be accused of trying to conceal its past. The people of Lithuania have the will and determination to rid their society of the Soviet-inflicted ignorance of the fate of Lithuanian Jewry.

From the 14th century, when Jews were being persecuted throughout Western Europe, Lithuania served as a refuge for world Jewry, and its capital Vilnius, over the past six centuries, earned the title of “Jerusalem of the North.” The tragic events of this 20th century should never be repeated. The government and the people of Lithuania working together with men and women of goodwill in Israel, the United States and other countries will deal with the legacy of the Holocaust.

STASYS SAKALAUSKAS

Ambassador of Lithuania

Washington