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Delighted to see you, Mikhail Sergeyevich.
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Mr Gorbachev,
why doesn't Moscow want to acknowledge.
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Lithuania's desire for independence?
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If you’re going to call me ‘Mr’…
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I never have been and never will be ‘Mr’
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and I don't want "misters" popping up
in the USSR
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because of Perestroika.
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- I didn't mean...
- I am against “misters”.
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They simply wanted to carry on doing
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what they did best.
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They had created
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a perpetual domain
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and wanted to go on ruling this domain.
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It is maybe one of the greatest mistakes
humankind has ever made…
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…and that mistake is all too evident
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within Russia and the former USSR.
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…the belief that power over something
is the supreme value…
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power over the little people,
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but first and foremost
power over territories,
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over domains.
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And such an organisation,
which calls itself "a state",
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exists solely to expand its territory
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and remain invincible.
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They proclaimed this in their anthems
and wherever else they pleased,
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"invincible, "everlasting",
"we shall rule forever",
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and Lenin will live forever,
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all this nonsense is forever,
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and you must forget about everything else
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because "everything else" is evil,
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and if you serve evil,
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even in your mind,
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then you are already an enemy.
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Whose enemy?
Our enemy.
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And since we are the people
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that makes you an enemy of the people.
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If you think differently,
if you don’t toe the party line
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you aren’t just an enemy of the state
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you are an enemy of the people,
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because the authorities act
in the name of the people,
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because they granted themselves
this privilege:
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to be the people, as it were.
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This is a fundamental lie,
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and this whole Empire of Lies,
which still flourishes today
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is founded on such complete falsehoods.
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What are they selling there?
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- One.
- Please.
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Thank you.
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Two please.
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It would be better to sit lower down.
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- So many people!
- Ah!
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So many people turned up!
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Dear singers, compatriots,
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let's sing "Lietuva brangi":
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Lithuania...
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Wait a second.
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Lithuania,
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my precious motherland,
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A land where
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heroes sleep in your graves:
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Your beauty lies
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in the skies so blue!
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My precious, you've seen
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so much torment and woe.
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It didn't just start suddenly
like a bolt from the blue.
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We had a desire for a different life,
a more truthful life.
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As Solzhenitsyn said:
a life without lies.
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That’s just what we wanted -
a life without lies.
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We wanted to speak of things as they were,
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not things to please
the powers-that-be,
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about things that needed to be solved,
things that needed to be changed.
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We even wanted to suggest
how things could be changed.
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The authorities saw this as a challenge,
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though they themselves had asked for this,
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when they’d announced changes.
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Perestroika means change.
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They realised that they were heading
towards complete bankruptcy
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with their wretched Soviet Union,
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and in order to save the situation
some changes had to be made.
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They announced the possibility of reforms
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and permitted people to discuss this topic
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without running the risk of being exiled
to the land of polar bears
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for agreeing with Moscow
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that change was necessary,
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and for saying
that we too supported change.
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So when they started to pressure us:
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“Why are you…
you’re demanding too much”,
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we naturally replied,
“You yourselves are in favour of reforms
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but we want more profound,
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essential and far-reaching reforms.”
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They took fright when they heard this,
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because it was a threat to their power.
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These were not the reforms they wanted.
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But they somehow felt obliged
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“not to instantly crush people with tanks”
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but to allow them to discuss things freely
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and to ‘let off the steam of discontent’
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by making some trivial changes and reforms,
some "perestroikas".
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“We’ll do a few changes
and it’ll all be fine,
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then the Americans and the whole world
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will think the leopard’s changed his spots
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and they will help us survive
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in the same old system of lies".
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Just you wait,
go on, say it!
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Fascists!
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00:14:32,004 --> 00:14:33,004
Fascists!
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Hey, what are you doing?
He didn’t do anything!
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We'll have to see about that!
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What are you filming here?
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Shame!
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I keep telling you,
we must sing the national anthem!
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I thank all of you
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who have gathered here,
have come here…
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Lithuanians have shown that
they aren't slaves, and will never be.
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Dear...
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Quick march!
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My elderly father used to say:
“What a pity that I'm so old.
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I'm too old, I won't live to see
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them heading back home,
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but you will see them
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flee from our land.“
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In fact he did live to see it too,
he lived to 100 years of age.
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He built this summer house
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for his family.
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It was an article of faith for us,
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that this couldn’t last forever.
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"Perhaps I won't live
to see it, but you will.
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Have faith."
And this faith was justified.
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00:17:35,476 --> 00:17:40,309
But it’s a different matter
to have faith, to wait, to hope
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00:17:40,392 --> 00:17:43,145
and then to plunge into despair,
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alcoholism and desperation,
because you think that nothing can change.
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But why not try to do something?
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Lithuania!
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Lithuania!
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Lithuania, our dear homeland.
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Land of worthy heroes!
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00:19:48,092 --> 00:19:49,092
I feel...
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I feel as if I am in the holy temple
of Lithuania.
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This isn't merely a hall,
merely a sports hall,
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this is not an ordinary auditorium,
this is the holy temple of Lithuania.
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00:20:15,975 --> 00:20:18,178
On behalf of Sąjūdis,
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I call upon you, my dear compatriots,
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to take on this arduous task,
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to stand shoulder to shoulder,
to put your hands to the plough,
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for the good of Lithuania.
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God bless us all!
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With great joy in my heart,
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with great faith
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in your hearts, in your love,
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in your desire
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to restore independent Lithuania...
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Lithuania!
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I don't think I've ever been so happy
in my whole life,
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as I am now,
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in this temple,
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here with the whole of Lithuania!
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All of Lithuania has gathered here.
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Klaipėda, Panevėžys, Utena,
the whole country
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is here today in our temple.
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I declare
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this extraordinary congress open.
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We invite the next speaker to the stand:
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the First secretary
of the Central Committee
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of the Communist Party of Lithuania
comrade Algirdas Brazauskas.
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00:23:21,100 --> 00:23:24,663
Dear delegates and guests
of the founding congress
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of Sąjūdis,
the Reform Movement of Lithuania,
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dear comrades,
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in the name of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of Lithuania.
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00:23:37,017 --> 00:23:40,184
I am honoured
to greet the founding congress of Sąjūdis
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on behalf of the Supreme Soviet,
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the Presidium and the government
of the Lithuanian SSR
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and to wish that its work
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may be constructive and productive.
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Three days ago I had a chance
to meet with the General Secretary
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of the Central Committee
of the CP of the Soviet Union,
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the Chairman of the Presidium
of the Supreme Soviet, Mikhail Gorbachev.
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He asked me
to transmit his warmest wishes
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to the creative and hard-working people
of Lithuania,
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for whom he has great respect.
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Comrade Gorbachev said
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that in Sąjūdis
he sees a positive force,
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which can benefit perestroika
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and strengthen the authority of
Soviet Lithuania even further.
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The next speaker is Antanas Terleckas
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from the Freedom League of Lithuania.
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In the name of
the Freedom League of Lithuania
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I proclaim that the Lithuanian nation
with its glorious history
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and centuries-old tradition of statehood
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can never be reconciled to the enslavement
imposed upon it by Hitler and Stalin.
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00:25:48,849 --> 00:25:52,601
The Freedom League of Lithuania demands
from the government of the Soviet Union:
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00:25:52,642 --> 00:25:57,434
1. A declaration that the
Molotov-Ribbentrop pact is null and void;
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2. The withdrawal of its military
forces from Lithuania,
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enabling the Lithuanian people
to choose their own destiny.
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The Soviet press tries to convince us,
that we are inferior,
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that we cannot survive on our own,
with our economy destroyed
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by Stalin and Brezhnev.
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00:26:22,225 --> 00:26:25,642
The disciples of colonialism preach that
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"small" nations cannot move an inch
without "friendly" aid.
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00:26:31,559 --> 00:26:34,434
Perhaps it's time for us to
cease being a burden
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to our benefactors from Moscow?
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00:26:45,100 --> 00:26:49,351
At the moment, the United Nations
consists of 159 countries.
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We can be inspired by the 62 countries
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which have smaller populations
than Lithuania.
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They have declined the help of bigger
countries and declared their independence.
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00:27:01,434 --> 00:27:06,434
Only poor old Russia is still carrying
the heavy burden of patronage.
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Let's provide her with international aid -
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00:27:12,476 --> 00:27:17,100
from now on, we'll try to carry our own
political and economic burden.
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00:27:27,245 --> 00:27:30,517
The Chairman of the Liturgical Commission
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00:27:30,559 --> 00:27:34,184
of the Lithuanian Dioceses,
Vaclovas Aliulis has the floor.
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00:27:34,892 --> 00:27:38,351
To be more precise,
reverend Vaclovas Aliulis.
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First of all, a short clarification
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about tomorrow morning's mass.
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It was announced on TV
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00:27:50,184 --> 00:27:52,642
that the mass will take place
in the Cathedral.
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00:27:55,225 --> 00:28:00,100
Our bishops are not prepared to enter
the Cathedral for just one hour.
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00:28:18,850 --> 00:28:20,849
We will not hold a service
in the Cathedral
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00:28:20,892 --> 00:28:24,476
until we get it back
and reconsecrate it.
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00:28:25,225 --> 00:28:29,184
Holy mass will be held outside
the closed doors of the Cathedral
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00:28:29,642 --> 00:28:33,434
at 7.15 a.m. tomorrow.
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00:28:36,392 --> 00:28:40,309
The service will be led by his Eminence
Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius.
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Do you have a light?
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One, two, three - Lithuania is beautiful!
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00:29:19,809 --> 00:29:22,974
Don't you worry, old pa,
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00:29:26,100 --> 00:29:31,100
Don't you worry, old pa,
Your son will grow up,
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Your son will grow up.
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00:30:06,515 --> 00:30:07,811
Hurrah!
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00:30:22,267 --> 00:30:27,100
Remember, we also need to be patient.
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And sometimes we doubt
if these changes are real.
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00:30:31,915 --> 00:30:35,164
These current changes
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are like seedlings in autumn -
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00:30:39,142 --> 00:30:43,920
we don't know whether
they'll turn out to be
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00:30:43,979 --> 00:30:46,073
wheat or rye.
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And we believe that these current changes
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00:30:51,691 --> 00:30:57,401
will lead our people and our country
to a joyful future.
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00:30:58,684 --> 00:31:03,684
My friends, patience means progress,
235
00:31:04,267 --> 00:31:09,878
and our people must combine
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00:31:09,939 --> 00:31:12,668
patience with growth.
237
00:31:19,517 --> 00:31:21,726
...is this some trap or snare?
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00:31:22,309 --> 00:31:24,768
Many of us are surely asking ourselves
this very question,
239
00:31:24,793 --> 00:31:25,976
because it's so hard to believe
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00:31:25,977 --> 00:31:28,712
that recent events in Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia
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00:31:28,748 --> 00:31:30,566
have been allowed to unfold
without interference.
242
00:31:30,591 --> 00:31:32,100
So another query arises.
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00:31:32,210 --> 00:31:36,251
Why is Sąjūdis not being stopped from
becoming a real political power?
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00:31:36,278 --> 00:31:38,833
Bastions are falling suspiciously fast.
245
00:31:38,858 --> 00:31:40,702
We are already discussing
a national currency (litas),
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00:31:40,727 --> 00:31:42,259
we have got a new government,
247
00:31:42,284 --> 00:31:45,101
and have been given back Vilnius Cathedral
as a Christmas present,
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on the eve of our congress.
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00:31:46,414 --> 00:31:49,271
This is a miracle -
all our wishes are granted!
250
00:31:49,517 --> 00:31:51,933
But let's try to work out
what's actually going on.
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We should remember
that in a desperate situation,
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secondary things are always sacrificed
for the sake of more important things.
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00:31:58,392 --> 00:32:02,225
The situation of the Soviet Union,
both internationally and at home,
254
00:32:02,309 --> 00:32:05,017
means it needs to make all sorts of
concessions and reforms
255
00:32:05,075 --> 00:32:07,153
in order to preserve
the existing power structure
256
00:32:07,178 --> 00:32:08,529
and the USSR itself.
257
00:32:11,199 --> 00:32:13,588
In this situation, the Baltic region,
258
00:32:13,589 --> 00:32:16,190
which has always had special relations
with the USSR,
259
00:32:16,242 --> 00:32:18,609
has been given
substantial freedom of action,
260
00:32:18,656 --> 00:32:20,382
and might even retain it for some time.
261
00:32:20,409 --> 00:32:24,075
In order to prevent us exercising
this freedom fully and irreversibly,
262
00:32:24,284 --> 00:32:27,492
they have given us everything
that can easily be withdrawn:
263
00:32:27,617 --> 00:32:30,284
Lithuanian citizenship,
economic autonomy,
264
00:32:30,325 --> 00:32:32,868
and have met other demands
which don't seem to them too drastic,
265
00:32:32,992 --> 00:32:35,075
as they can easily overturn them.
266
00:32:35,367 --> 00:32:38,117
There is only one question,
and it is a very simple one:
267
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:39,659
are we still in the Union or not?
268
00:32:53,492 --> 00:32:56,284
Then the question arises,
is it necessary to keep the point
269
00:32:56,492 --> 00:32:59,242
which describes Lithuania
as a republic of the federation?
270
00:32:59,575 --> 00:33:00,919
If we do so, we acknowledge
271
00:33:00,993 --> 00:33:04,481
the legality of the decision
taken by the parliament in 1940,
272
00:33:04,506 --> 00:33:06,799
to join the Soviet Union,
and we legitimise the occupation
273
00:33:06,824 --> 00:33:08,393
on behalf of Sąjūdis.
274
00:33:08,742 --> 00:33:10,691
We must reject this point.
275
00:33:19,242 --> 00:33:20,909
That doesn't mean
276
00:33:21,701 --> 00:33:24,909
that we are calling for confrontation,
for conflict,
277
00:33:25,033 --> 00:33:27,659
or for the desire to instantly
quit the Soviet Union.
278
00:33:28,159 --> 00:33:29,742
It is only a wish…
279
00:33:32,075 --> 00:33:33,701
It is only a statement of truth,
280
00:33:33,742 --> 00:33:37,444
which must recorded in the programme
of Sąjūdis, and nothing more.
281
00:33:37,909 --> 00:33:39,159
Thank you for your attention.
282
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,492
The next speaker is Vytautas Petkevičius.
283
00:33:53,242 --> 00:33:54,367
Dear friends,
284
00:33:55,451 --> 00:33:58,909
I can't understand how
285
00:33:59,676 --> 00:34:03,159
the previous speaker contrived
to appear on the podium.
286
00:34:08,784 --> 00:34:11,742
I may make myself very unpopular
287
00:34:13,117 --> 00:34:17,626
by saying that this speech
288
00:34:17,665 --> 00:34:19,175
seems to me to be a provocation.
289
00:34:31,033 --> 00:34:33,826
It was completely reckless.
290
00:34:33,962 --> 00:34:36,097
We must be realistic about our strength
291
00:34:36,122 --> 00:34:38,239
and understand what is possible now.
292
00:34:38,409 --> 00:34:40,659
We can't refuse the offer of freedom,
293
00:34:40,784 --> 00:34:44,159
we can't refuse such things
as independence etc.
294
00:34:44,492 --> 00:34:48,659
But only a person who hasn't
contributed to creating Sąjūdis
295
00:34:48,949 --> 00:34:51,200
could spit out such provocation.
296
00:34:51,409 --> 00:34:55,075
Someone courting popularity,
and seeking undeserved recognition,
297
00:34:55,325 --> 00:34:57,117
for something he played no part in.
298
00:35:08,409 --> 00:35:09,509
If Petkevičius...
299
00:35:09,534 --> 00:35:10,634
He’s an agent-provocateur…
300
00:35:12,159 --> 00:35:13,409
Enemy of the people...
301
00:35:15,242 --> 00:35:17,701
...you gave such a
halfwitted explanation, you see?
302
00:35:17,826 --> 00:35:21,784
I'm telling you,
you haven't proved your point,
303
00:35:22,159 --> 00:35:24,492
Only pure facts...
No, you didn't set out…
304
00:35:25,117 --> 00:35:26,659
You only stated - either this or that.
305
00:35:28,701 --> 00:35:30,992
...to label this speech
306
00:35:31,033 --> 00:35:32,909
as a provocation is completely…
307
00:35:33,742 --> 00:35:35,784
Petkevičius should apologize.
308
00:35:35,826 --> 00:35:38,949
I was approached by the representatives
from Panevėžys and Šiauliai
309
00:35:38,992 --> 00:35:43,325
and they said, "If this was a statement
from the Kaunas initiative group,
310
00:35:43,492 --> 00:35:45,576
we must express our doubts
about this group."
311
00:35:45,617 --> 00:35:47,409
...they would like to meet
the Kaunas group.
312
00:35:47,451 --> 00:35:49,159
Perhaps you could meet
and clear things up?
313
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:50,784
- Where are they?
- Who wants to see us?
314
00:35:50,826 --> 00:35:51,908
The initiative group.
315
00:35:51,909 --> 00:35:53,826
- The Vilnius group?
- Which group?
316
00:35:54,325 --> 00:35:56,201
Do you understand the nature
of his demands?
317
00:35:56,202 --> 00:35:58,053
That man is calling for bloodshed!
318
00:35:58,159 --> 00:36:00,284
- No, he absolutely is not.
- Why?
319
00:36:00,309 --> 00:36:02,714
- He isn't calling for bloodshed!
- You people are so naïve!
320
00:36:02,739 --> 00:36:04,868
You obviously haven't understood
what he was saying.
321
00:36:05,284 --> 00:36:07,367
The army will demand this and will do it.
322
00:36:07,701 --> 00:36:09,617
You started this mess so easily...
323
00:36:10,117 --> 00:36:13,492
You also say that 'glasnost' and all...
What kind of 'glasnost' is this then?
324
00:36:14,075 --> 00:36:16,534
You just had to show off
in front of the foreigners...
325
00:36:16,868 --> 00:36:18,534
Where is our group meeting?
326
00:36:19,075 --> 00:36:21,075
Respect Lithuania, honour...
327
00:36:22,576 --> 00:36:27,409
Let's cut to the chase:
does Sąjūdis need this?
328
00:36:28,335 --> 00:36:29,602
Only a silly kid
329
00:36:29,627 --> 00:36:32,204
who hasn't given his life to the cause,
could spout such stuff.
330
00:36:32,229 --> 00:36:33,229
You can't do this!
331
00:36:33,711 --> 00:36:35,293
Do you want a Karabakh-style war here?
332
00:36:35,318 --> 00:36:37,568
- No-one's saying that …
- Then there's another question.
333
00:36:39,749 --> 00:36:40,624
Another question.
334
00:36:40,649 --> 00:36:43,296
Members of the Kaunas group...
Just a second, comrade Vytautas.
335
00:36:43,335 --> 00:36:45,100
Dear comrade Petkevičius...
336
00:36:45,125 --> 00:36:47,575
- I’ve got a question...
- Please, let's take turns to speak.
337
00:36:47,615 --> 00:36:50,075
I've got just a single question,
with respect, Kaunas group...
338
00:36:50,107 --> 00:36:51,849
Kaunas group?
339
00:36:52,909 --> 00:36:56,325
Do you agree with this man's speech?
340
00:36:56,409 --> 00:36:57,949
He was giving his personal opinion.
341
00:36:57,992 --> 00:37:00,075
Hold on, do you agree with his speech?
342
00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:01,451
I, personally, don't.
343
00:37:01,576 --> 00:37:03,075
The question should be different.
344
00:37:03,159 --> 00:37:06,376
You should be asking if someone
has the right to express such an opinion.
345
00:37:06,401 --> 00:37:07,599
That's exactly what I'm asking.
346
00:37:07,624 --> 00:37:11,409
This is the issue of utmost importance,
that I will defend as a member of Sąjūdis.
347
00:37:11,659 --> 00:37:14,617
Because next time,
when I express my opinion,
348
00:37:14,742 --> 00:37:17,033
another worthy fellow might show up
349
00:37:17,159 --> 00:37:18,659
and call me an agent-provocateur.
350
00:37:19,784 --> 00:37:22,742
The same might happen to you,
and to a second and third person.
351
00:37:22,784 --> 00:37:25,784
Listen, you should leave your
personal opinion at home,
352
00:37:25,826 --> 00:37:27,715
here you represent the opinion
of your city
353
00:37:27,740 --> 00:37:30,018
and of a particular group.
354
00:37:30,088 --> 00:37:31,966
Don't foist your own opinion on people.
355
00:37:33,145 --> 00:37:34,700
We agree on Lithuania's destination,
356
00:37:34,725 --> 00:37:37,294
but we may strongly disagree
about how to go to get there.
357
00:37:37,799 --> 00:37:40,551
You really need wisdom,
a sense of responsibility...
358
00:37:41,492 --> 00:37:44,742
Not even close, don't ruin everything.
359
00:37:44,784 --> 00:37:46,968
This might shock you,
but I want to say
360
00:37:47,033 --> 00:37:50,033
that I support his right
to express his opinion.
361
00:37:50,075 --> 00:37:53,701
He does not have a right to share
his own opinion... he does not.
362
00:37:54,742 --> 00:37:57,075
With respect, you don't understand
what Sąjūdis is.
363
00:38:00,242 --> 00:38:02,771
...it's a very good lesson,
we also need to think how to leave.
364
00:38:02,826 --> 00:38:04,966
He expressed his opinion and that's it...
365
00:38:04,967 --> 00:38:05,850
He overreacted.
366
00:38:05,875 --> 00:38:07,527
That's right,
Petkevičius also overreacted
367
00:38:07,552 --> 00:38:09,117
but it's very dangerous!
368
00:38:09,367 --> 00:38:12,159
Listen, you need to understand
that this is a really serious matter,
369
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,033
It's not about hats or payslips...
370
00:38:16,284 --> 00:38:18,325
Folks, let's calm down. That's enough!
371
00:38:25,117 --> 00:38:29,325
Of course it was,
and we relied on people’s good sense,
372
00:38:29,409 --> 00:38:34,409
that, given all the grievances
373
00:38:34,492 --> 00:38:37,200
and injustice they had endured,
374
00:38:38,576 --> 00:38:42,033
they would choose the right path.
375
00:38:43,492 --> 00:38:47,409
At first, that path
was a call for "more freedoms".
376
00:38:48,868 --> 00:38:52,438
Then later we tried to channel it
377
00:38:52,611 --> 00:38:56,445
into a call for "greater autonomy",
378
00:38:57,701 --> 00:39:00,777
we even proposed some policies…
379
00:39:02,316 --> 00:39:04,316
The idea of economic autonomy -
380
00:39:04,325 --> 00:39:06,534
the Estonians came up with this idea.
381
00:39:07,242 --> 00:39:09,547
Here, in Lithuania,
we began to call it
382
00:39:10,101 --> 00:39:14,201
either "economic sovereignty"
383
00:39:15,075 --> 00:39:17,534
or "ecological sovereignty",
384
00:39:18,242 --> 00:39:22,367
and this immediately confused the issue.
385
00:39:22,949 --> 00:39:27,242
What kind of "partial sovereignty"
386
00:39:27,576 --> 00:39:32,576
could be granted to the republic?
387
00:39:33,492 --> 00:39:35,701
Although we didn't even get that far.
388
00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:41,200
However proposals were made
for programmes of economic independence
389
00:39:41,492 --> 00:39:43,701
for the Baltic Soviet republics.
390
00:39:45,033 --> 00:39:47,659
Gorbachev even agreed
391
00:39:47,701 --> 00:39:51,033
to pass this law in Moscow
392
00:39:51,159 --> 00:39:52,949
to pacify the Baltic countries,
393
00:39:52,992 --> 00:39:55,409
to give them the impression
that they had gained something.
394
00:39:56,284 --> 00:40:00,075
But, when the time came to pass the law,
395
00:40:00,242 --> 00:40:04,701
all the important clauses were rejected.
396
00:40:05,451 --> 00:40:06,617
It often happened like this:
397
00:40:07,617 --> 00:40:12,075
we would present a draft law
hoping that it would be passed,
398
00:40:12,451 --> 00:40:16,492
but then amendments would be proposed:
remove this, remove that,
399
00:40:16,784 --> 00:40:18,033
replace this with that...
400
00:40:18,117 --> 00:40:22,451
And, of course, the authorities agreed
with the substitutions…
401
00:40:22,576 --> 00:40:27,576
These "amendments" were always top-down,
402
00:40:28,378 --> 00:40:30,611
and left nothing of the original proposal.
403
00:40:30,949 --> 00:40:35,367
So that even our most fierce advocates
404
00:40:35,657 --> 00:40:38,217
of gradual reforms
405
00:40:38,255 --> 00:40:39,902
like Mrs. Prunskienė,
406
00:40:40,245 --> 00:40:44,560
who was so proud that the law
407
00:40:44,617 --> 00:40:49,617
on economic independence
would be passed,
408
00:40:50,492 --> 00:40:52,976
also came back disappointed,
409
00:40:52,977 --> 00:40:56,063
feeling she had been deceived and tricked
by Moscow.
410
00:40:56,094 --> 00:40:59,159
They had been working hard,
had agreed on everything,
411
00:40:59,242 --> 00:41:01,784
but when they got to Moscow,
they were swindled.
412
00:41:02,534 --> 00:41:05,325
The law was meaningless,
it was passed in name only.
413
00:41:05,909 --> 00:41:09,576
This was yet more proof
414
00:41:09,909 --> 00:41:14,909
that we would achieve nothing
415
00:41:15,243 --> 00:41:18,089
with partial concessions and reforms.
416
00:41:19,367 --> 00:41:24,367
The top brass always
had tricks up their sleeves,
417
00:41:25,742 --> 00:41:29,992
according to the well-known principle:
"I'm the boss, and you're an idiot".
418
00:41:36,026 --> 00:41:40,197
Comrade Deputies,
Professor Landsbergis
419
00:41:40,373 --> 00:41:44,084
of the State Conservatory
420
00:41:44,159 --> 00:41:48,576
of the Lithuanian SSR,
has the floor.
421
00:41:53,701 --> 00:41:56,576
Honourable congress,
honourable chairman,
422
00:41:57,367 --> 00:42:00,159
we must all try to understand each other,
423
00:42:00,742 --> 00:42:05,325
to find common goals
and to value everyone’s noble aims.
424
00:42:05,992 --> 00:42:09,701
Let ‘s show a political culture that’s fit
425
00:42:10,033 --> 00:42:12,492
to be part of the universal culture
of humanity.
426
00:42:13,949 --> 00:42:18,159
The desire of the Baltic republics
to strengthen their autonomy,
427
00:42:18,492 --> 00:42:20,868
to aim for the return of their statehood
428
00:42:20,992 --> 00:42:24,784
is also the way to release
the creative powers of the nation.
429
00:42:25,284 --> 00:42:27,492
This is one of the goals of perestroika.
430
00:42:28,117 --> 00:42:31,826
The gains won on this path
will be gains for us all -
431
00:42:32,242 --> 00:42:36,554
for instance, the policy
of economic autonomy for the republics,
432
00:42:36,601 --> 00:42:38,393
developed in the Baltics.
433
00:42:38,992 --> 00:42:42,367
It has already been adopted
in Lithuania and Estonia
434
00:42:42,451 --> 00:42:46,701
and I hereby propose it to the congress
as a law for the entire Union,
435
00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:50,534
which, in our view, would be beneficial
for all the republics.
436
00:42:51,159 --> 00:42:52,636
It would be sad
437
00:42:52,774 --> 00:42:57,425
if this proposal
got dumped in the "miscellaneous" pile.
438
00:42:58,451 --> 00:43:04,200
The democratisation of a country includes
the defence of the process of democracy.
439
00:43:04,909 --> 00:43:10,117
I would like to remind you of the warning
given in Tallin on May 14th
440
00:43:10,492 --> 00:43:13,784
by the Baltic Assembly
of the Popular Fronts,
441
00:43:13,826 --> 00:43:16,325
including the Lithuanian Sąjūdis
442
00:43:16,909 --> 00:43:18,690
to the Congress of People’s Deputies,
443
00:43:18,885 --> 00:43:23,347
a warning about the threat of war
444
00:43:23,418 --> 00:43:25,896
by the state against its own people.
445
00:43:26,617 --> 00:43:31,325
This document should be distributed
among all the delegates of this congress.
446
00:43:31,409 --> 00:43:34,534
It calls for the armed forces
to be used
447
00:43:34,909 --> 00:43:39,909
exclusively in defence
against an external attack.
448
00:43:41,676 --> 00:43:45,843
These stipulations have also been included
in more detail,
449
00:43:45,868 --> 00:43:48,325
in a letter to the USSR
Congress of People’s Deputies,
450
00:43:49,075 --> 00:43:53,992
a letter signed by 50 deputies
from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia,
451
00:43:54,617 --> 00:43:57,409
in which we propose
452
00:43:57,742 --> 00:44:01,325
to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
a legislative initiative
453
00:44:01,784 --> 00:44:04,742
including point number 4:
454
00:44:04,868 --> 00:44:07,075
the disbanding of the military units
455
00:44:07,492 --> 00:44:09,908
which took part
in the killings and repression
456
00:44:09,909 --> 00:44:12,409
of civilians in the city of Tbilisi,
457
00:44:12,492 --> 00:44:14,659
and brought disgrace to the army’s name.
458
00:44:20,909 --> 00:44:23,409
These documents are convincing proof
459
00:44:23,451 --> 00:44:26,492
that our concerns relate to everyone -
460
00:44:26,617 --> 00:44:30,242
we want no peacetime testing
461
00:44:30,284 --> 00:44:32,701
of chemical warfare gasses,
462
00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:36,784
and the Congress, which is responsible
for the fate of democracy in this country,
463
00:44:37,242 --> 00:44:41,409
must stop any potential Napoleonic coup
464
00:44:41,784 --> 00:44:46,784
or Pinochet-style uprising
from acquiring apparent legitimacy.
465
00:44:48,117 --> 00:44:49,992
Please remember what I'm referring to:
466
00:44:50,117 --> 00:44:54,117
the Minister of the Interior’s right
467
00:44:54,159 --> 00:44:57,492
to deploy special forces
at his own discretion;
468
00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:02,033
and to the right of the Supreme Soviet
469
00:45:02,367 --> 00:45:07,325
to declare a state of emergency
throughout the entire country.
470
00:45:07,742 --> 00:45:11,075
For instance, it could imprison Gorbachev
471
00:45:11,159 --> 00:45:13,576
and openly proclaim itself a ruling junta.
472
00:45:14,701 --> 00:45:19,491
Do we really want to grant them
such extraordinary powers
473
00:45:19,492 --> 00:45:21,576
without any public control?
474
00:45:22,075 --> 00:45:26,701
Are you really willing to accept
a ghost standing at your door,
475
00:45:27,325 --> 00:45:30,992
with a badly written constitution
in one hand
476
00:45:31,033 --> 00:45:33,701
and a blood-stained shovel in the other,
477
00:45:33,742 --> 00:45:35,868
which is what such legal powers amount to?
478
00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:43,659
Lithuania, in any case, won’t accept this.
479
00:45:47,159 --> 00:45:50,909
Please take my remarks as a proposal
480
00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,242
for each and every Congress deputy
to reflect upon this matter,
481
00:45:54,826 --> 00:45:59,826
to return to the discussions,
and vote to repeal these provisions
482
00:45:59,868 --> 00:46:03,617
and recent amendments to the criminal law,
483
00:46:03,659 --> 00:46:06,492
especially with regard
to crimes against the state.
484
00:46:06,742 --> 00:46:10,228
We must also reflect
on what’s gone on so far
485
00:46:10,332 --> 00:46:12,111
and the different standpoints taken.
486
00:46:12,576 --> 00:46:17,242
3 days ago, Deputy Rodionov
expressed his nostalgia for 1937
487
00:46:17,325 --> 00:46:19,576
and many deputies warmly applauded him.
488
00:46:20,451 --> 00:46:24,868
Think, comrade deputies,
why did you clap?
489
00:46:29,701 --> 00:46:31,159
Another issue which concerns us all
490
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:34,117
is the black and bloody stain
on the history of the USSR
491
00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:39,200
created by the Hitler-Stalin pact,
which has already been discussed here.
492
00:46:41,033 --> 00:46:43,450
The existence of these secret protocols
493
00:46:43,475 --> 00:46:46,744
is proved by the Nuremberg copies,
494
00:46:47,242 --> 00:46:51,956
and by the fact that these protocols
were diligently used
495
00:46:51,957 --> 00:46:53,928
from 1939 to 1941.
496
00:46:54,659 --> 00:46:59,200
In my opinion, Mikhail Gorbachev himself
has no doubts about their existence.
497
00:46:59,367 --> 00:47:04,325
I propose the following formulation
for the parliamentary enquiry:
498
00:47:04,826 --> 00:47:07,949
On the Pact and the Problem
of the Secret Protocols.
499
00:47:08,909 --> 00:47:12,367
The aim of the enquiry was clearly defined
in the appeal to us
500
00:47:12,492 --> 00:47:15,159
by the Supreme Soviet
of the Lithuanian SSR -
501
00:47:15,949 --> 00:47:18,784
to denounce these secret deals,
502
00:47:18,826 --> 00:47:21,491
signed by the then Soviet authorities,
503
00:47:21,492 --> 00:47:25,868
and to deem them null and void
from the moment of signature.
504
00:47:26,659 --> 00:47:29,325
There is no doubt that it will be done,
505
00:47:30,242 --> 00:47:34,492
but it would in all our best interests
not to drag our feet.
506
00:47:48,992 --> 00:47:53,492
They felt the growing strength of Sąjūdis
507
00:47:54,492 --> 00:47:55,992
and they...
508
00:48:00,659 --> 00:48:04,075
they started to push back against Sąjūdis
509
00:48:04,117 --> 00:48:08,742
and even refused to accept
what had already been agreed:
510
00:48:09,367 --> 00:48:13,742
the Supreme Soviet had agreed
511
00:48:14,325 --> 00:48:19,075
to pass amendments
in line with the Estonian amendments
512
00:48:19,659 --> 00:48:23,576
regarding the precedence
of the laws of the republic...
513
00:48:26,614 --> 00:48:29,700
and even regarding the right to own land,
to own the natural resources,
514
00:48:30,377 --> 00:48:33,252
declaring them to be the property
of the Lithuanian Republic,
515
00:48:33,284 --> 00:48:34,992
and not the Soviet Union.
516
00:48:35,992 --> 00:48:40,450
We prepared the same draft
517
00:48:40,451 --> 00:48:43,072
as the Estonian government,
518
00:48:43,284 --> 00:48:48,242
and although the Brazauskas government
did not approve it,
519
00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:53,992
they agreed to "put it to the vote".
520
00:48:54,409 --> 00:48:59,245
They thought they were still in control
521
00:48:59,572 --> 00:49:01,460
in the Supreme Soviet
522
00:49:01,534 --> 00:49:04,909
but then they lost their nerve
and tricked us,
523
00:49:05,010 --> 00:49:07,659
and when the time came
to vote on the proposals,
524
00:49:09,492 --> 00:49:12,075
they pulled a fast one on us...
525
00:49:12,701 --> 00:49:17,159
And then, of course, we protested
526
00:49:18,165 --> 00:49:21,337
and declared that from that moment on.
527
00:49:21,563 --> 00:49:27,148
Sąjūdis would oppose these cheats.
528
00:49:27,409 --> 00:49:28,992
And what was their reaction?
529
00:49:29,117 --> 00:49:31,234
Then they began to...
530
00:49:32,937 --> 00:49:36,734
threaten us,
put us under pressure and so on,
531
00:49:37,033 --> 00:49:38,819
but by then,
532
00:49:39,394 --> 00:49:43,286
we had already been elected
as People's Deputies of the USSR,
533
00:49:44,492 --> 00:49:49,451
and enjoyed a certain protection
from high-ranking officials,
534
00:49:50,534 --> 00:49:52,759
further up the pecking order
535
00:49:53,350 --> 00:49:54,926
than those in the republic.
536
00:49:56,701 --> 00:49:59,659
This gave us some kind of protection.
537
00:50:01,159 --> 00:50:03,989
The local bosses couldn't just break us up
or arrest us
538
00:50:04,445 --> 00:50:06,466
without Moscow's approval.
539
00:50:07,701 --> 00:50:09,825
And they wouldn’t have got such approval.
540
00:50:09,826 --> 00:50:12,444
They would have been told:
“You’re incompetent.
541
00:50:13,159 --> 00:50:14,909
Find a way to shut them up,
542
00:50:17,033 --> 00:50:19,784
but without any arrests or violence"...
543
00:50:19,909 --> 00:50:22,492
In fact prison cells had already
been prepared for us.
544
00:50:23,284 --> 00:50:28,033
We found out later
that the old KGB cellars
545
00:50:28,325 --> 00:50:31,033
had been renovated, cleaned up
546
00:50:31,367 --> 00:50:36,159
and the cells for 34 people
547
00:50:36,701 --> 00:50:38,701
had been converted
into 2-4 person cells.
548
00:50:39,909 --> 00:50:41,949
According to the status of the prisoners?
549
00:50:42,284 --> 00:50:46,742
Yes, for deputies and Sąjūdis members,
550
00:50:47,492 --> 00:50:51,949
if the occasion arose,
if they went too far.
551
00:50:52,048 --> 00:50:55,416
So we created the Baltic Chain
552
00:50:55,417 --> 00:50:58,454
all the way from Vilnius to Tallinn,
553
00:50:58,617 --> 00:51:01,492
two million people took part.
554
00:51:01,992 --> 00:51:05,367
So how could they start repressions
at such a moment?
555
00:51:06,033 --> 00:51:10,325
They were on very shaky ground...
556
00:51:11,159 --> 00:51:16,159
We stuck to our principle
557
00:51:17,180 --> 00:51:19,451
of non-violence:
558
00:51:20,033 --> 00:51:22,992
no destruction,
559
00:51:24,492 --> 00:51:27,508
no smashing of windows
560
00:51:28,180 --> 00:51:29,970
or burning of cars -
561
00:51:30,617 --> 00:51:32,492
nothing like that.
562
00:51:32,949 --> 00:51:35,826
We proceeded peacefully,
calmly and creatively.
563
00:51:36,492 --> 00:51:41,492
And if they couldn't cope with change,
564
00:51:42,677 --> 00:51:46,343
let them make way for others
who could undertake these "perestroikas".
565
00:52:12,931 --> 00:52:14,531
But where shall we put
all these flowers?
566
00:52:25,868 --> 00:52:28,284
...they told me not to bring them,
there'll be other cars.
567
00:52:28,325 --> 00:52:29,992
There will be more cars, so then...
568
00:52:30,033 --> 00:52:32,200
They told me not to bring them,
there's no room.
569
00:52:33,701 --> 00:52:35,242
They said "Don't bring any more".
570
00:54:48,572 --> 00:54:50,569
From Latvia and Estonia...
571
00:55:16,506 --> 00:55:21,063
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia,
572
00:55:23,389 --> 00:55:26,200
The Baltics are waking up,
573
00:55:26,921 --> 00:55:29,613
The Baltics are waking up,
574
00:55:30,326 --> 00:55:34,729
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia.
575
00:55:36,007 --> 00:55:37,759
Very good!
Great!
576
00:55:40,735 --> 00:55:42,090
People, prepare yourselves!
577
00:55:42,256 --> 00:55:43,536
Now we're going to form a chain!
578
00:55:43,561 --> 00:55:44,561
Come here!
579
00:55:45,330 --> 00:55:46,330
Hold hands!
580
00:55:56,242 --> 00:55:58,242
Freedom for the three cousins.
581
00:56:22,110 --> 00:56:26,766
Your beauty lies.
582
00:56:27,245 --> 00:56:32,202
In the skies so blue.
583
00:56:33,282 --> 00:56:38,282
My precious, you've seen
584
00:56:38,632 --> 00:56:43,632
so much torment and woe.
585
00:56:45,839 --> 00:56:50,800
Your beauty lies
586
00:56:51,416 --> 00:56:56,352
in the skies so blue.
587
00:56:57,585 --> 00:57:02,112
My precious, you've seen
588
00:57:03,384 --> 00:57:08,149
so much torment and woe.
589
00:58:03,910 --> 00:58:08,202
I remember my speech in Vilnius,
590
00:58:09,242 --> 00:58:12,968
at the meeting with Šepetys,
591
00:58:13,288 --> 00:58:15,961
the secretary for ideology.
592
00:58:17,325 --> 00:58:20,239
There were a few
Central Committee members present
593
00:58:20,264 --> 00:58:21,594
but he was the most senior,
594
00:58:22,492 --> 00:58:24,617
representing the local communist party.
595
00:58:25,617 --> 00:58:27,616
And we represented Sąjūdis,
596
00:58:27,617 --> 00:58:30,068
although we also had a few party members
597
00:58:30,159 --> 00:58:32,511
whose point of view
598
00:58:33,362 --> 00:58:36,292
already diverged
from the official party line.
599
00:58:38,715 --> 00:58:41,347
Šepetys asked us
600
00:58:42,534 --> 00:58:44,657
"not to be too rebellious,
601
00:58:44,768 --> 00:58:47,576
not to create our own organisations",
602
00:58:47,868 --> 00:58:50,492
because they also wanted reforms.
603
00:58:51,325 --> 00:58:54,949
"Come and join us as advisors, as aides,
604
00:58:55,826 --> 00:58:58,784
and we can make these changes together."
605
00:59:00,475 --> 00:59:05,475
Then I decided to speak
as if expressing my own personal opinion,
606
00:59:05,950 --> 00:59:09,492
though it was
the position of Sąjūdis’s other wing.
607
00:59:10,117 --> 00:59:13,492
I told them that we could see
608
00:59:13,701 --> 00:59:17,270
that their organization
609
00:59:17,497 --> 00:59:20,769
was disunited,
610
00:59:21,367 --> 00:59:26,200
and that they had conflicting views
on perestroika, on reform,
611
00:59:26,325 --> 00:59:29,992
on the rights of Lithuania
and its people.
612
00:59:33,235 --> 00:59:37,636
So, we wouldn't know
whom to advise, what to advise,
613
00:59:37,675 --> 00:59:39,134
or what our role would be.
614
00:59:39,159 --> 00:59:43,659
I said we’d go on with our programme
615
00:59:44,082 --> 00:59:46,159
which was open,
616
00:59:46,800 --> 00:59:50,433
and only hostile to backwardness,
617
00:59:51,451 --> 00:59:54,242
stagnation and lies.
618
00:59:55,242 --> 00:59:57,827
Those of you who support
619
00:59:58,867 --> 01:00:02,286
our approach
620
01:00:03,033 --> 01:00:04,409
are welcome to join us.
621
01:00:05,451 --> 01:00:07,701
We won't come to you, you come to us.
622
01:00:09,315 --> 01:00:14,315
And those of you who oppose the reforms
623
01:00:14,576 --> 01:00:17,576
and reject the ideas of Sąjūdis
624
01:00:18,033 --> 01:00:21,784
can stay where you are."
625
01:00:23,200 --> 01:00:25,992
And only a minority stayed put,
626
01:00:26,576 --> 01:00:30,284
because even in the ranks
of the official communist party
627
01:00:30,325 --> 01:00:34,534
people were beginning to realise
that they ran the risk
628
01:00:34,826 --> 01:00:38,367
of being left high and dry.
629
01:00:38,409 --> 01:00:41,992
They still hoped to achieve something,
and they did have some success,
630
01:00:43,063 --> 01:00:47,089
even when they announced their separation
631
01:00:47,651 --> 01:00:49,526
from the USSR Communist party,
632
01:00:49,701 --> 01:00:52,701
and formed the independent Communist party
of Lithuania.
633
01:00:52,950 --> 01:00:59,934
By the way, amongst all local organisations
affiliated to Moscow,
634
01:01:03,949 --> 01:01:06,859
they were the last ones to split.
635
01:01:07,492 --> 01:01:10,367
The Composers' Union
was the first one to break away.
636
01:01:11,451 --> 01:01:16,033
They declared their independence
637
01:01:16,117 --> 01:01:19,820
and then proposed friendly cooperation
638
01:01:20,062 --> 01:01:23,858
with the Union of Soviet Composers.
639
01:01:30,560 --> 01:01:33,810
Left! Left!
One! Two! Three!
640
01:01:34,617 --> 01:01:37,992
Left! Left!
One! Two! Three!
641
01:02:15,781 --> 01:02:17,204
Give them a clap!
642
01:02:26,659 --> 01:02:28,534
Let's go to where the coat of arms is!
643
01:02:30,950 --> 01:02:33,284
We don't want to hear anything else,
and that's that.
644
01:02:35,346 --> 01:02:37,112
Keep insisting,
they'll have to let us in.
645
01:02:50,950 --> 01:02:52,159
Excuse me, can I go through?
646
01:02:52,992 --> 01:02:53,992
Hold it, men.
647
01:02:54,075 --> 01:02:55,659
- We have here...
- I understand.
648
01:02:55,733 --> 01:02:57,706
No, now we...
Hold it, these are the wrong people...
649
01:02:57,757 --> 01:02:59,826
Listen, if you want that kind of show...
650
01:02:59,909 --> 01:03:01,676
We just want to give back [our medals].
651
01:03:01,826 --> 01:03:02,991
- That's all?
- Yes.
652
01:03:02,992 --> 01:03:04,949
I don’t understand.
He’s a good worker.
653
01:03:06,409 --> 01:03:07,492
Wait.
654
01:03:09,242 --> 01:03:10,784
Please, don't go near the windows.
655
01:03:11,033 --> 01:03:12,325
Right here...
656
01:03:13,784 --> 01:03:14,784
Come closer.
657
01:03:15,325 --> 01:03:16,659
One by one, please.
658
01:03:34,075 --> 01:03:36,075
We renounce all our awards and benefits.
659
01:03:36,576 --> 01:03:38,325
We're leaving this Gulag with benefits...
660
01:03:44,325 --> 01:03:46,868
Just show me…
661
01:03:47,159 --> 01:03:48,159
They're filming!
662
01:03:55,325 --> 01:03:57,200
Can you explain
why you're getting rid of them?
663
01:03:59,242 --> 01:04:00,451
You don't need them?
664
01:04:01,451 --> 01:04:03,159
Nor you?
665
01:04:06,193 --> 01:04:09,902
- Why did you get these medals?
- We don’t need them.
666
01:04:10,335 --> 01:04:12,890
People are saying that
you fought to defend the Afghan people.
667
01:04:12,915 --> 01:04:15,107
- Why are you giving them back?
- Nobody defended them.
668
01:04:15,617 --> 01:04:17,507
Let's move back.
669
01:04:18,242 --> 01:04:20,015
Move to the other side.
670
01:04:22,242 --> 01:04:24,538
Hey, listen... You are so...
671
01:04:31,492 --> 01:04:34,242
Lets’ sing our national anthem
for these brave sons of Lithuania,
672
01:04:34,484 --> 01:04:37,539
and the Lithuanian Republic,
673
01:04:37,820 --> 01:04:40,338
the anthem which is sacred to our nation!
674
01:04:44,909 --> 01:04:47,492
The anthem of Lithuania!
675
01:04:48,033 --> 01:04:50,033
I've lost my voice,
somebody, please start!
676
01:04:50,617 --> 01:04:55,159
Lithuania, our dear homeland.
677
01:04:55,949 --> 01:05:00,909
Land of noble heroes!
678
01:05:01,242 --> 01:05:06,242
May your sons draw strength.
679
01:05:06,868 --> 01:05:08,950
From the past...
680
01:05:21,909 --> 01:05:25,576
Comrade Yakovlev has the floor.
681
01:05:28,033 --> 01:05:29,617
Comrade deputies...
682
01:05:35,451 --> 01:05:36,659
Attention, please!
683
01:05:39,075 --> 01:05:40,576
May I have the deputies' attention,
684
01:05:40,659 --> 01:05:43,534
these issues are already being resolved.
685
01:05:45,576 --> 01:05:46,576
Thank you.
686
01:05:46,949 --> 01:05:48,549
Please carry on, Alexander Nikolayevich.
687
01:05:49,325 --> 01:05:52,142
I’ll begin with historical background.
688
01:05:52,451 --> 01:05:57,451
The Non-Aggression Pact
between Germany and USSR
689
01:05:58,367 --> 01:06:03,242
was signed on August 23, 1939,
and ratified on August 31
690
01:06:03,492 --> 01:06:06,242
by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
691
01:06:07,159 --> 01:06:09,992
It was published on August 24,
692
01:06:10,325 --> 01:06:15,325
and ratified by the signatories
on September 24.
693
01:06:16,868 --> 01:06:21,284
The existence of the secret protocol
694
01:06:21,409 --> 01:06:25,492
was mentioned for the first time
at the Nuremburg trial in 1946.
695
01:06:26,325 --> 01:06:28,576
The purpose of the secret protocol
696
01:06:28,909 --> 01:06:31,826
was to divide the spheres of influence
697
01:06:31,909 --> 01:06:34,617
in the neighbouring sovereign countries
between Stalin and Hitler.
698
01:06:34,992 --> 01:06:39,033
Even today there are a number of theories
about how events in Europe
699
01:06:39,617 --> 01:06:43,617
would have unfolded
without the pact and the protocol.
700
01:06:44,576 --> 01:06:46,992
For all his imperial ambitions,
701
01:06:47,033 --> 01:06:49,950
Stalin couldn't fail to realise
how dangerous and immoral
702
01:06:49,992 --> 01:06:51,909
his secret deal with Hitler was.
703
01:06:52,159 --> 01:06:57,214
Even after the war, Stalin and Molotov
covered up all traces of the protocol.
704
01:06:57,457 --> 01:07:00,409
The original document has never been found
in our archives.
705
01:07:01,451 --> 01:07:06,170
Although the commission was unanimous
in its judgement of the protocol
706
01:07:06,576 --> 01:07:09,659
there were various opinions
about the pact itself.
707
01:07:09,950 --> 01:07:13,950
Some thought that, given the situation,
708
01:07:14,075 --> 01:07:16,159
the pact could be politically justified.
709
01:07:16,367 --> 01:07:19,242
The policy of Germany and Japan,
the stance of Western democracies,
710
01:07:19,284 --> 01:07:21,826
had left the USSR with no choice.
711
01:07:22,033 --> 01:07:26,806
The USSR leadership had to adopt measures
to ensure the security of the country,
712
01:07:27,033 --> 01:07:28,950
at least to delay the start of the war,
713
01:07:28,992 --> 01:07:33,284
and to use this extra time
to strengthen the economy and defence.
714
01:07:34,033 --> 01:07:38,576
Others believed
Stalin signed the non-aggression pact
715
01:07:38,617 --> 01:07:40,075
for completely different reasons -
716
01:07:40,200 --> 01:07:42,910
his interest was not the pact itself
717
01:07:42,981 --> 01:07:45,909
but precisely the secret protocol,
718
01:07:46,242 --> 01:07:49,325
which would give him the opportunity
to invade the Baltic states,
719
01:07:49,659 --> 01:07:52,784
Poland and Bessarabia,
and perhaps even Finland.
720
01:07:53,160 --> 01:07:56,509
In a word, he was driven to sign the pact
by his aspiration to re-create the Empire,
721
01:07:56,534 --> 01:07:58,776
a desire which was alien
to the principles of socialism.
722
01:07:58,909 --> 01:08:01,539
But this is beyond the scope of the pact
723
01:08:01,581 --> 01:08:03,805
as an international legal document.
724
01:08:04,701 --> 01:08:07,992
In relation to the protocol,
the commission
725
01:08:08,492 --> 01:08:09,701
has concluded as follows:
726
01:08:11,200 --> 01:08:14,348
1. A secret protocol,
727
01:08:14,388 --> 01:08:17,769
dated 23 August 1939, did exist,
728
01:08:18,075 --> 01:08:20,617
but no original document has come to light
in either Soviet
729
01:08:20,659 --> 01:08:22,033
or foreign archives.
730
01:08:22,451 --> 01:08:27,117
The copies at the disposal of the USSR
and the German Federal Republic
731
01:08:27,200 --> 01:08:30,576
are considered authentic
according to scholarly research.
732
01:08:31,117 --> 01:08:34,367
The wartime events that ensued,
conformed to the plan in the protocol.
733
01:08:35,784 --> 01:08:39,284
2. The protocol was initially drafted
by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs
734
01:08:39,325 --> 01:08:43,075
and approved by Stalin and Molotov,
who introduced minor amendments to it.
735
01:08:43,617 --> 01:08:46,949
Soviet negotiators acted dishonourably,
736
01:08:47,117 --> 01:08:48,950
abandoning their original intention
737
01:08:48,992 --> 01:08:52,159
to secure double guarantees
for the independence of the Baltic states.
738
01:08:52,577 --> 01:08:58,226
They failed to insist on a clause
committing Germany to restrain Japan,
739
01:08:58,576 --> 01:09:02,284
merely accepting a verbal promise
from Ribbentrop about this matter.
740
01:09:02,784 --> 01:09:07,159
3. Political and government institutions
of the Soviet Union
741
01:09:07,200 --> 01:09:10,325
were not informed
about the drafting of the protocol.
742
01:09:10,868 --> 01:09:14,784
Molotov wasn't legally entitled
to sign the protocol.
743
01:09:15,325 --> 01:09:18,992
The protocol was excluded
from the ratification procedure
744
01:09:19,117 --> 01:09:23,409
and wasn't ratified by the Soviet
legislative and executive bodies.
745
01:09:24,949 --> 01:09:29,242
4. The protocol was adopted
against the laws of the USSR
746
01:09:29,325 --> 01:09:33,075
and in breach of its obligations
towards other countries,
747
01:09:33,325 --> 01:09:37,784
so from the judicial point of view
was illegal.
748
01:09:38,234 --> 01:09:43,148
It was a deal on the aggressive intentions
of the signatories.
749
01:09:44,075 --> 01:09:45,117
And finally, point 5:
750
01:09:45,165 --> 01:09:47,319
The method of drafting the protocol,
751
01:09:47,344 --> 01:09:49,975
and the terms and categories used,
752
01:09:50,004 --> 01:09:52,838
such as "territorial
and political restructuring"
753
01:09:53,075 --> 01:09:57,784
were in breach of the Leninist principles
of Soviet foreign policy.
754
01:09:58,117 --> 01:10:01,200
Perhaps that was the first time
that the complexity of pre-war events
755
01:10:01,242 --> 01:10:04,242
was discussed in such stark terms,
756
01:10:04,534 --> 01:10:08,075
but there comes a time to confront
even the most bitter truth.
757
01:10:09,284 --> 01:10:14,284
And thus Stalin was seen
758
01:10:15,491 --> 01:10:17,932
аs the villain of the piece
759
01:10:18,284 --> 01:10:22,701
while the Soviet regime, apparently,
was only partially involved -
760
01:10:23,242 --> 01:10:26,576
the country had no idea
what Stalin was up to.
761
01:10:27,539 --> 01:10:30,037
Perhaps it was Yakovlev's idea
762
01:10:32,998 --> 01:10:35,251
to manipulate the narrative,
763
01:10:36,582 --> 01:10:41,582
so that it was not the whole Soviet Union
that was to blame,
764
01:10:42,451 --> 01:10:46,242
but the leadership, Stalin's leadership.
765
01:10:48,409 --> 01:10:53,409
Nevertheless,
even the hardcore authoritarians
766
01:10:53,617 --> 01:10:57,336
understood that
"the Baltic republics are going to leave",
767
01:10:58,950 --> 01:11:01,325
so they couldn't vote for this resolution.
768
01:11:01,576 --> 01:11:04,868
I asked the chairman of the commission
769
01:11:05,242 --> 01:11:09,242
about the secret protocols.
770
01:11:09,284 --> 01:11:12,342
But, unfortunately, I got no answer,
and in fact what answer could I get,
771
01:11:12,587 --> 01:11:17,587
given that page 1 of the draft resolution
772
01:11:17,636 --> 01:11:19,480
stated that the original protocol
773
01:11:19,505 --> 01:11:22,242
had never been found,
either in Soviet or foreign archives.
774
01:11:22,617 --> 01:11:24,026
Therefore, as far as I'm concerned,
775
01:11:24,097 --> 01:11:28,334
to state that the Congress of Deputies
condemns the signing
776
01:11:28,585 --> 01:11:30,826
of the protocol of August 23
777
01:11:30,950 --> 01:11:34,492
i.e. the signing of a non-existent paper,
would have no authority.
778
01:11:34,617 --> 01:11:38,033
Are you really going to allow yourselves
to be misled and manipulated,
779
01:11:38,117 --> 01:11:42,242
after the commission carried out
such a lengthy, painstaking,
780
01:11:42,409 --> 01:11:44,492
honest and unbiased investigation?
781
01:11:44,659 --> 01:11:49,659
Are you still the only people
who doubt the fact
782
01:11:50,135 --> 01:11:53,868
that the protocol existed,
that it was an act of conspiracy?
783
01:11:54,242 --> 01:11:56,659
Do you still doubt that
their armies invaded these countries
784
01:11:56,701 --> 01:11:59,033
on the exact days and times
specified in the protocol?
785
01:11:59,242 --> 01:12:01,950
Do you think it was just a coincidence?
786
01:12:01,992 --> 01:12:03,992
I lived through these events.
787
01:12:04,200 --> 01:12:06,868
I have checked the facts and am convinced
788
01:12:07,075 --> 01:12:09,522
that events unfolded minute by minute
789
01:12:09,529 --> 01:12:12,410
in accordance with the protocol!
790
01:12:12,534 --> 01:12:16,409
So your doubts cannot be justified.
791
01:12:16,617 --> 01:12:21,576
I call upon you to vote for our resolution
in its entirety!
792
01:12:21,701 --> 01:12:26,701
Let’s wash away the stain of shame
and tell the truth to our people.
793
01:12:26,868 --> 01:12:27,868
Thank you.
794
01:12:29,451 --> 01:12:32,009
The voting has started
and we shall take another vote later.
795
01:12:46,659 --> 01:12:50,409
The resolution has not been carried,
it didn't get 50% of the vote.
796
01:12:55,659 --> 01:12:57,949
We all agreed on the procedure.
797
01:13:02,826 --> 01:13:04,950
What’s the way out of this impasse?
798
01:13:04,992 --> 01:13:09,784
Comrades, it seems to me
we should sleep on it.
799
01:13:10,534 --> 01:13:12,950
As we Russians say,
morning is wiser than evening.
800
01:13:13,033 --> 01:13:15,284
Let's give the commission more time
801
01:13:15,409 --> 01:13:17,451
and listen to it again tomorrow morning.
802
01:13:19,075 --> 01:13:20,909
They were happy,
803
01:13:22,826 --> 01:13:25,242
and we found it very amusing.
804
01:13:26,451 --> 01:13:29,295
Gorbachev and Lukyanov looked at us
805
01:13:29,600 --> 01:13:32,776
from their podium with astonishment.
806
01:13:33,117 --> 01:13:34,492
Why were we laughing?
807
01:13:34,909 --> 01:13:37,659
Why weren’t we crying - we had lost,
808
01:13:38,242 --> 01:13:42,868
we had failed to achieve the goal
we had fought so long and so hard for -
809
01:13:43,826 --> 01:13:45,159
but instead we were laughing!
810
01:13:46,284 --> 01:13:50,868
We were laughing because we saw
how ridiculous they looked,
811
01:13:52,033 --> 01:13:55,409
now the whole issue had been made public.
812
01:13:55,576 --> 01:13:57,889
We had even distributed
813
01:13:58,638 --> 01:14:02,334
facsimiles of the protocol
814
01:14:02,576 --> 01:14:04,659
among all the People's Deputies.
815
01:14:05,492 --> 01:14:07,617
They were all staying
at the "Moscow" hotel,
816
01:14:08,325 --> 01:14:11,367
including, the Lithuanian, and I think
the Latvian and Estonian delegates.
817
01:14:11,451 --> 01:14:16,451
We printed a large number of sets
of these documents
818
01:14:16,992 --> 01:14:19,325
bearing the signatures
of Molotov and Ribbentrop,
819
01:14:19,534 --> 01:14:22,325
and handed them out
820
01:14:23,451 --> 01:14:26,075
so people would know
what was being discussed.
821
01:14:27,659 --> 01:14:30,117
So to claim
822
01:14:30,159 --> 01:14:33,534
that there were no signatures,
that these documents didn't exist,
823
01:14:34,159 --> 01:14:38,576
simply because nobody in Moscow
had found them yet... that was absurd.
824
01:14:40,242 --> 01:14:45,242
And then something happened that was
825
01:14:45,474 --> 01:14:47,534
straight out of Grimms' Fairy Tales:
826
01:14:49,242 --> 01:14:53,992
the powers-that-be are happy,
827
01:14:54,617 --> 01:14:57,117
we are laughing at the whole situation
828
01:14:57,451 --> 01:15:00,075
and Gorbachev feels uncomfortable.
829
01:15:01,242 --> 01:15:03,534
He turns to Yakovlev
830
01:15:04,367 --> 01:15:09,367
and suggests that the commission
"does a bit more work on the document,
831
01:15:09,914 --> 01:15:11,385
to improve it".
832
01:15:12,075 --> 01:15:14,573
He wanted to delay the process.
833
01:15:14,852 --> 01:15:19,852
He didn't want it to be seen
that the majority of conservative
834
01:15:20,427 --> 01:15:25,088
and Bolshevik deputies in the Congress
835
01:15:26,075 --> 01:15:28,696
had rejected a resolution that Gorbachev,
836
01:15:28,892 --> 01:15:32,460
the reformer-in-chief himself,
837
01:15:33,300 --> 01:15:34,884
had allowed to be put to the vote.
838
01:15:34,909 --> 01:15:38,949
It was as if they rejected Gorbachev.
839
01:15:39,784 --> 01:15:42,534
Gorbachev realised all this
840
01:15:42,909 --> 01:15:47,784
and proposed to continue the work
so that it became an open-ended process.
841
01:15:48,325 --> 01:15:50,492
Yakovlev behaved honourably and refused.
842
01:15:52,534 --> 01:15:55,242
Maybe his reply isn’t in the transcripts -
843
01:15:55,325 --> 01:15:59,200
I've checked, and things are missing.
844
01:16:00,200 --> 01:16:05,159
Yakovlev definitely did say:
"No, I've fulfilled my task.
845
01:16:06,033 --> 01:16:11,033
We presented the draft resolution
846
01:16:12,617 --> 01:16:17,617
and I don't see any reason to rework it.
847
01:16:18,534 --> 01:16:21,284
We’ve done our task
848
01:16:21,701 --> 01:16:25,075
and I won't work on it any more."
849
01:16:28,033 --> 01:16:31,659
So then we needed some sort of...
850
01:16:36,617 --> 01:16:38,284
...miracle
851
01:16:38,950 --> 01:16:40,950
...and a miracle occurred -
852
01:16:42,242 --> 01:16:47,242
an old man came up to the speakers' stand.
853
01:16:48,950 --> 01:16:51,868
Where had he sprung from?
He wasn't a deputy.
854
01:16:52,950 --> 01:16:54,409
Who let him in?
855
01:16:55,409 --> 01:16:58,950
Perhaps they had kept him backstage,
just in case of an emergency.
856
01:16:59,200 --> 01:17:02,576
And it just so happened
that there was an emergency.
857
01:17:02,950 --> 01:17:06,868
I remember vividly
seeing him come up to the microphone
858
01:17:08,117 --> 01:17:10,659
although it seemed to me
that he went up to the podium,
859
01:17:10,701 --> 01:17:13,949
but my colleague Sličytė says,
860
01:17:14,460 --> 01:17:20,976
"No, he was in the auditorium,
among the deputies, close to the podium".
861
01:17:21,452 --> 01:17:24,200
Anyway, he somehow managed
to get hold of the microphone,
862
01:17:24,868 --> 01:17:27,909
and said "I know something
about this matter.
863
01:17:28,950 --> 01:17:32,367
I'm an archivist" - or maybe he said
"I was an archivist"...
864
01:17:33,540 --> 01:17:37,689
"I know the whereabouts
of the document
865
01:17:38,210 --> 01:17:41,110
about the transfer of these protocols
866
01:17:41,659 --> 01:17:44,576
to Molotov's secret archive.
867
01:17:45,868 --> 01:17:50,576
I remember these documents
and their transfer,
868
01:17:51,018 --> 01:17:57,276
and I know that there is a certificate
recording the transfer of the documents.
869
01:17:58,242 --> 01:18:00,325
That's where you need to look", he said,
870
01:18:01,617 --> 01:18:04,492
as if it was news to Gorbachev and co.
871
01:18:05,826 --> 01:18:09,075
They stubbornly insisted
that the originals no longer existed,
872
01:18:09,242 --> 01:18:11,242
but the old man said that they did.
873
01:18:11,367 --> 01:18:12,950
So they went and found them.
874
01:18:27,033 --> 01:18:30,576
As soon as someone succeeds
in dividing us, there will be trouble.
875
01:18:31,617 --> 01:18:33,659
You have your autonomy...
876
01:18:33,784 --> 01:18:37,170
at work, in your city, in your republic,
877
01:18:37,376 --> 01:18:39,967
however, comrades,
we must stick together.
878
01:18:51,038 --> 01:18:52,727
We won't surrender!
879
01:18:58,451 --> 01:19:01,576
We have so many problems.
How do we solve them all?
880
01:19:01,868 --> 01:19:05,617
Some people say: "Let's end it all,
tear it all apart, let's be on our own!"
881
01:19:06,075 --> 01:19:07,442
No good will come of that idea.
882
01:19:07,492 --> 01:19:10,909
That, dear comrades,
will lead you into a historical cul-de-sac.
883
01:19:10,950 --> 01:19:11,950
We don't think so.
884
01:19:12,659 --> 01:19:14,950
That's why I want to hear from you.
885
01:19:15,242 --> 01:19:19,325
If you get full autonomy right away
and start trading at market prices...
886
01:19:19,949 --> 01:19:22,117
you‘ll fall flat on your faces!
887
01:19:22,325 --> 01:19:25,033
- That's why you shouldn't...
- We're not afraid.
888
01:19:25,803 --> 01:19:29,047
You have to be aware of the grave state
889
01:19:29,061 --> 01:19:31,177
our Federation finds itself in today,
890
01:19:31,534 --> 01:19:32,949
as well as the entire Union.
891
01:19:33,075 --> 01:19:35,784
So we can’t ignore the problems
that have built up over a long time.
892
01:19:35,950 --> 01:19:38,492
We need perestroika
to solve all these issues.
893
01:19:38,868 --> 01:19:40,242
Perestroika has laid them bare.
894
01:19:40,285 --> 01:19:43,302
Could you have raised these questions
anytime in the past?
895
01:19:43,367 --> 01:19:44,784
No, never.
896
01:19:44,909 --> 01:19:48,117
What’s more, if you did dare ask anything,
you knew what would become of you.
897
01:19:48,200 --> 01:19:49,909
Moscow doesn't want perestroika.
898
01:19:50,949 --> 01:19:54,451
We must move out from the communal flat
and live in separate cottages.
899
01:19:54,742 --> 01:19:57,784
That's why we need
a completely different Federation.
900
01:19:57,949 --> 01:20:01,527
We can’t lose faith now, we mustn’t doubt
901
01:20:01,597 --> 01:20:04,448
that we can come to an agreement.
902
01:20:04,467 --> 01:20:06,133
We mustn't abandon our Union.
903
01:20:06,242 --> 01:20:08,451
Where would you run to?
Why would you run?
904
01:20:08,868 --> 01:20:11,492
That's what you should think about,
so do give it some thought.
905
01:20:12,117 --> 01:20:13,117
All the best.
906
01:20:15,916 --> 01:20:18,524
Welcome to the leader of the friendly
neighbouring state!
907
01:20:21,534 --> 01:20:23,200
Freedom and independence for Lithuania!
908
01:20:40,909 --> 01:20:43,659
We don't need more rights,
we need full independence!
909
01:20:45,492 --> 01:20:48,868
We don't need more rights,
we need full independence.
910
01:20:48,950 --> 01:20:49,992
From whom?
911
01:20:50,075 --> 01:20:52,617
- Who instructed you to do this?
- I wrote it myself.
912
01:20:52,659 --> 01:20:53,909
- You personally?
- Yes, me personally.
913
01:20:53,950 --> 01:20:55,950
- Where do you work?
- Here, at the factory.
914
01:20:55,992 --> 01:20:57,949
- What's your job?
- I'm a metal worker.
915
01:20:58,033 --> 01:20:59,033
A metal worker?
916
01:20:59,075 --> 01:21:01,826
- And you can write so well?
- What do you think?
917
01:21:02,909 --> 01:21:06,617
Do you think we Lithuanians
can't write in Russian?
918
01:21:07,868 --> 01:21:11,367
We can write and read
and speak Russian!
919
01:21:11,451 --> 01:21:15,117
Unlike the local Russians who can't even
utter a single word in our language!
920
01:21:15,179 --> 01:21:17,067
I understand Lithuanian!
921
01:21:17,145 --> 01:21:18,506
I'm Russian.
922
01:21:21,336 --> 01:21:22,430
[...] unity!
923
01:21:22,742 --> 01:21:24,949
What's the difference?
You're Lithuanian, I'm Russian?
924
01:21:25,200 --> 01:21:27,492
What’s your vision of your independence?
925
01:21:27,576 --> 01:21:30,826
I was born in an independent Lithuania
and my vision is to die in a free land.
926
01:21:31,992 --> 01:21:35,825
Fine, but how you see this independence?
927
01:21:35,826 --> 01:21:38,659
I imagine that, just like Lenin said,
928
01:21:38,784 --> 01:21:41,325
no one nation should dictate to another
929
01:21:41,367 --> 01:21:42,992
and then we shall have our independence.
930
01:21:49,217 --> 01:21:50,721
Gorbachev!
931
01:21:51,000 --> 01:21:52,299
Gorbachev!
932
01:21:57,076 --> 01:21:59,241
If the working class,
the farmers, the intellectuals,
933
01:21:59,266 --> 01:22:01,985
preserve, improve and develop
934
01:22:02,096 --> 01:22:04,250
their economy, their lives,
their cities and so on,
935
01:22:04,733 --> 01:22:06,733
there’s no problem - the dust will settle,
936
01:22:07,157 --> 01:22:09,532
and all these opportunist types
will break their necks.
937
01:22:10,456 --> 01:22:12,693
If everything turns out just as I say
938
01:22:12,875 --> 01:22:14,350
we shall overcome all obstacles.
939
01:22:15,299 --> 01:22:16,634
We shall overcome all obstacles.
940
01:22:16,745 --> 01:22:19,579
Remember what I say and spread the word.
941
01:22:20,675 --> 01:22:22,259
Give him our support!
942
01:22:22,750 --> 01:22:25,417
Why have you come to scare us
instead of trying to understand?
943
01:22:27,488 --> 01:22:30,571
Independence for Lithuania
we need your understanding and respect.
944
01:22:31,130 --> 01:22:32,921
We are for an independent Lithuanian CP.
945
01:22:33,385 --> 01:22:37,843
A farmer without land -
a village without a future!
946
01:22:38,134 --> 01:22:39,759
Our aim - independent Lithuania!
947
01:22:39,801 --> 01:22:42,092
Ok, I’ve read all your slogans.
You can relax!
948
01:22:43,213 --> 01:22:46,046
He says your arms will get tired
if you keep holding them up…
949
01:22:46,128 --> 01:22:49,504
I’ve read them, now come down here,
and we can have a discussion.
950
01:22:50,259 --> 01:22:53,467
“Freedom...” I've already read that one,
thank you.
951
01:22:53,509 --> 01:22:55,425
That's it, you've done your task.
952
01:22:56,842 --> 01:22:59,300
I don’t think Sąjūdis people are lepers,
953
01:22:59,467 --> 01:23:04,300
but there are some destructive elements
within the organisation.
954
01:23:04,467 --> 01:23:08,384
But in principle, this movement
is engaging with
955
01:23:08,467 --> 01:23:10,884
wide social circles in Lithuania.
956
01:23:11,009 --> 01:23:14,300
Representatives of other nationalities
are also involved.
957
01:23:14,342 --> 01:23:16,592
I'm realistic, I’m fine with that,
958
01:23:17,217 --> 01:23:22,217
as long as Sąjūdis seeks a way forward,
959
01:23:23,533 --> 01:23:26,200
tries to improve perestroika
and make it more dynamic,
960
01:23:26,259 --> 01:23:30,968
to enhance life within the nation
and the relationship between the nations.
961
01:23:31,009 --> 01:23:34,759
But, if Sąjūdis tries to stir people up,
to ignite violence,
962
01:23:34,834 --> 01:23:37,208
it will get what it deserves from me.
963
01:23:37,300 --> 01:23:38,425
We will not allow it.
964
01:23:39,519 --> 01:23:41,049
- Thank you.
- Good bye.
965
01:23:49,926 --> 01:23:52,009
Mikhail Gorbachev has the floor.
966
01:24:00,217 --> 01:24:03,467
I hope this is not the last applause
I receive here.
967
01:24:12,205 --> 01:24:14,581
Freedom!
968
01:24:24,162 --> 01:24:25,662
Occupation is Lithuania’s tragedy.
969
01:24:30,050 --> 01:24:34,634
Mikhail Sergeyevich, give us back
what Stalin stole -
970
01:24:35,926 --> 01:24:37,717
our Lithuanian statehood!
971
01:24:37,842 --> 01:24:40,467
Your comrades are roaming round Lithuania
972
01:24:40,509 --> 01:24:43,551
to advocate for the Russian empire.
973
01:24:43,759 --> 01:24:45,384
We don't need the empire!
974
01:24:45,551 --> 01:24:50,384
We don't need a prison of nations
dressed up in pretty colours!
975
01:24:51,049 --> 01:24:53,259
Freedom for Lithuania!
976
01:24:53,842 --> 01:24:57,634
Russia has on its conscience many crimes
committed against Lithuania.
977
01:24:58,092 --> 01:25:02,175
However, Lithuanians don't want to live
in permanent hostility with Russia.
978
01:25:02,425 --> 01:25:06,132
If the former foes in western Europe
could make peace with each other,
979
01:25:06,133 --> 01:25:11,133
then peace between Lithuania and Russia
mainly rests on you, Mikhail Sergeyevich.
980
01:25:11,592 --> 01:25:13,968
It's in Russia's best interests
981
01:25:14,050 --> 01:25:17,425
to make radical changes
to the foreign policy developed by Stalin,
982
01:25:17,467 --> 01:25:19,467
in particular,
the policy towards Lithuania.
983
01:25:20,217 --> 01:25:24,384
Even when Gorbachev came
in January of that same year [1990]
984
01:25:26,842 --> 01:25:30,319
we gave him a friendly reception.
985
01:25:30,382 --> 01:25:35,215
I'm not talking about his meeting
with party members,
986
01:25:36,425 --> 01:25:39,038
but Sąjūdis was ready to greet him.
987
01:25:41,265 --> 01:25:43,437
We called a massive rally,
988
01:25:43,509 --> 01:25:46,092
Cathedral Square
was overflowing with people
989
01:25:46,217 --> 01:25:48,217
who’d come to meet Gorbachev.
990
01:25:48,717 --> 01:25:52,847
Gorbachev came as a VIP,
991
01:25:52,939 --> 01:25:55,003
a positive character,
992
01:25:55,300 --> 01:25:58,050
the leader of the neighbouring country.
993
01:26:00,050 --> 01:26:01,384
However, he was deeply offended.
994
01:26:02,926 --> 01:26:06,717
But we made our attitude clear:
995
01:26:08,049 --> 01:26:11,359
he's a revered,
996
01:26:11,554 --> 01:26:14,783
respected reformer etc.
997
01:26:15,050 --> 01:26:18,092
He is the head of another state.
998
01:26:19,009 --> 01:26:21,842
He called it all "professors' scheming".
999
01:26:22,563 --> 01:26:24,572
We should stop this scheming...
1000
01:26:24,676 --> 01:26:28,133
Yes, that we were impudent and so on...
1001
01:26:28,842 --> 01:26:33,217
Of course, we were anticipating events
1002
01:26:34,425 --> 01:26:38,133
but after March 11
independence was enshrined in law.
1003
01:26:46,525 --> 01:26:47,762
Sąjūdis!
1004
01:26:53,814 --> 01:26:55,140
Freedom for Lithuania!
1005
01:26:55,956 --> 01:26:57,366
Hurrah!
1006
01:26:57,603 --> 01:26:58,803
Don't betray, lads!
1007
01:27:03,273 --> 01:27:04,300
Don’t betray!
1008
01:27:04,551 --> 01:27:06,133
Don't betray!
1009
01:27:40,020 --> 01:27:42,462
Congratulations!
Independence today!
1010
01:28:05,280 --> 01:28:07,363
Deputies, please take your seats.
1011
01:28:10,592 --> 01:28:15,592
Firstly, we need to check
if we have a quorum.
1012
01:28:17,842 --> 01:28:19,175
Please count.
1013
01:28:30,968 --> 01:28:33,049
There are 129 deputies.
1014
01:28:35,009 --> 01:28:37,676
Another one's just arrived.
We have 130.
1015
01:28:38,509 --> 01:28:41,049
130 deputies.
1016
01:28:42,884 --> 01:28:46,217
We have a quorum.
We can start.
1017
01:28:48,425 --> 01:28:51,509
Dear deputies, the next item on the agenda
1018
01:28:51,717 --> 01:28:56,717
is to propose candidates for the post
of Chairman of the Supreme Council.
1019
01:28:59,259 --> 01:29:01,342
We're waiting for proposals.
1020
01:29:07,050 --> 01:29:07,884
Please.
1021
01:29:07,926 --> 01:29:10,342
I would like to nominate R. Ozolas
1022
01:29:10,605 --> 01:29:13,480
for this highly responsible post.
1023
01:29:13,884 --> 01:29:16,217
I think the fact that he's a philosopher
1024
01:29:16,259 --> 01:29:19,259
would be a positive benefit,
1025
01:29:19,300 --> 01:29:22,092
helping him take a democratic approach
1026
01:29:22,137 --> 01:29:25,176
towards all the people of Lithuania
and all political parties.
1027
01:29:25,509 --> 01:29:28,634
I suggest nominations should be made
from the podium.
1028
01:29:28,717 --> 01:29:31,217
This is a serious matter and...
1029
01:29:38,425 --> 01:29:39,842
Honourable Chairman,
1030
01:29:41,021 --> 01:29:42,271
dear Deputies.
1031
01:29:43,551 --> 01:29:47,801
I propose the Chairman
1032
01:29:50,884 --> 01:29:52,884
of the Seimas Council of Sąjūdis,
1033
01:29:52,926 --> 01:29:56,467
V. Landsbergis.
1034
01:29:56,634 --> 01:30:00,884
I’ll present the reasons for my candidacy
later.
1035
01:30:06,491 --> 01:30:09,592
Leaving questions of party loyalty
and ambition aside,
1036
01:30:09,634 --> 01:30:11,592
but using a bit of peasant wisdom,
1037
01:30:11,717 --> 01:30:14,884
and taking into account our present
and future situation,
1038
01:30:15,425 --> 01:30:20,259
I reckon we need a calm, experienced,
tolerant farmer with strong nerves,
1039
01:30:20,634 --> 01:30:25,634
who could unite worker bees
and queen bees and all other bees.
1040
01:30:27,717 --> 01:30:30,926
Allow me to say that I can see
just such a farmer here today,
1041
01:30:31,050 --> 01:30:35,551
in the respected figure
of A. Brazauskas.
1042
01:30:35,842 --> 01:30:40,842
Moreover, we can't ignore
the 100 000 spontaneous signatures
1043
01:30:41,968 --> 01:30:45,092
that were collected
in support of his candidacy.
1044
01:30:45,175 --> 01:30:46,551
Thank you for your attention.
1045
01:30:48,884 --> 01:30:52,509
If I remember correctly,
we also need the agreement.
1046
01:30:53,592 --> 01:30:56,050
Please, honourable Mr Brazauskas.
1047
01:30:56,611 --> 01:30:59,131
Yes, I agree.
Do I need to speak now?
1048
01:30:59,306 --> 01:31:01,161
No, later on.
1049
01:31:05,049 --> 01:31:07,973
Now, honourable Mr Landsbergis,
please stand up.
1050
01:31:07,998 --> 01:31:10,123
I am willing to run for election.
1051
01:31:16,551 --> 01:31:18,175
Quiet please.
1052
01:31:19,634 --> 01:31:22,259
Now, honourable Mr Ozolas.
1053
01:31:22,926 --> 01:31:24,801
There should be only one round of voting,
1054
01:31:25,676 --> 01:31:28,425
so I withdraw my candidacy,
thank you.
1055
01:31:29,166 --> 01:31:33,133
Two candidates for the post
of Chairman of the Supreme Council.
1056
01:31:35,133 --> 01:31:37,926
The ballot will be secret.
1057
01:32:39,551 --> 01:32:40,634
Lithuania!
1058
01:32:41,133 --> 01:32:42,551
Lithuania!
1059
01:32:56,801 --> 01:32:59,049
Don't let Brazauskas humiliate Lithuania!
1060
01:32:59,968 --> 01:33:03,801
According to para 2.1 of the regulations
1061
01:33:04,342 --> 01:33:09,009
of the Supreme Council
of the Lithuanian SSR,
1062
01:33:09,362 --> 01:33:15,651
V. Landsbergis is elected as the Chairman
of the Supreme Council of Lithuanian SSR.
1063
01:33:19,584 --> 01:33:23,251
Congratulations
to the honourable V. Landsbergis.
1064
01:33:25,525 --> 01:33:28,899
Please come and take your seat.
1065
01:34:10,133 --> 01:34:14,259
Frankly, I don’t quite know
how to address you,
1066
01:34:15,425 --> 01:34:19,049
dear deputies, colleagues, peers,
1067
01:34:19,676 --> 01:34:22,050
but you are even more than that -
1068
01:34:22,384 --> 01:34:25,842
it seems that there is much more to say.
1069
01:34:26,968 --> 01:34:31,425
We are in some sense partners,
people who share the same destiny.
1070
01:34:32,300 --> 01:34:37,049
The destiny of our country
has united us at this very time,
1071
01:34:38,842 --> 01:34:41,551
on this very land.
1072
01:34:44,676 --> 01:34:48,137
You have chosen one among you
1073
01:34:49,418 --> 01:34:52,425
to hold this more prominent position,
to take on this more complicated role.
1074
01:34:54,676 --> 01:34:56,884
Someone had to be nominated
1075
01:34:57,842 --> 01:35:00,049
so that we can work
as a parliament
1076
01:35:00,092 --> 01:35:03,009
and complete the tasks
we were elected to perform.
1077
01:35:24,950 --> 01:35:27,505
Everybody liked him,
he fought off everyone.
1078
01:35:27,889 --> 01:35:30,293
People attacked him, but he's very good...
1079
01:35:41,633 --> 01:35:44,131
...he got Sąjūdis back on track.
1080
01:35:52,801 --> 01:35:57,801
I call upon you to vote
in a spirit of unity,
1081
01:35:58,676 --> 01:36:01,259
so that we get
a two thirds majority.
1082
01:36:01,342 --> 01:36:03,384
Who is for this law
1083
01:36:03,425 --> 01:36:06,009
concerning the name of our state
and its coat of arms?
1084
01:36:22,643 --> 01:36:23,648
Against?
1085
01:36:28,278 --> 01:36:29,444
Abstentions?
1086
01:36:31,918 --> 01:36:32,918
None.
1087
01:36:35,092 --> 01:36:37,842
The count is 133.
1088
01:36:38,425 --> 01:36:42,342
The Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania
1089
01:36:42,441 --> 01:36:46,730
passed this law with 133 votes for,
1090
01:36:47,742 --> 01:36:52,535
no votes against
and no abstentions.
1091
01:37:27,712 --> 01:37:31,940
J. Bieliauskienė, former political prisoner
1092
01:37:32,011 --> 01:37:35,168
and social activist, has the floor.
1093
01:37:42,050 --> 01:37:46,968
I call you to embrace unity, forgiveness
and the spirit of repentance.
1094
01:37:47,009 --> 01:37:51,092
Without repentance,
without accepting one's own guilt,
1095
01:37:51,133 --> 01:37:53,049
there can be no forgiveness.
1096
01:37:53,175 --> 01:37:57,175
First of all, I need forgiveness
from my own conscience.
1097
01:37:57,842 --> 01:38:00,509
I want to assure
the honourable Chairman,
1098
01:38:00,551 --> 01:38:03,884
the honourable Presidium
and the free Parliament
1099
01:38:04,009 --> 01:38:06,801
that there's nothing to fear -
we are strong,
1100
01:38:06,968 --> 01:38:11,384
we are surrounded
by myriads of our martyrs,
1101
01:38:11,551 --> 01:38:13,717
our heroes, our fighters,
1102
01:38:13,884 --> 01:38:16,634
who have paid for our freedom
with their blood.
1103
01:38:16,884 --> 01:38:18,833
For non-believers,
they can serve as an example,
1104
01:38:18,953 --> 01:38:21,050
to believers they are
a great mystical power,
1105
01:38:21,175 --> 01:38:24,968
they are our comrades-in-arms,
they keep vigil on our path to freedom,
1106
01:38:25,050 --> 01:38:27,089
they will help us to remain united,
1107
01:38:27,166 --> 01:38:29,854
to overcome even the greatest hardships.
1108
01:38:30,009 --> 01:38:31,634
Thank you for your attention.
1109
01:38:31,842 --> 01:38:35,300
Let's be united, noble
and we will remain free.
1110
01:38:47,890 --> 01:38:50,050
Thank you, Jadvyga Bieliauskienė.
1111
01:38:50,551 --> 01:38:55,509
It seems that Mother Lithuania
has just spoken through her lips.
1112
01:38:55,936 --> 01:38:57,167
Lithuania!
1113
01:38:57,709 --> 01:38:59,170
Lithuania!
1114
01:39:55,175 --> 01:39:59,968
The Act of The Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania
1115
01:40:01,133 --> 01:40:04,801
on the restoration of
the independent state:
1116
01:40:07,175 --> 01:40:10,009
in accordance with the will of the nation,
1117
01:40:11,300 --> 01:40:13,300
the Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania,
1118
01:40:14,217 --> 01:40:16,842
decrees and solemnly proclaims
1119
01:40:17,525 --> 01:40:22,525
the restoration of the sovereign powers
of the Lithuanian state,
1120
01:40:23,175 --> 01:40:28,175
that were taken away
by foreign powers in 1940,
1121
01:40:29,049 --> 01:40:33,175
and from henceforth Lithuania
is once again an independent state.
1122
01:40:34,926 --> 01:40:36,957
The Independence Act
1123
01:40:36,988 --> 01:40:41,738
passed by the Lithuanian Council
on Feb 16, 1918,
1124
01:40:42,759 --> 01:40:47,759
and the resolution on the restoration
of the Lithuanian state
1125
01:40:47,917 --> 01:40:52,453
passed by the Constituent Assembly
of Lithuania on May 15, 1920
1126
01:40:52,732 --> 01:40:55,357
never lost their legal power
1127
01:40:55,794 --> 01:40:59,627
and are the foundation of the Constitution
of the Lithuanian State.
1128
01:41:01,467 --> 01:41:05,384
The territory of the Lithuanian State
is integral and undivided.
1129
01:41:05,759 --> 01:41:09,425
Constitutions of other states
have no legal power here.
1130
01:41:50,217 --> 01:41:52,717
- Tomaševičius.
- Abstained.
1131
01:41:53,050 --> 01:41:55,050
- Tupikas.
- For.
1132
01:41:55,342 --> 01:41:57,467
- Ulba.
- For.
1133
01:41:58,259 --> 01:42:00,092
- Uoka.
- For.
1134
01:42:00,842 --> 01:42:02,968
- Vagnorius.
- For.
1135
01:42:03,592 --> 01:42:05,717
- Vaišvila.
- For.
1136
01:42:06,467 --> 01:42:08,801
- Vaitiekūnas.
- For.
1137
01:42:09,344 --> 01:42:11,427
- Valatka.
- For.
1138
01:42:12,034 --> 01:42:14,201
- Valionytė.
- For.
1139
01:42:14,768 --> 01:42:17,603
- Varanauskas.
- For.
1140
01:42:18,300 --> 01:42:20,633
- Vilkas.
- For.
1141
01:42:21,272 --> 01:42:23,397
- Zingeris.
- For.
1142
01:42:24,018 --> 01:42:26,102
- Žalys.
- For.
1143
01:42:27,092 --> 01:42:29,509
- Žiemelis.
- For.
1144
01:42:30,149 --> 01:42:32,358
- Kropas.
- For.
1145
01:42:34,425 --> 01:42:39,425
124 deputies have voted for this act.
1146
01:42:40,204 --> 01:42:41,995
No votes against.
1147
01:42:42,634 --> 01:42:44,884
There were six abstentions.
1148
01:42:44,968 --> 01:42:46,467
The act has been passed.
1149
01:42:46,551 --> 01:42:50,092
I salute the Supreme Council,
I salute Lithuania.
1150
01:43:16,677 --> 01:43:21,469
Lithuania, our dear homeland.
1151
01:43:22,022 --> 01:43:26,617
Land of worthy heroes!
1152
01:43:27,580 --> 01:43:32,580
May your sons draw strength
1153
01:43:33,509 --> 01:43:38,509
from the past.
1154
01:43:39,801 --> 01:43:44,801
May your children always
1155
01:43:45,579 --> 01:43:50,579
choose the paths of virtue
1156
01:43:51,348 --> 01:43:56,348
may they work for their own good
1157
01:43:57,175 --> 01:44:01,049
and the good of all the people.
1158
01:44:21,466 --> 01:44:23,000
Lithuania!
1159
01:44:53,539 --> 01:44:54,935
Thank you!
1160
01:44:56,265 --> 01:44:58,017
Thank you!
1161
01:45:27,717 --> 01:45:29,307
The day after the vote on independence.
1162
01:45:30,041 --> 01:45:35,135
Brazauskas was flying to Moscow.
1163
01:45:35,968 --> 01:45:38,133
He gave a very significant reply
1164
01:45:40,259 --> 01:45:42,801
to Bill Keller
1165
01:45:45,300 --> 01:45:48,370
from the New York Times,
1166
01:45:50,394 --> 01:45:51,777
who asked him,
1167
01:45:53,133 --> 01:45:56,551
"What's your reaction
to yesterday's events?"
1168
01:45:57,426 --> 01:46:01,300
Brazauskas was candid,
he said, "Things will end badly,
1169
01:46:03,050 --> 01:46:05,634
we'll get into great difficulties".
1170
01:46:08,717 --> 01:46:13,717
The American was taken aback:
“But you voted for it.”
1171
01:46:14,759 --> 01:46:17,968
Brazauskas explained:
"We had no choice",
1172
01:46:21,842 --> 01:46:25,676
meaning that they felt morally obliged
to vote for it [independence].
1173
01:46:25,801 --> 01:46:27,551
Nobody was holding a gun to their heads -
1174
01:46:27,801 --> 01:46:30,968
but the prospect of public disapproval
1175
01:46:32,342 --> 01:46:37,342
was so unpleasant, so unappealing,
1176
01:46:37,467 --> 01:46:39,044
that they didn't dare oppose
1177
01:46:39,701 --> 01:46:44,677
the people’s will for independence.
1178
01:46:46,662 --> 01:46:51,162
They proposed various manoeuvres:
1179
01:46:51,509 --> 01:46:56,525
“we too want independence, but later,
and not the way you're going about it -
1180
01:46:56,968 --> 01:47:00,551
but differently,
not the way you're doing it -
1181
01:47:00,717 --> 01:47:04,133
out of the blue, with no prior notice,
and without permission".
1182
01:47:04,801 --> 01:47:08,634
But we knew that neither Gorbachev
1183
01:47:09,009 --> 01:47:12,509
nor Moscow would give prior permission.
1184
01:47:20,384 --> 01:47:23,133
For the Congress of People's Deputies,
1185
01:47:23,926 --> 01:47:28,926
the decisions of the Supreme Council
of the Lithuanian SSR
1186
01:47:29,050 --> 01:47:32,425
have no legal authority.
1187
01:47:33,050 --> 01:47:36,676
The USSR Congress
of People's Deputies decrees,
1188
01:47:37,592 --> 01:47:42,592
according to article 73 para 11
1189
01:47:43,009 --> 01:47:47,717
and article 108 of the USSR Constitution,
1190
01:47:48,342 --> 01:47:52,509
that the legislative acts of March 12,
1191
01:47:52,968 --> 01:47:56,467
passed by the Supreme Soviet
of the Lithuanian SSR
1192
01:47:56,801 --> 01:48:00,342
on the restoration of the independence
of the Lithuanian state
1193
01:48:00,467 --> 01:48:05,467
and on the repeal of the USSR Constitution
on the territory of the LSSR
1194
01:48:06,050 --> 01:48:07,968
are null and void.
1195
01:48:10,717 --> 01:48:13,551
What does this decree mean?
1196
01:48:13,926 --> 01:48:18,133
Does it mean that we defy
1197
01:48:19,259 --> 01:48:23,842
the will of the people of the Republic,
1198
01:48:24,259 --> 01:48:29,259
who constitutionally elected
1199
01:48:30,009 --> 01:48:33,759
the supreme institution of state authority
in the republic?
1200
01:48:34,425 --> 01:48:36,342
What shall we do
1201
01:48:37,009 --> 01:48:40,884
if these people
insist on having it their own way?
1202
01:48:42,050 --> 01:48:44,092
What measures do you suggest we take?
1203
01:48:44,801 --> 01:48:47,217
To pass such a decree in the Congress
1204
01:48:47,342 --> 01:48:50,133
without the deputies seeing the documents
1205
01:48:50,300 --> 01:48:52,884
passed by Lithuania’s Supreme Soviet,
1206
01:48:53,049 --> 01:48:56,049
and moreover...
no, we haven't received them.
1207
01:48:56,425 --> 01:48:57,425
...moreover,
1208
01:48:59,537 --> 01:49:02,954
on the first day,
according to what I heard,
1209
01:49:03,049 --> 01:49:06,745
the authorities were told
to investigate the situation
1210
01:49:06,770 --> 01:49:09,107
and to report their findings -
we haven't heard the report.
1211
01:49:09,229 --> 01:49:11,646
To pass such a decree is very risky.
1212
01:49:12,634 --> 01:49:15,425
I wouldn't like it if Kaliningrad region
1213
01:49:15,509 --> 01:49:20,509
was cut off by this new potential source
of military confrontation.
1214
01:49:21,050 --> 01:49:23,759
And if force is used,
we perfectly understand
1215
01:49:23,884 --> 01:49:27,676
that the nation that has expressed its will
won't submit to violence.
1216
01:49:30,376 --> 01:49:34,059
When asking who benefits from
1217
01:49:34,332 --> 01:49:38,762
the separation of Lithuania from the USSR,
1218
01:49:39,092 --> 01:49:41,801
let's be frank and open.
1219
01:49:42,259 --> 01:49:46,342
We should stop trying to appease
and pity those who don't pity us.
1220
01:49:47,287 --> 01:49:51,204
In my opinion, it is to the benefit
of the political extremists,
1221
01:49:51,717 --> 01:49:54,551
who are pushing forward their agenda,
and who have already undermined
1222
01:49:54,634 --> 01:49:57,968
party and state power
in the Lithuanian Republic.
1223
01:49:58,509 --> 01:50:00,551
But it’s of no benefit to the Lithuanians.
1224
01:50:01,133 --> 01:50:06,133
It’s a betrayal of the defenders
of Soviet Lithuania, both living and dead.
1225
01:50:06,926 --> 01:50:10,342
I take it as a stab in the back
of our entire Soviet people,
1226
01:50:10,425 --> 01:50:12,425
it's a stab in the back of perestroika,
1227
01:50:12,592 --> 01:50:17,592
it’s a blow against the economic
and political reforms in our country.
1228
01:50:19,592 --> 01:50:23,425
I suggest we postpone the decision.
1229
01:50:24,384 --> 01:50:26,049
Why? Let me explain.
1230
01:50:26,133 --> 01:50:29,049
Firstly, the procedure's wrong.
1231
01:50:30,049 --> 01:50:34,259
Although Lithuanian delegates have
observers’ rights,
1232
01:50:34,384 --> 01:50:37,801
they didn't know
that this issue would be discussed.
1233
01:50:37,842 --> 01:50:42,842
Most of them aren’t here.
1234
01:50:43,551 --> 01:50:44,717
That's my first point.
1235
01:50:45,050 --> 01:50:46,884
You may disagree with me.
1236
01:50:47,307 --> 01:50:49,282
Secondly,
1237
01:50:50,048 --> 01:50:53,603
I am sure that hasty resolutions
1238
01:50:53,676 --> 01:50:58,509
and hasty actions,
perhaps also taken by the Lithuanian side,
1239
01:50:59,217 --> 01:51:02,522
would only block the way towards finding
1240
01:51:02,569 --> 01:51:05,780
a constructive solution in the future.
1241
01:51:08,050 --> 01:51:10,759
In Lithuania, as in Belarus and Russia,
1242
01:51:11,801 --> 01:51:14,551
they drink brine to cure a bad hangover.
1243
01:51:14,968 --> 01:51:17,676
But brine can’t cure political hangovers.
1244
01:51:18,057 --> 01:51:21,308
Allow me to express my indignation
1245
01:51:21,884 --> 01:51:23,342
at the lack of respect
1246
01:51:23,384 --> 01:51:26,384
shown to the 3rd Congress
of Peoples' Deputies,
1247
01:51:26,766 --> 01:51:30,500
by Landsbergis,
the newly elected chairman
1248
01:51:30,603 --> 01:51:34,189
of the Supreme Council of Lithuania.
1249
01:51:34,274 --> 01:51:37,300
He has failed to show up
1250
01:51:38,049 --> 01:51:42,519
and is unwilling to put his demands
1251
01:51:42,759 --> 01:51:45,497
to the USSR directly.
1252
01:51:53,009 --> 01:51:55,300
In accordance with article 176,
1253
01:51:55,592 --> 01:51:58,259
I'd like to ask the leader
of the Lithuanian delegation
1254
01:51:58,384 --> 01:52:01,592
to give an explanation regarding
a matter that disturbs me immensely.
1255
01:52:01,884 --> 01:52:05,049
If my memory doesn't fail me -
and there’s nothing wrong with my memory -
1256
01:52:05,342 --> 01:52:09,676
it states in the 4th volume
of the Great Soviet Encyclopaedia
1257
01:52:09,842 --> 01:52:14,050
that only 5% of the population of Vilnius
is Lithuanian.
1258
01:52:14,384 --> 01:52:17,091
The Soviet of Nationalities
1259
01:52:17,092 --> 01:52:20,634
and the Committee
of Constitutional control
1260
01:52:20,676 --> 01:52:23,509
must examine the legal grounds
1261
01:52:23,686 --> 01:52:28,103
on which the capital city of Vilnius may
eventually break away from Lithuania.
1262
01:52:28,425 --> 01:52:31,717
If that happens, what kind of farm yard
1263
01:52:31,842 --> 01:52:36,133
do they propose to use as a venue
for talks with the great Soviet Union?
1264
01:52:45,050 --> 01:52:49,005
Until a law is passed on the process
1265
01:52:49,067 --> 01:52:52,427
of separation from the USSR
1266
01:52:52,634 --> 01:52:55,217
and the conduct of a referendum
in the republic,
1267
01:52:55,717 --> 01:53:00,217
we should enforce direct presidential rule
on the territory of Lithuania.
1268
01:53:00,592 --> 01:53:04,259
And in that way we would ensure
the protection of the USSR’s interests
1269
01:53:04,300 --> 01:53:08,217
in the given territory.
1270
01:53:14,842 --> 01:53:17,884
I'd like to proceed from the discussion
1271
01:53:18,926 --> 01:53:21,676
we had at the start of the Congress.
1272
01:53:23,009 --> 01:53:26,300
The Congress and all of us here
express the will of the Soviet people
1273
01:53:26,676 --> 01:53:29,509
in declaring our respect
for the Lithuanian nation.
1274
01:53:30,046 --> 01:53:33,129
We are able to distinguish between the
Lithuanian people and those individuals
1275
01:53:33,154 --> 01:53:35,453
who are pushing the nation
into a historical cul-de-sac,
1276
01:53:35,884 --> 01:53:40,884
and endangering the fate of the people.
1277
01:53:41,794 --> 01:53:43,250
They put the people in danger.
1278
01:53:44,259 --> 01:53:47,467
We have to help
both the Lithuanian people
1279
01:53:47,634 --> 01:53:49,509
and many of those
1280
01:53:49,551 --> 01:53:54,092
who are today involved
in making these decisions,
1281
01:53:54,259 --> 01:53:58,050
which... some of which we know about,
although not all of them.
1282
01:53:58,217 --> 01:53:59,968
These people need to come to their senses.
1283
01:54:01,884 --> 01:54:04,467
And I believe we can help them do that
1284
01:54:06,384 --> 01:54:10,717
by sticking to two essential principles:
1285
01:54:11,050 --> 01:54:13,092
by showing respect and patience,
1286
01:54:13,133 --> 01:54:18,092
but also by being firm and principled.
1287
01:54:21,300 --> 01:54:22,758
If anyone thinks
1288
01:54:22,759 --> 01:54:26,717
this issue can be solved
by simply raising a hand
1289
01:54:26,968 --> 01:54:28,842
in a hasty night-time meeting
1290
01:54:29,049 --> 01:54:33,551
instead of waiting for the next Congress,
and so on, this is a very frivolous way
1291
01:54:33,884 --> 01:54:38,884
of deciding the fate of a people,
1292
01:54:39,009 --> 01:54:41,968
and of our peoples as a whole.
It's simply irresponsible.
1293
01:54:46,010 --> 01:54:50,302
We had chosen the perfect date for this:
1294
01:54:51,009 --> 01:54:54,968
the 3rd Congress of People’s Deputies
was meeting in Moscow
1295
01:54:55,551 --> 01:54:58,551
where they were due
to elect Gorbachev president.
1296
01:54:59,217 --> 01:55:04,217
It would have been very awkward for him
to send troops into Vilnius.
1297
01:55:06,425 --> 01:55:08,717
And we had made the right choice.
1298
01:55:09,717 --> 01:55:11,451
And after three days,
1299
01:55:13,256 --> 01:55:17,668
their Congress,
the high command
1300
01:55:18,259 --> 01:55:20,217
together with Gorbachev,
1301
01:55:21,384 --> 01:55:25,259
decreed that our decisions weren’t valid.
1302
01:55:27,852 --> 01:55:31,227
But we could say
that we'd been an independent country
1303
01:55:31,592 --> 01:55:34,634
for three days already,
1304
01:55:34,968 --> 01:55:39,634
and no foreign power
had the right to declare
1305
01:55:39,717 --> 01:55:44,049
that our decisions were valid or not.
1306
01:55:44,133 --> 01:55:46,717
If anything,
their decisions were not valid,
1307
01:55:47,551 --> 01:55:49,801
or valid for them but not for Lithuania...
1308
01:55:49,926 --> 01:55:54,926
The decisions of our neighbour,
the Soviet Union,
1309
01:55:56,884 --> 01:55:59,425
were not necessarily relevant to us,
1310
01:55:59,509 --> 01:56:01,133
they weren't our decisions -
1311
01:56:01,801 --> 01:56:04,259
our decisions had already been made.
1312
01:56:19,509 --> 01:56:21,342
I'm calling from a taxi.
1313
01:56:21,467 --> 01:56:23,259
We are near Vilnius.
1314
01:56:23,634 --> 01:56:27,300
I'm a member of the information centre
of the Supreme Council.
1315
01:57:23,611 --> 01:57:26,354
A column of tanks
and armoured personnel carriers
1316
01:57:26,838 --> 01:57:31,491
were heading from the west
to Vilnius.
1317
01:57:32,092 --> 01:57:34,259
At the outskirts of Vilnius
1318
01:57:34,384 --> 01:57:38,968
they could take the turning
towards their base
1319
01:57:39,759 --> 01:57:41,551
or towards the centre of the city.
1320
01:57:42,592 --> 01:57:46,842
And they turned towards the city centre,
towards the Supreme Council!
1321
01:57:47,432 --> 01:57:52,102
We realised that our last hours
1322
01:57:52,425 --> 01:57:55,417
or minutes might have come.
1323
01:57:56,300 --> 01:58:01,300
They drove past the Supreme Council,
with their weapons cocked,
1324
01:58:02,418 --> 01:58:05,626
heavy machine guns aimed at our windows.
1325
01:58:07,049 --> 01:58:12,049
The message was loud and clear:
"Remember who you've picked a fight with!"
1326
01:58:29,467 --> 01:58:30,942
Do you know why they've occupied it?
1327
01:58:33,467 --> 01:58:35,551
They've done it because [...]
1328
01:58:36,435 --> 01:58:39,435
It’s all at the request of the CPSU.
1329
01:58:40,067 --> 01:58:43,342
This is one of the most brutal acts
1330
01:58:43,634 --> 01:58:47,133
of the Soviet army in recent times.
1331
01:58:47,717 --> 01:58:51,384
It has no legal basis whatsoever.
1332
01:58:51,467 --> 01:58:55,734
They couldn't give any answers
1333
01:58:55,806 --> 01:58:59,358
when our prosecutors asked
about the legal basis.
1334
01:59:02,217 --> 01:59:07,217
As a result of our negotiations
1335
01:59:07,701 --> 01:59:09,152
we've got a team of staff
1336
01:59:10,009 --> 01:59:15,009
who will set themselves up
tomorrow at 9.30 am
1337
01:59:15,373 --> 01:59:17,031
in the Council of Ministers
1338
01:59:18,926 --> 01:59:23,926
and will be working round the clock
in the Ministry of the Interior.
1339
01:59:24,342 --> 01:59:28,217
Do you think there'll be a coup?
1340
01:59:33,842 --> 01:59:35,217
Anything is possible.
1341
01:59:36,009 --> 01:59:40,259
The past few days have been very eventful.
1342
01:59:40,634 --> 01:59:44,592
They say that their main goal
1343
01:59:44,676 --> 01:59:49,092
is to ensure
that not a single shot is fired.
1344
01:59:59,885 --> 02:00:01,982
- I am very sorry, I won't talk.
- You will have it!
1345
02:00:02,678 --> 02:00:03,987
It will be all yours!
1346
02:00:13,384 --> 02:00:17,634
Paulauskas has illegally accepted the post
of the prosecutor for the Republic;
1347
02:00:17,801 --> 02:00:21,926
he deliberately avoids any contact
with the Prosecutor’s office of the USSR,
1348
02:00:22,092 --> 02:00:24,009
and ignores its instructions.
1349
02:00:24,551 --> 02:00:26,759
Paulauskas' behaviour
1350
02:00:27,259 --> 02:00:31,133
is a gross violation
of the constitution of the USSR,
1351
02:00:31,759 --> 02:00:35,300
and of the USSR’s law
“On The Prosecutor’s Office of the USSR”;
1352
02:00:35,384 --> 02:00:37,425
his conduct violates the ethical code
1353
02:00:37,551 --> 02:00:40,884
and is incompatible with his position
in the Prosecutor’s Office.
1354
02:00:42,050 --> 02:00:46,509
Artūras Stasevich Paulauskas
must be relieved of his post
1355
02:00:46,551 --> 02:00:50,467
as First Deputy Prosecutor
of the Lithuanian SSR;
1356
02:00:50,551 --> 02:00:52,759
he must be fired
from the Prosecutor’s Office,
1357
02:00:52,801 --> 02:00:56,300
and deprived of his rank
of senior judicial consultant.
1358
02:00:57,009 --> 02:00:59,759
Signed, Sukharev,
Prosecutor General of the SSR.
1359
02:01:02,759 --> 02:01:07,551
The grounds for sacking comrade Paulauskas
are unclear.
1360
02:01:09,926 --> 02:01:13,676
In my opinion, I've clearly and precisely
expressed the Prosecutor General’s order:
1361
02:01:13,968 --> 02:01:15,841
i.e. gross violations against the code
1362
02:01:15,842 --> 02:01:17,634
of the Constitution of the USSR,
1363
02:01:17,676 --> 02:01:20,384
violations of the law
'On The Prosecutor’s Office of the USSR’
1364
02:01:21,884 --> 02:01:25,592
and in relation to his appointment
being made in an unconstitutional way...
1365
02:01:26,717 --> 02:01:28,384
These are the grounds.
1366
02:01:28,467 --> 02:01:32,480
90 % of the Lithuanian staff
1367
02:01:32,610 --> 02:01:34,606
will resign from the Prosecutor’s Office.
1368
02:01:36,049 --> 02:01:37,801
Nobody’s irreplaceable.
1369
02:01:40,621 --> 02:01:43,704
I am a member of the Presidium
of the Supreme Council of Lithuania,
1370
02:01:43,926 --> 02:01:48,592
so I hope that, as we are in Lithuania,
you will allow me to say a few words.
1371
02:01:48,884 --> 02:01:50,884
Have I tried to prevent anyone speaking?
1372
02:01:50,968 --> 02:01:53,861
On the contrary,
I'd like to tell all comrades...
1373
02:01:53,919 --> 02:01:54,759
Please go ahead.
1374
02:01:54,801 --> 02:01:58,801
Firstly, I'd like to congratulate
my esteemed friend Paulauskas.
1375
02:01:59,050 --> 02:02:02,384
At last, after being stripped of his rank,
1376
02:02:02,676 --> 02:02:05,842
although keeping his post as prosecutor,
1377
02:02:06,342 --> 02:02:08,467
since he is, after all, a prosecutor,
1378
02:02:08,509 --> 02:02:10,342
he has finally been recognized by Moscow
1379
02:02:10,384 --> 02:02:12,717
not as a prosecutor of the USSR,
1380
02:02:12,801 --> 02:02:15,009
but as a member of the Prosecutor’s Office
of Lithuania.
1381
02:02:20,268 --> 02:02:24,702
I hope that comrade Sukharev
will do me the same honour.
1382
02:02:24,853 --> 02:02:26,043
Please pass the message on.
1383
02:02:26,926 --> 02:02:30,049
In the name of the Presidium
of the Supreme Council
1384
02:02:30,300 --> 02:02:34,717
of the Republic of Lithuania,
I regret the USSR Prosecutor's Office
1385
02:02:34,869 --> 02:02:36,658
doesn't understand that such matters
1386
02:02:36,720 --> 02:02:40,639
can only be solved by political means.
1387
02:02:41,717 --> 02:02:46,049
I regret that our guest, comrade Vasilyev
didn't see fit to introduce himself
1388
02:02:46,050 --> 02:02:48,425
to the Supreme Council of Lithuania.
1389
02:02:48,926 --> 02:02:52,592
It reminds me of the events of 1940.
1390
02:02:52,968 --> 02:02:55,050
I'd like to explain to comrade Vasilyev
1391
02:02:55,300 --> 02:02:57,509
so that he can tell comrade Sukharev,
1392
02:02:57,717 --> 02:03:00,592
that at present he is on the territory
1393
02:03:00,634 --> 02:03:02,842
of the sovereign Lithuanian State.
1394
02:03:03,050 --> 02:03:06,968
And that the orders
of the USSR Prosecutor General
1395
02:03:07,009 --> 02:03:11,501
must be characterised as interference
in the legislature of Lithuania.
1396
02:03:11,717 --> 02:03:15,133
They are therefore null and void,
and won't be recognised.
1397
02:03:15,602 --> 02:03:19,352
A group from the USSR Prosecutor’s Office
who are here now in this room,
1398
02:03:19,377 --> 02:03:20,759
recently came to visit us.
1399
02:03:20,842 --> 02:03:24,050
I thought they would behave like guests.
1400
02:03:24,551 --> 02:03:28,384
I regret that I’ll have to end my speech
in an unparliamentary fashion:
1401
02:03:28,968 --> 02:03:33,259
since I don't dare ask them to clear out,
1402
02:03:33,300 --> 02:03:34,884
I will clear out myself.
1403
02:03:34,926 --> 02:03:37,676
I’m sure that my colleagues
from the Prosecutor’s Office of Lithuania
1404
02:03:37,717 --> 02:03:39,801
will also realise that now is the moment
1405
02:03:39,842 --> 02:03:42,650
to return to their desks, and to carry on
working under the leadership
1406
02:03:42,683 --> 02:03:46,049
of the legally elected Prosecutor,
namely, Prosecutor Paulauskas.
1407
02:04:49,467 --> 02:04:51,801
Landsbergis is a cultured man,
1408
02:04:51,924 --> 02:04:53,558
he knows ten languages
1409
02:04:55,055 --> 02:05:00,551
the country needs a leader
who is educated, cultured...
1410
02:05:01,696 --> 02:05:03,772
Do you really want...
1411
02:05:03,891 --> 02:05:08,590
No, you are proud of your nation
if you act...
1412
02:05:10,384 --> 02:05:13,342
I believe that the Russian people
are very decent...
1413
02:05:16,801 --> 02:05:18,717
but we will never let them come here
1414
02:05:19,092 --> 02:05:22,425
and exterminate the memory
of the people... Never.
1415
02:05:22,634 --> 02:05:25,926
Lithuania accepts everyone,
it loves and respects everyone...
1416
02:05:26,009 --> 02:05:28,300
And we'll thrive in the Union!
1417
02:05:31,248 --> 02:05:34,745
We want Gorbachev to take charge,
1418
02:05:34,799 --> 02:05:37,618
not Landsbergis,
we don’t need Germans!
1419
02:05:43,634 --> 02:05:45,717
We liberated Lithuania, for fuck's sake,
"occupiers".
1420
02:05:48,077 --> 02:05:50,369
- You liberated Lithuania?
- Liberated Lithuania.
1421
02:05:50,469 --> 02:05:51,604
Why didn't you leave?
1422
02:05:52,300 --> 02:05:54,467
You should've told us
to leave earlier.
1423
02:05:54,509 --> 02:05:56,551
And who built all of this?
1424
02:06:00,677 --> 02:06:01,677
We did!
1425
02:06:02,598 --> 02:06:04,128
Oh, congratulations!
1426
02:06:04,538 --> 02:06:05,811
Oh, aren't you clever!
1427
02:06:06,050 --> 02:06:08,592
How am I an "occupier"?
1428
02:06:08,801 --> 02:06:10,050
How am I an "occupier"?
1429
02:06:13,968 --> 02:06:15,342
Are we to blame for this?
1430
02:06:15,384 --> 02:06:20,050
Hitler killed our people too,
so many of our people...
1431
02:06:20,300 --> 02:06:23,842
- I fought in the war myself...
- We need to resolve this peacefully...
1432
02:06:25,050 --> 02:06:26,384
With goodwill.
1433
02:06:26,592 --> 02:06:29,425
Let Lithuania separate,
but we don't need Landsbergis.
1434
02:06:30,597 --> 02:06:33,325
Comrades!
1435
02:06:37,217 --> 02:06:39,676
Long live Soviet Lithuania!
1436
02:06:44,717 --> 02:06:47,157
USSR is the road to slavery,
Lithuania is the road to freedom!
1437
02:06:55,027 --> 02:06:56,614
Come down here!
1438
02:06:57,770 --> 02:06:58,770
Scum!
1439
02:07:11,574 --> 02:07:12,638
Comrades!
1440
02:07:12,961 --> 02:07:14,458
Listen, comrades!
1441
02:07:19,759 --> 02:07:22,342
Comrades, don't give in to provocation!
1442
02:07:22,415 --> 02:07:23,415
Please calm down!
1443
02:07:28,014 --> 02:07:29,634
Wait, I'm talking to you!
1444
02:07:30,800 --> 02:07:31,900
Come here!
1445
02:07:32,020 --> 02:07:33,146
Grab him!
1446
02:07:33,205 --> 02:07:34,937
- Punch him!
- He's quick on the uptake!
1447
02:07:43,009 --> 02:07:45,759
Standing here, I realise,
1448
02:07:45,926 --> 02:07:50,049
that this is a little island,
where words like
1449
02:07:50,300 --> 02:07:52,676
“socialism”, “communism”,
1450
02:07:52,801 --> 02:07:57,217
“the Communist Party of the Soviet Union!”
are still respected.
1451
02:08:02,744 --> 02:08:04,264
We built everything!
1452
02:08:04,873 --> 02:08:07,924
I'll put it this way:
we're not dead yet, good gentlemen!
1453
02:08:08,384 --> 02:08:11,092
We didn't come to Lithuania
to make a quick buck,
1454
02:08:11,342 --> 02:08:12,842
we aren't fly-by-nights,
1455
02:08:12,968 --> 02:08:15,842
we create and defend
the well-being of the people.
1456
02:08:17,331 --> 02:08:19,769
You’ll have noticed
that there are troops here.
1457
02:08:19,842 --> 02:08:24,050
If we provoke the army,
things might escalate to the point that,
1458
02:08:24,133 --> 02:08:26,384
if I were the Minister of Defence
1459
02:08:26,425 --> 02:08:29,425
or Prime Minister Ryzhkov,
or the President,
1460
02:08:29,551 --> 02:08:32,115
I would leave
the remaining troops in Lithuania
1461
02:08:32,116 --> 02:08:36,855
under the control and command
of Prunskienė and Landsbergis.
1462
02:08:36,880 --> 02:08:40,423
Let them try to find common ground
with our troops.
1463
02:08:40,842 --> 02:08:44,592
And here, in Vilnius,
there are 600 families who are homeless.
1464
02:08:45,049 --> 02:08:48,300
I wouldn't be surprised,
if some colonel of my rank
1465
02:08:48,415 --> 02:08:50,623
overthrew the government of Landsbergis.
1466
02:08:50,717 --> 02:08:53,968
But we won't take responsibility for him.
1467
02:08:55,300 --> 02:08:59,717
They thought they could easily oust us,
1468
02:09:00,050 --> 02:09:02,092
that the factories would down tools
1469
02:09:02,801 --> 02:09:05,425
that workers would take to the streets,
1470
02:09:05,467 --> 02:09:08,050
demanding political change.
1471
02:09:08,425 --> 02:09:12,420
Incidentally, Mr Brazauskas
1472
02:09:12,740 --> 02:09:15,457
used to talk about this all the time.
1473
02:09:15,652 --> 02:09:19,318
He would gently hint that
"really we need a change of policy",
1474
02:09:20,842 --> 02:09:25,842
thus insinuating
that we needed a change of government.
1475
02:09:28,634 --> 02:09:33,634
His comrade-in-arms Juršėnas,
a deputy and an influential communist
1476
02:09:34,342 --> 02:09:36,092
in the Supreme Council,
1477
02:09:36,342 --> 02:09:39,533
put forward a proposal
1478
02:09:40,467 --> 02:09:44,968
as early as March,
1479
02:09:45,050 --> 02:09:48,301
or maybe in April, very early on,
1480
02:09:48,801 --> 02:09:52,809
a proposal to organise
presidential elections.
1481
02:09:56,049 --> 02:10:00,644
Of course, he was counting on
the immense popularity of Brazauskas.
1482
02:10:00,836 --> 02:10:04,252
And he even explained, quite candidly,
1483
02:10:04,551 --> 02:10:08,931
"it's the only way
of getting rid of Landsbergis".
1484
02:10:18,300 --> 02:10:19,968
Wow, look!
1485
02:10:38,259 --> 02:10:40,217
That's nothing, don't worry!
1486
02:10:45,484 --> 02:10:47,446
Shame!
1487
02:11:13,342 --> 02:11:16,801
Don't worry, they'll soon run out
of that trash they're dropping.
1488
02:11:33,828 --> 02:11:35,643
Clear off!
1489
02:11:37,509 --> 02:11:38,717
You know what?
1490
02:11:39,217 --> 02:11:42,885
The best response
1491
02:11:42,969 --> 02:11:45,933
to these litter louts
1492
02:11:46,050 --> 02:11:48,425
is to ignore them.
1493
02:11:52,133 --> 02:11:56,092
They've been polluting the world
for 70 years now.
1494
02:12:05,050 --> 02:12:09,217
And now they're retreating
from all the occupied countries.
1495
02:12:09,425 --> 02:12:12,300
They're still polluting the minds
of their own people.
1496
02:12:12,467 --> 02:12:14,592
Pathetic behaviour.
1497
02:12:26,676 --> 02:12:29,342
It's a pity they're also
making all this racket.
1498
02:12:36,133 --> 02:12:37,968
Go home! To Moscow!
1499
02:12:40,759 --> 02:12:42,133
Lithuania!
1500
02:12:45,551 --> 02:12:47,801
Lithuania will be free.
1501
02:12:59,092 --> 02:13:03,341
They now demanding
that we revoke the resolutions
1502
02:13:03,342 --> 02:13:06,009
of the Supreme Council
1503
02:13:06,384 --> 02:13:10,425
and that independent Lithuania
becomes dependent again!
1504
02:13:10,509 --> 02:13:11,717
Never!
1505
02:13:18,634 --> 02:13:20,968
Lithuania!
May peace reign in your home.
1506
02:13:26,375 --> 02:13:29,999
In yesterday's edition of "Izvestya",
1507
02:13:30,474 --> 02:13:34,343
they suggested
that we abandon our principles
1508
02:13:37,300 --> 02:13:41,708
but today you can read the words
1509
02:13:42,259 --> 02:13:44,717
that are written in our hearts,
1510
02:13:45,133 --> 02:13:48,884
words that were set down
1511
02:13:49,009 --> 02:13:52,851
650 years ago,
1512
02:13:53,217 --> 02:13:56,009
almost 700 years ago,
1513
02:13:56,676 --> 02:13:59,049
I'll remind you of them:
1514
02:14:00,009 --> 02:14:03,467
"Sooner iron will melt as wax
1515
02:14:04,030 --> 02:14:06,671
and water will turn into stone
1516
02:14:06,734 --> 02:14:10,360
than we take back our word".
1517
02:14:27,519 --> 02:14:31,890
The economic blockade came into effect
1518
02:14:32,573 --> 02:14:35,281
on the 18th or 19th of April.
1519
02:14:36,217 --> 02:14:40,837
At the same time in the West, in France,
1520
02:14:41,501 --> 02:14:43,402
there was a summit going on.
1521
02:14:46,049 --> 02:14:50,394
They received this news and as usual
1522
02:14:51,717 --> 02:14:53,759
"were extremely concerned".
1523
02:14:54,926 --> 02:14:59,884
They expressed their concern and the wish
that Gorbachev wouldn't use troops.
1524
02:15:00,509 --> 02:15:03,968
And we tried, that is, I tried,
1525
02:15:06,467 --> 02:15:11,467
to introduce into the dictionary,
into political vocabulary,
1526
02:15:13,926 --> 02:15:16,425
the term "economic violence",
1527
02:15:17,759 --> 02:15:20,092
since everyone was against violence,
1528
02:15:20,968 --> 02:15:22,771
i.e. against shooting people.
1529
02:15:24,509 --> 02:15:29,509
I talked about both military
and economic violence,
1530
02:15:30,509 --> 02:15:32,673
we were being coerced by the blockade,
1531
02:15:34,052 --> 02:15:38,008
by the disruption of all economic life,
1532
02:15:38,648 --> 02:15:40,282
by the creation of shortages,
1533
02:15:40,470 --> 02:15:43,430
so that the people would revolt
1534
02:15:43,469 --> 02:15:46,728
and blame Sąjūdis, blame Landsbergis,
1535
02:15:47,133 --> 02:15:51,009
and would demand political change,
a change of government etc.
1536
02:15:51,050 --> 02:15:53,926
They were pinning their hopes on that.
1537
02:15:59,676 --> 02:16:02,778
They're not just cutting off the supply
of oil and gas,
1538
02:16:02,840 --> 02:16:06,884
but also other strategic resources,
1539
02:16:08,467 --> 02:16:11,717
They're preventing
the normal flow of traffic.
1540
02:16:12,009 --> 02:16:13,676
They've blocked the railroad cars.
1541
02:16:13,801 --> 02:16:17,908
Lithuanian vehicles aren't allowed
to refuel
1542
02:16:18,260 --> 02:16:19,940
outside Lithuania,
1543
02:16:20,092 --> 02:16:21,968
in the republics of the Soviet Union.
1544
02:16:22,306 --> 02:16:26,372
First of all, it is of utmost importance
for us and the Supreme Council,
1545
02:16:26,513 --> 02:16:31,513
to define our actions,
1546
02:16:32,448 --> 02:16:36,220
to further address the highest levels
1547
02:16:37,340 --> 02:16:39,127
of the Union,
1548
02:16:40,592 --> 02:16:44,633
to endorse urgent negotiations
1549
02:16:44,878 --> 02:16:49,421
including another check
on our position,
1550
02:16:49,482 --> 02:16:52,733
in terms of compromises
and other strategic actions.
1551
02:17:21,371 --> 02:17:22,892
Green jerrycans [...]
1552
02:17:23,515 --> 02:17:24,515
Never mind.
1553
02:17:40,928 --> 02:17:45,845
In fact, the blockade began to fall apart
due to corruption,
1554
02:17:46,425 --> 02:17:51,425
corruption in the ranks of the Soviet army
and its administration.
1555
02:17:51,676 --> 02:17:56,509
Because they started selling petrol
"under the counter"
1556
02:17:57,884 --> 02:18:00,725
and our businesses
1557
02:18:03,009 --> 02:18:07,842
and transport networks
started to stock up -
1558
02:18:08,050 --> 02:18:10,759
it was expensive, but you could buy it.
1559
02:18:12,133 --> 02:18:17,009
And they got bread on the side too.
1560
02:18:17,551 --> 02:18:19,884
So we benefited from this corruption.
1561
02:18:20,926 --> 02:18:25,926
One of our comrades,
Virgilijus Čepaitis,
1562
02:18:28,551 --> 02:18:32,009
came up with an idea
which might have worked,
1563
02:18:32,092 --> 02:18:33,597
but we didn't want to risk it,
1564
02:18:33,809 --> 02:18:35,434
to completely open the market.
1565
02:18:36,638 --> 02:18:39,263
Let's respond to the blockade,
by opening the market:
1566
02:18:39,829 --> 02:18:44,829
let anyone bring in goods from wherever,
and sell as much as they want,
1567
02:18:45,972 --> 02:18:47,049
without any regulations.
1568
02:18:48,869 --> 02:18:52,454
This might've torn the Soviet Union apart.
1569
02:18:58,551 --> 02:19:00,676
Allow me to suggest a form of words.
1570
02:19:00,717 --> 02:19:03,425
- Simply leave it out.
- Chairman, may I suggest a form of words:
1571
02:19:03,551 --> 02:19:08,551
Seeking to implement our intention,
announced on May 16,
1572
02:19:08,604 --> 02:19:12,009
to resolve a set of questions
in the statement of 19 May,
1573
02:19:12,050 --> 02:19:14,009
The Supreme Council of Lithuania decrees…
1574
02:19:14,425 --> 02:19:15,425
Ok.
1575
02:19:17,175 --> 02:19:19,759
I'd like to mention another point.
1576
02:19:20,300 --> 02:19:23,592
Does the title of the document name
the participants in the negotiations?
1577
02:19:23,926 --> 02:19:26,801
The Republic of Lithuania and the USSR.
1578
02:19:28,012 --> 02:19:29,715
That isn't mentioned within the document.
1579
02:19:29,740 --> 02:19:32,133
Only the "parties to the negotiations"
are mentioned.
1580
02:19:32,175 --> 02:19:34,717
The "Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania",
1581
02:19:34,801 --> 02:19:36,759
not just "the Republic of Lithuania".
1582
02:19:38,300 --> 02:19:42,842
So I suggest we replace "official"
with "international" negotiations.
1583
02:19:43,205 --> 02:19:45,455
- Yes, yes.
- That's an essential change.
1584
02:19:46,133 --> 02:19:49,759
We still don't have a single document
which wouldn't raise doubts or queries,
1585
02:19:49,842 --> 02:19:51,634
just yesterday at the Supreme Council...
1586
02:19:51,801 --> 02:19:55,759
You must do what you want,
but please don't insert things
1587
02:19:55,842 --> 02:19:59,009
that will provoke new thoughts
and new motives.
1588
02:19:59,034 --> 02:20:01,292
- Chairman...
- If we don't achieve anything by this...
1589
02:20:01,551 --> 02:20:03,801
I just want to say one thing.
1590
02:20:05,050 --> 02:20:08,467
We must first subject our position
to scrutiny, and then defend it.
1591
02:20:09,456 --> 02:20:11,456
I'm personally happy for you defend it,
1592
02:20:11,492 --> 02:20:14,946
but I would also like to understand
what's behind...
1593
02:20:14,971 --> 02:20:16,763
The parliament hasn't been told,
1594
02:20:16,816 --> 02:20:19,702
here, in this circle,
we don't know either.
1595
02:20:19,734 --> 02:20:20,888
I can't tell you everything.
1596
02:20:20,913 --> 02:20:23,284
I understand, but I can't
just trust you blindly.
1597
02:20:23,650 --> 02:20:26,942
If you don't trust me,
then it's pointless me being here [...]
1598
02:20:28,148 --> 02:20:29,148
If you don't trust me?
1599
02:20:29,257 --> 02:20:31,757
I can trust you and help you,
that's as much as I can do.
1600
02:20:32,151 --> 02:20:33,884
What meaning does it add?
1601
02:20:33,968 --> 02:20:35,717
This document is almost there.
1602
02:20:35,759 --> 02:20:38,551
- What's the point in shoving in new stuff?
- I don't know.
1603
02:20:41,425 --> 02:20:45,217
All in all there were
14 versions of this text.
1604
02:20:45,884 --> 02:20:48,661
We all came up with our own wording.
1605
02:20:49,425 --> 02:20:52,699
And my wording was as follows...
1606
02:20:56,175 --> 02:20:58,801
It was rather sly, ambiguous,
1607
02:20:59,342 --> 02:21:02,342
that we declare a moratorium,
1608
02:21:03,968 --> 02:21:06,842
not on the Act of Independence, of course,
1609
02:21:07,175 --> 02:21:12,175
but on it's consequences,
1610
02:21:14,133 --> 02:21:17,926
clarifying that we would not pass
1611
02:21:18,572 --> 02:21:23,572
any new legislative acts
ensuing from this.
1612
02:21:24,300 --> 02:21:26,968
The ones that have already been passed
are fine,
1613
02:21:27,050 --> 02:21:30,259
but we won't pass any new acts
for the next 100 days.
1614
02:21:30,425 --> 02:21:35,425
So you have a 100 day moratorium
on new acts
1615
02:21:35,842 --> 02:21:38,300
related to independence
1616
02:21:38,848 --> 02:21:42,797
and only if we enter into
1617
02:21:43,230 --> 02:21:46,369
international negotiations.
1618
02:21:47,217 --> 02:21:50,926
That is, only if Gorbachev recognises us
as a government.
1619
02:21:53,342 --> 02:21:58,342
But that was enough for them,
and they proclaimed to the entire world.
1620
02:21:58,384 --> 02:22:00,133
"Lithuania has declared a moratorium".
1621
02:22:02,592 --> 02:22:06,968
And he set off to the US
to ask for money,
1622
02:22:07,300 --> 02:22:11,801
as if he had already solved
the problem with Lithuania.
1623
02:22:12,217 --> 02:22:17,175
We didn’t know it at the time,
but over there,
1624
02:22:17,300 --> 02:22:22,300
in closed session,
he was told that,
1625
02:22:23,217 --> 02:22:30,631
unless he reached
some kind of agreement with Lithuania,
1626
02:22:31,092 --> 02:22:35,259
he would not get any help from America.
1627
02:22:36,133 --> 02:22:40,551
They concluded an agreement
on economic cooperation, aid,
1628
02:22:40,592 --> 02:22:44,133
credits and so on...
And trade with America...
1629
02:22:44,342 --> 02:22:48,283
This meant he could dig himself out
1630
02:22:48,387 --> 02:22:51,786
from his hole of bankruptcy,
1631
02:22:52,842 --> 02:22:56,516
but only if he could break
1632
02:22:57,165 --> 02:22:59,780
the deadlock with Lithuania.
1633
02:23:02,175 --> 02:23:05,968
Had we known about this condition,
1634
02:23:06,431 --> 02:23:10,671
we could have taken a stronger position,
1635
02:23:11,610 --> 02:23:13,851
because he had no other options.
1636
02:23:14,217 --> 02:23:18,592
But he tried to show that we had no options
that we had to give in.
1637
02:23:32,247 --> 02:23:33,247
Where do we take this?
1638
02:23:33,873 --> 02:23:34,884
Let's go!
1639
02:23:35,918 --> 02:23:36,918
Over there, ahead of us.
1640
02:23:38,668 --> 02:23:39,460
Careful.
1641
02:23:39,599 --> 02:23:40,992
You can give two each.
1642
02:23:41,122 --> 02:23:42,768
- Over there?
- One more.
1643
02:24:03,836 --> 02:24:05,275
Who should I ask?
1644
02:24:05,342 --> 02:24:08,259
Where is this customs post going to stand?
1645
02:24:11,649 --> 02:24:13,866
We can put it either there or there.
1646
02:24:14,342 --> 02:24:16,009
I don't know where to let them in.
1647
02:24:16,858 --> 02:24:18,283
They need to stop there.
1648
02:24:18,855 --> 02:24:20,253
We stop them and explain.
1649
02:24:27,949 --> 02:24:29,038
Careful, lads.
1650
02:24:30,367 --> 02:24:32,800
All get hold of it and carefully
lower it down.
1651
02:24:33,440 --> 02:24:34,440
Take hold of the end.
1652
02:24:35,221 --> 02:24:36,221
Take hold of the end.
1653
02:24:36,367 --> 02:24:37,900
Two of us'll take it.
1654
02:24:38,527 --> 02:24:40,299
- Careful.
- Now we’ll take it onto the road.
1655
02:24:40,324 --> 02:24:41,660
Ok, let's carry it over there.
1656
02:25:00,050 --> 02:25:03,175
Soon the customs officer will arrive,
he'll get things organised.
1657
02:25:05,509 --> 02:25:07,133
What are they yelling?
1658
02:25:07,592 --> 02:25:08,845
Why do we need all this?
1659
02:25:15,133 --> 02:25:16,300
Let me tie it on.
1660
02:25:22,175 --> 02:25:23,509
Nobody knows what's going on.
1661
02:25:24,842 --> 02:25:25,842
I'm only joking.
1662
02:25:34,362 --> 02:25:36,510
- Push!
- Be very careful now, lads!
1663
02:25:44,622 --> 02:25:45,689
Bury it deeper…
1664
02:25:50,634 --> 02:25:51,634
Flowers!
1665
02:25:55,699 --> 02:25:56,699
What do I have to do.
1666
02:26:08,525 --> 02:26:09,710
Stop there and don't budge!
1667
02:26:10,619 --> 02:26:12,560
D’you understand?
Stop there and don't budge!
1668
02:26:52,520 --> 02:26:57,520
Soon they realised,
that they hadn't gained anything.
1669
02:27:00,050 --> 02:27:04,009
Nothing had changed for Lithuania:
Lithuania continued to function,
1670
02:27:04,509 --> 02:27:08,217
Lithuania was strengthening
its international status,
1671
02:27:08,467 --> 02:27:11,300
gaining more and more support,
1672
02:27:11,384 --> 02:27:15,384
although without final recognition
of its government.
1673
02:27:15,509 --> 02:27:19,968
Although that was being discussed
and was only a matter of time.
1674
02:27:22,634 --> 02:27:26,759
On the other hand,
we were choosing our own path...
1675
02:27:28,759 --> 02:27:31,968
independence in all aspects:
1676
02:27:32,884 --> 02:27:35,915
the year was coming to an end
1677
02:27:36,559 --> 02:27:40,787
and the Soviet budget was about to expire;
1678
02:27:41,926 --> 02:27:46,217
because we had still been being
financed by the Soviets in March,
1679
02:27:47,217 --> 02:27:52,217
we still had these connections:
expenditure, revenue
1680
02:27:53,050 --> 02:27:54,717
and we were still using roubles.
1681
02:27:55,175 --> 02:27:57,554
And Lithuania began
1682
02:27:57,934 --> 02:28:01,857
international negotiations with firms,
1683
02:28:02,092 --> 02:28:04,551
about the printing of Lithuanian currency.
1684
02:28:05,634 --> 02:28:08,625
Therefore, 1991 would be
1685
02:28:09,029 --> 02:28:12,545
a turning point and a blow
1686
02:28:13,049 --> 02:28:16,384
to the imperialists in Moscow.
1687
02:28:17,300 --> 02:28:20,300
We had been already threatened
1688
02:28:21,801 --> 02:28:25,717
by Mr or comrade Maslyukov in Moscow -
1689
02:28:26,049 --> 02:28:31,049
Prunskienė informed me about this
when she came back from Moscow.
1690
02:28:32,425 --> 02:28:37,425
Maslyukov said that he was going to end
all dealings with Lithuania,
1691
02:28:37,842 --> 02:28:41,592
all supplies, including animal fodder,
1692
02:28:41,801 --> 02:28:46,717
and she passed on this message,
with the remarkable expression,
1693
02:28:47,717 --> 02:28:52,217
"this winter you'll have to
kill all your cattle",
1694
02:28:52,884 --> 02:28:55,819
if you are disobedient
1695
02:28:56,299 --> 02:28:59,278
and try to exit from the Soviet budget.
1696
02:29:01,813 --> 02:29:05,063
Of course they were unable,
1697
02:29:05,088 --> 02:29:10,445
or didn't have the capacity
to allow civilized negotiations.
1698
02:29:11,634 --> 02:29:13,015
That was one moment.
1699
02:29:14,259 --> 02:29:18,551
Another was when a secret decree
1700
02:29:19,175 --> 02:29:20,509
was issued in Moscow
1701
02:29:21,300 --> 02:29:25,467
by the Ministry of Interior
and internal forces etc.,
1702
02:29:26,029 --> 02:29:27,385
stating their obligation...
1703
02:29:34,050 --> 02:29:39,050
to keep order
in the capitals of the Soviet republics
1704
02:29:39,842 --> 02:29:41,628
in the fight against crime.
1705
02:29:42,634 --> 02:29:45,342
They had declared a war on crime,
1706
02:29:45,759 --> 02:29:48,842
which included the right for troops
1707
02:29:50,592 --> 02:29:53,778
to patrol the capitals
1708
02:29:54,850 --> 02:29:56,531
of the Soviet republics,
1709
02:29:56,717 --> 02:29:58,509
including Lithuania, of course,
1710
02:29:59,175 --> 02:30:04,175
to patrol and inspect
any suspicious flat
1711
02:30:05,801 --> 02:30:08,551
without a search warrant,
1712
02:30:08,717 --> 02:30:12,467
because Moscow had already
given a priori permission:
1713
02:30:12,842 --> 02:30:15,759
"If you suspect anything
1714
02:30:15,842 --> 02:30:19,342
you can enter, check
and take necessary measures".
1715
02:30:19,551 --> 02:30:22,009
That’s a complete military dictatorship.
1716
02:30:22,592 --> 02:30:27,592
It wasn't declared publicly,
1717
02:30:27,926 --> 02:30:30,175
but they issued this decree.
1718
02:30:30,856 --> 02:30:35,856
Perhaps they wanted us to know
1719
02:30:36,563 --> 02:30:42,725
the sort of measures they would take,
if we didn't surrender.
1720
02:31:36,581 --> 02:31:37,883
Clear out, clear out!
1721
02:32:29,423 --> 02:32:30,423
Occupiers!
1722
02:32:30,907 --> 02:32:32,290
Occupiers!
1723
02:33:07,532 --> 02:33:11,324
The internal situation
1724
02:33:12,043 --> 02:33:15,088
within the entire Union
1725
02:33:16,395 --> 02:33:19,288
and the international situation,
1726
02:33:20,300 --> 02:33:21,934
had reached
1727
02:33:24,534 --> 02:33:26,587
a critical level
1728
02:33:27,884 --> 02:33:31,133
in relation to Saddam Hussein,
1729
02:33:31,342 --> 02:33:33,676
to Iraq having taken over Kuwait
1730
02:33:34,842 --> 02:33:37,509
and proclaimed that from now on
1731
02:33:37,592 --> 02:33:40,259
it’s part of our land,
an internal matter.
1732
02:33:40,425 --> 02:33:42,884
Just like the Soviet Union -
1733
02:33:43,551 --> 02:33:46,717
it would take over some country and then
it became an internal matter.
1734
02:33:48,189 --> 02:33:50,772
Of course, the West didn't agree with that
1735
02:33:50,968 --> 02:33:52,865
and gave Saddam Hussein
1736
02:33:55,520 --> 02:33:57,955
an ultimatum.
1737
02:33:58,384 --> 02:34:03,042
But he was backed up
by the Soviet Union and Gorbachev.
1738
02:34:04,425 --> 02:34:08,926
So Gorbachev thought
1739
02:34:08,968 --> 02:34:13,259
that his military ventures
against Lithuania
1740
02:34:13,842 --> 02:34:18,842
wouldn't be judged too harshly,
1741
02:34:18,968 --> 02:34:23,968
because his agreement was needed
for the operation in the Persian Gulf.
1742
02:34:25,801 --> 02:34:30,801
And since Gorbachev gave his agreement,
a verbal agreement,
1743
02:34:31,049 --> 02:34:36,049
he allowed the Americans
to proceed without any great risk,
1744
02:34:36,634 --> 02:34:40,049
although there were
many Soviet troops in Iraq.
1745
02:34:40,425 --> 02:34:41,884
And they took to their heels
1746
02:34:44,049 --> 02:34:46,384
when the operation commenced,
1747
02:34:46,634 --> 02:34:49,551
they didn't support Hussein.
1748
02:34:50,592 --> 02:34:52,884
So, Gorbachev gave his agreement,
1749
02:34:53,259 --> 02:34:58,259
counting on the fact
that he wouldn't be judged or punished
1750
02:34:58,661 --> 02:35:02,277
for aggression against Lithuania.
1751
02:36:04,815 --> 02:36:07,042
We won't leave...
1752
02:36:09,255 --> 02:36:13,480
If necessary, we’ll get hold of
whatever we need!
1753
02:36:15,461 --> 02:36:17,533
Life or death!
1754
02:36:18,634 --> 02:36:21,092
I'd rather die than live like this!
1755
02:38:57,259 --> 02:38:59,968
- Push that button!
- We'll open the window and tell them.
1756
02:39:00,049 --> 02:39:01,342
They won't be able to hear!
1757
02:39:10,342 --> 02:39:12,009
Dear comrades!
1758
02:39:15,861 --> 02:39:17,111
Quiet!
1759
02:39:22,926 --> 02:39:24,884
Please, listen to me!
1760
02:39:25,009 --> 02:39:28,717
I am the deputy of the Supreme Council
Birutė Nedzinskienė.
1761
02:39:32,676 --> 02:39:34,633
I can only tell you that
1762
02:39:34,634 --> 02:39:38,175
we have been debating
nearly all night.
1763
02:39:38,259 --> 02:39:41,509
A majority of the deputies approved...
1764
02:39:41,592 --> 02:39:43,050
Keep it short!
1765
02:39:43,842 --> 02:39:46,801
...approved the lowering of prices.
1766
02:39:46,884 --> 02:39:49,175
The government got it wrong.
1767
02:39:51,506 --> 02:39:52,585
It should resign!
1768
02:39:53,735 --> 02:39:54,753
It should resign!
1769
02:40:03,842 --> 02:40:06,259
Why are you standing here?
1770
02:40:09,092 --> 02:40:11,384
This is such gibberish!
How can people...
1771
02:40:11,801 --> 02:40:13,717
How are people going to feed themselves?
1772
02:40:17,471 --> 02:40:20,847
- How many people do you have there?
- The majority now.
1773
02:40:21,175 --> 02:40:23,216
- We support you.
- Thank you.
1774
02:40:26,717 --> 02:40:27,551
Let her through.
1775
02:40:27,634 --> 02:40:31,384
Because now it will be easier for us,
against so many...
1776
02:40:31,963 --> 02:40:34,997
If they don't cut prices,
there will be a revolt!
1777
02:40:37,300 --> 02:40:40,592
A worker can't afford
to pay such prices!
1778
02:40:40,901 --> 02:40:45,901
Of course, the enemy used this situation
1779
02:40:46,676 --> 02:40:51,676
to incite people
to overthrow the government.
1780
02:40:52,259 --> 02:40:57,259
It’s also remarkable that these attempts
to overthrow,
1781
02:40:57,283 --> 02:40:58,546
these protests,
1782
02:40:58,676 --> 02:41:01,206
didn't target the government,
1783
02:41:01,387 --> 02:41:04,858
which had tried to raise prices,
1784
02:41:05,175 --> 02:41:08,676
but the parliament,
which had prevented it from happening.
1785
02:41:09,425 --> 02:41:12,509
By the way, in answer to your question -
1786
02:41:12,676 --> 02:41:16,634
Prunskienė and the government
didn't have the right to raise prices
1787
02:41:17,092 --> 02:41:22,058
because on New Year's eve
in the Supreme Council,
1788
02:41:22,472 --> 02:41:28,768
we had passed a short decree
banning price changes
1789
02:41:29,049 --> 02:41:31,717
without preliminary discussion,
1790
02:41:33,676 --> 02:41:37,259
but they just went ahead anyway.
1791
02:41:37,509 --> 02:41:38,968
It was a fait accompli.
1792
02:41:39,049 --> 02:41:41,175
And she was delighted about it.
1793
02:41:41,587 --> 02:41:45,545
She phoned me early in the morning
on the 7th and said,
1794
02:41:45,968 --> 02:41:48,968
"You don't seem too happy?"
1795
02:41:50,133 --> 02:41:53,050
I said: "You've made a very bad move,
1796
02:41:53,300 --> 02:41:57,092
and we'll have to deal with it."
1797
02:41:58,419 --> 02:42:00,989
Well, she just chuckled at that,
1798
02:42:01,425 --> 02:42:02,425
and left...
1799
02:42:02,639 --> 02:42:06,347
Of course, I phoned Moscow, Gorbachev,
1800
02:42:07,049 --> 02:42:10,592
I mean, I sent a telegram -
I have my dispatches to Gorbachev -
1801
02:42:11,049 --> 02:42:15,049
because the situation in Lithuania
was getting worse.
1802
02:42:15,342 --> 02:42:20,342
I offered to meet him anywhere, anytime,
1803
02:42:20,926 --> 02:42:25,592
to prevent further escalation.
1804
02:42:26,342 --> 02:42:27,676
Of course, he didn't answer.
1805
02:42:34,300 --> 02:42:35,842
They're saying 20 military vehicles.
1806
02:42:36,009 --> 02:42:37,384
Let it be 100.
1807
02:42:37,592 --> 02:42:40,467
Prunskienė is the only threat to us,
not the vehicles.
1808
02:42:40,592 --> 02:42:45,259
Who's more dangerous to correspond with,
Brazauskas or Gorbachev?
1809
02:42:45,342 --> 02:42:47,133
I always say Brazauskas.
1810
02:42:47,259 --> 02:42:50,258
So many times we had to write, confirm...
This how it is.
1811
02:42:50,259 --> 02:42:52,634
Why do we need Gorbachev?
What can he do? Nothing!
1812
02:43:07,470 --> 02:43:09,207
A column has set off near the Seimas.
1813
02:43:46,402 --> 02:43:49,312
The police must stand
in front of this crowd.
1814
02:43:51,157 --> 02:43:55,034
Everybody on this side of the fountain,
please move to the other side.
1815
02:44:03,425 --> 02:44:06,300
Government without communists!
We trust Landsbergis.
1816
02:44:06,425 --> 02:44:09,592
We can’t surround
the entire Supreme Council.
1817
02:44:11,508 --> 02:44:12,508
Lithuania!
1818
02:44:13,333 --> 02:44:14,333
Lithuania!
1819
02:44:24,152 --> 02:44:29,338
Don't occupy the other square,
where there'll be another rally.
1820
02:44:29,653 --> 02:44:32,684
Many of them aren't bad people,
they've just been misled.
1821
02:44:33,095 --> 02:44:36,503
Ignore any taunts or jibes,
1822
02:44:36,623 --> 02:44:41,655
ignore them even if they try
to provoke you into a reaction.
1823
02:44:42,194 --> 02:44:44,363
Thank you, I have to attend a meeting.
1824
02:44:51,509 --> 02:44:53,384
Dear citizens of Vilnius,
1825
02:44:54,050 --> 02:44:56,049
and not only Vilnius,
1826
02:44:56,092 --> 02:44:59,425
there are people here
from all over Lithuania.
1827
02:45:00,009 --> 02:45:05,009
We strongly protest against
an organised, profascist plot.
1828
02:45:08,092 --> 02:45:11,009
...workers of Lithuania...
who have gathered here...
1829
02:45:17,171 --> 02:45:18,171
Shame!
1830
02:45:55,509 --> 02:46:00,509
On the 10th we received a telegram
from Gorbachev, an ultimatum.
1831
02:46:03,050 --> 02:46:06,555
It's also in the public domain,
I can quote.
1832
02:46:07,676 --> 02:46:12,047
Gorbachev demanded that we revoke
1833
02:46:12,609 --> 02:46:18,931
our illegal
and anti-constitutional actions,
1834
02:46:20,217 --> 02:46:21,642
and instead...
1835
02:46:25,259 --> 02:46:28,316
accept the supremacy
of the Soviet constitution.
1836
02:46:28,341 --> 02:46:30,028
They had already realised
1837
02:46:31,467 --> 02:46:35,217
that Lithuania was telling the West,
1838
02:46:35,551 --> 02:46:38,842
and that I tried to explain to Bush,
1839
02:46:39,509 --> 02:46:44,509
that their accusations about
our unconstitutional acts were false,
1840
02:46:44,842 --> 02:46:47,467
because we already had
our own constitution,
1841
02:46:47,592 --> 02:46:50,801
and owed no duty
to the constitution of another state.
1842
02:46:51,884 --> 02:46:55,425
Thus, we weren't acting unconstitutionally
1843
02:46:55,717 --> 02:46:57,968
with regard to the Soviet constitution.
1844
02:46:58,259 --> 02:47:02,551
We weren't in the USSR anymore,
we had our own constitution,
1845
02:47:05,259 --> 02:47:08,384
so the wording formulated by Gorbachev
or his advisors on this point
1846
02:47:08,759 --> 02:47:13,339
--was quite transparent:
1847
02:47:13,926 --> 02:47:18,926
it was a demand
to start to obey their constitution again.
1848
02:47:19,175 --> 02:47:22,133
This was tantamount to an admission
1849
02:47:22,509 --> 02:47:25,175
that their constitution was already void
in Lithuania.
1850
02:47:26,133 --> 02:47:28,384
It would have to be readopted.
1851
02:47:29,049 --> 02:47:32,551
And we could reply to Comrade Gorbachev,
1852
02:47:33,098 --> 02:47:38,861
“We were elected
to return independence to Lithuania,
1853
02:47:39,506 --> 02:47:43,548
not to rejoin the Soviet Union,
1854
02:47:44,050 --> 02:47:45,801
as you are now demanding.
1855
02:47:46,175 --> 02:47:50,823
By recognising your constitution
we would be rejoining your state.
1856
02:47:52,425 --> 02:47:55,582
We have no right even to discuss that,
1857
02:47:56,419 --> 02:47:58,509
even if we wanted to”.
1858
02:48:12,026 --> 02:48:15,096
People, come here, to the side!
1859
02:48:15,494 --> 02:48:16,707
The troops are getting ready!
1860
02:48:45,138 --> 02:48:47,807
I can tell you,
I served in the army myself.
1861
02:48:47,832 --> 02:48:49,580
They don't do such things without a reason.
1862
02:49:26,622 --> 02:49:27,914
Lithuania!
1863
02:49:46,133 --> 02:49:48,422
People, clear the road!
1864
02:49:58,630 --> 02:49:59,848
Fascists!
1865
02:50:10,434 --> 02:50:12,089
Go, go bravely!
1866
02:50:19,030 --> 02:50:20,302
Listen, men...
1867
02:50:41,899 --> 02:50:43,217
Lithuania!
1868
02:51:25,551 --> 02:51:26,785
Lithuania!
1869
02:51:31,801 --> 02:51:35,009
Three people shot,
one most probably killed,
1870
02:51:35,049 --> 02:51:36,092
he fell to the ground.
1871
02:51:36,133 --> 02:51:39,175
We tried our best to drag him back,
but we couldn't.
1872
02:51:41,092 --> 02:51:42,251
Where do you live?
1873
02:51:43,024 --> 02:51:47,400
Gorky Street, 47-58.
1874
02:51:49,759 --> 02:51:50,926
Is there a phone there?
1875
02:51:51,133 --> 02:51:54,133
They wouldn't let anyone out...
No, there's no phone.
1876
02:51:54,509 --> 02:51:57,383
So, the second floor,
run up to the third,
1877
02:51:57,384 --> 02:51:59,068
to the Presidium hall
and the press centre
1878
02:51:59,093 --> 02:52:00,859
and call an urgent press conference.
1879
02:52:01,050 --> 02:52:04,509
They're not allowing anyone to pass,
and they're all standing there...
1880
02:52:04,551 --> 02:52:06,926
...armed people
1881
02:52:07,050 --> 02:52:08,842
are standing there too...
1882
02:52:09,467 --> 02:52:13,676
When I was leaving they were starting,
they were starting...
1883
02:52:14,509 --> 02:52:18,217
The tanks started heading
towards the Press house.
1884
02:52:18,676 --> 02:52:21,226
Everybody form up in ranks!
1885
02:52:24,229 --> 02:52:25,229
It's starting...
1886
02:52:27,717 --> 02:52:28,717
It's starting...
1887
02:52:40,636 --> 02:52:41,636
Faster!
1888
02:52:45,412 --> 02:52:46,412
In threes!
1889
02:53:01,884 --> 02:53:03,758
It's hopeless, men, hopeless.
1890
02:53:03,759 --> 02:53:06,259
It's hopeless, but all the same
we must mount a defence.
1891
02:53:11,415 --> 02:53:12,935
The town of Panevėžys
is standing by...
1892
02:53:16,717 --> 02:53:19,592
From this very moment,
the danger is real.
1893
02:53:21,968 --> 02:53:26,133
In 15 minutes' time, I will swear in
all those who are still here,
1894
02:53:26,551 --> 02:53:29,676
and from that moment, you'll be soldiers
of the Lithuanian Republic,
1895
02:53:30,009 --> 02:53:32,634
with all the consequences that entails,
1896
02:53:33,092 --> 02:53:37,258
i.e. the Geneva Conventions will apply,
and if you are taken prisoner,
1897
02:53:37,259 --> 02:53:39,259
you can claim combatant status.
1898
02:53:39,801 --> 02:53:43,049
Some people here are
60, 70, 80 years old.
1899
02:53:43,050 --> 02:53:44,509
They will only hinder our efforts.
1900
02:53:44,592 --> 02:53:47,551
If you say, "only cowards are leaving",
1901
02:53:47,717 --> 02:53:50,259
they will insist on staying.
1902
02:53:50,425 --> 02:53:53,384
During these 15 minutes some of you
may want to pop out and come back...
1903
02:53:53,425 --> 02:53:56,551
i.e. those who stay will join the ranks.
1904
02:53:57,384 --> 02:54:02,384
Yes, but all the elderly should leave,
according to the law,
1905
02:54:03,717 --> 02:54:07,467
not because they're cowards,
but because the law says so.
1906
02:54:07,592 --> 02:54:11,009
- How old is too old?
- Listen, even a man of 40,
1907
02:54:11,050 --> 02:54:13,801
if he's limping, or missing a leg,
1908
02:54:14,175 --> 02:54:15,884
he'll only be a burden.
1909
02:54:20,259 --> 02:54:21,759
Time is ticking away.
1910
02:54:22,009 --> 02:54:23,551
Men, we have only five minutes left.
1911
02:54:23,883 --> 02:54:25,250
Five minutes with a break...
1912
02:54:40,300 --> 02:54:41,817
Kaunas is Kaunas.
1913
02:54:42,717 --> 02:54:45,259
My son has a sticker that says
"Don't you threaten us".
1914
02:54:47,727 --> 02:54:50,092
OK, boys, let's stand for a bit,
relax for a moment, but...
1915
02:54:52,816 --> 02:54:57,816
...but the imminent threat
of a new Soviet occupation
1916
02:54:59,154 --> 02:55:01,723
obliges me to make this announcement.
1917
02:55:02,936 --> 02:55:06,066
As is already known, The Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania
1918
02:55:06,857 --> 02:55:10,253
calls the people of Lithuania
to acts of civil disobedience
1919
02:55:11,402 --> 02:55:13,853
if a new occupation begins,
1920
02:55:14,440 --> 02:55:17,205
if a puppet government is established.
1921
02:55:17,871 --> 02:55:19,841
I must explain to you [...]
1922
02:55:33,725 --> 02:55:35,698
Soldiers, dress right!
1923
02:55:36,609 --> 02:55:37,609
Attention!
1924
02:55:52,300 --> 02:55:53,842
Volunteers of Lithuania,
1925
02:55:55,634 --> 02:55:56,634
Dress right!
1926
02:55:57,759 --> 02:55:58,759
Attention!
1927
02:56:02,672 --> 02:56:05,547
Men, I must inform you
1928
02:56:05,884 --> 02:56:07,634
that we already have some casualties,
1929
02:56:07,915 --> 02:56:11,582
and today it is highly likely
that we will have to defend
1930
02:56:11,746 --> 02:56:16,196
the Parliament and the Government
of the Republic of Lithuania,
1931
02:56:17,717 --> 02:56:19,717
I have requested all those
1932
02:56:20,467 --> 02:56:23,551
who understand the risk we face,
1933
02:56:24,217 --> 02:56:27,295
and do not wish to stay here,
to leave the building.
1934
02:56:28,535 --> 02:56:30,909
All of those who stay and take the oath
1935
02:56:31,384 --> 02:56:35,634
will, from that moment on,
become soldiers of Lithuania.
1936
02:56:36,968 --> 02:56:41,968
I will ask V. Landsbergis,
Chairman of the Supreme Council,
1937
02:56:42,676 --> 02:56:44,801
to say a few words,
1938
02:56:45,092 --> 02:56:47,300
and then we will all take the oath.
1939
02:56:51,975 --> 02:56:55,540
The coming hours will be decisive;
1940
02:56:57,009 --> 02:57:02,009
Lithuania's independence will be won,
1941
02:57:03,717 --> 02:57:05,676
or lost once more;
1942
02:57:06,842 --> 02:57:11,842
if we lose, we will rise up
again and again
1943
02:57:12,163 --> 02:57:14,393
and fight for freedom.
1944
02:57:16,259 --> 02:57:20,153
But above all,
we must defend our rights.
1945
02:57:23,717 --> 02:57:25,163
You have a choice.
1946
02:57:26,107 --> 02:57:28,555
We have already chosen.
1947
02:57:37,384 --> 02:57:39,092
Repeat after me:
1948
02:57:39,300 --> 02:57:43,926
when I say, "I", each of you
will say your surname.
1949
02:57:45,926 --> 02:57:47,307
Raise your right hand.
1950
02:57:51,968 --> 02:57:53,451
I...
1951
02:57:59,050 --> 02:58:02,035
- With you as my witness...
- With you as my witness...
1952
02:58:03,049 --> 02:58:04,989
- I swear.
- I swear
1953
02:58:05,801 --> 02:58:07,928
not to spare my strength and my life
1954
02:58:08,259 --> 02:58:11,247
not to spare my strength and my life
1955
02:58:12,049 --> 02:58:13,828
in defending the State of Lithuania
1956
02:58:14,092 --> 02:58:16,450
in defending the State of Lithuania
1957
02:58:16,884 --> 02:58:18,300
and its independence.
1958
02:58:18,551 --> 02:58:20,604
And its independence.
1959
02:58:21,592 --> 02:58:23,759
- I swear...
- I swear...
1960
02:58:24,133 --> 02:58:25,961
This political operation...
1961
02:58:26,592 --> 02:58:31,259
Of course, they hoped for Lithuania
to be riven by internal dissent.
1962
02:58:31,644 --> 02:58:33,840
Burokevičius' party
1963
02:58:33,894 --> 02:58:37,746
was not alone
1964
02:58:38,009 --> 02:58:40,425
in sending pleading cables:
1965
02:58:41,384 --> 02:58:44,050
"Declare presidential rule.
1966
02:58:44,259 --> 02:58:48,033
It’s chaos here,
people are in danger,
1967
02:58:49,092 --> 02:58:53,321
Sąjūdis government is behaving
incredibly".
1968
02:58:53,384 --> 02:58:54,884
This was a pack of lies.
1969
02:58:55,092 --> 02:58:57,004
Those were their methods...
1970
02:58:58,759 --> 02:59:02,717
As for the ill-fated.
1971
02:59:03,175 --> 02:59:07,050
National Salvation Committee of Lithuania,
1972
02:59:07,884 --> 02:59:11,851
established by the same communists
and KGB agents,
1973
02:59:12,425 --> 02:59:16,717
it proclaimed itself
to be the new supreme power,
1974
02:59:17,049 --> 02:59:20,883
since the previous government
had either already unravelled,
1975
02:59:20,884 --> 02:59:22,049
or had become impotent,
1976
02:59:22,175 --> 02:59:26,668
and so, acting as responsible people,
we will take authority into our own hands,
1977
02:59:26,842 --> 02:59:31,759
complete authority,
1978
02:59:32,259 --> 02:59:35,712
in order to lead the state and the people
1979
02:59:35,751 --> 02:59:38,380
out of this crisis situation,
1980
02:59:38,717 --> 02:59:42,175
brought about
by Sąjūdis and Landsbergis.
1981
02:59:43,009 --> 02:59:45,092
But this was attempt was unsuccessful too,
1982
02:59:47,384 --> 02:59:49,842
although it was fully planned,
1983
02:59:50,009 --> 02:59:53,129
and later, other countries
1984
02:59:53,520 --> 02:59:56,052
used this salvation committee as a model.
1985
03:00:42,884 --> 03:00:44,425
- To the right.
- Where?
1986
03:00:44,551 --> 03:00:46,926
Up these stairs at the very top, right?
1987
03:00:48,592 --> 03:00:50,968
Ah, I was wondering
where they got their sticks from.
1988
03:00:58,429 --> 03:00:59,888
Do you have any more baskets?
1989
03:02:25,259 --> 03:02:29,842
It was a planned military operation
that was prepared in Moscow
1990
03:02:30,634 --> 03:02:34,009
and even had its own headquarters
1991
03:02:34,425 --> 03:02:38,842
with military maps and little flags,
1992
03:02:38,867 --> 03:02:42,243
showing the position of different forces
and their planned movement.
1993
03:02:42,509 --> 03:02:44,842
And they did move according to the plan
1994
03:02:44,884 --> 03:02:48,509
because extra forces were needed:
1995
03:02:51,281 --> 03:02:52,413
parachutists,
1996
03:02:56,092 --> 03:02:58,094
airborne troops
1997
03:02:58,425 --> 03:03:03,425
were sent from Pskov,
1998
03:03:03,492 --> 03:03:05,995
from Kaliningrad to Lithuania.
1999
03:03:06,049 --> 03:03:08,764
It took a couple of days,
2000
03:03:08,920 --> 03:03:12,743
starting on the 4th of January
2001
03:03:13,050 --> 03:03:19,231
when Prunskienė's government
illegally decided to raise prices.
2002
03:03:19,884 --> 03:03:24,220
Military supplies also formed a part
2003
03:03:24,384 --> 03:03:29,384
of their attack strategy.
2004
03:03:29,801 --> 03:03:32,832
These supplies included
2005
03:03:32,996 --> 03:03:37,175
illegal items,
2006
03:03:38,842 --> 03:03:41,801
internationally banned items
2007
03:03:42,300 --> 03:03:47,175
such as expanding bullets
2008
03:03:48,508 --> 03:03:51,923
which cause
2009
03:03:52,752 --> 03:03:56,320
irreversible internal damage
2010
03:03:56,926 --> 03:04:00,425
and terrible suffering to the victim.
2011
03:04:01,049 --> 03:04:03,050
They used these,
2012
03:04:03,133 --> 03:04:07,259
as was verified by the commission set up
by the "Shield" organization.
2013
03:04:08,148 --> 03:04:12,747
"Shield" was a pro-democratic group
2014
03:04:12,802 --> 03:04:14,880
of military officers.
2015
03:04:15,133 --> 03:04:20,133
They came and investigated
and wrote their report.
2016
03:04:20,639 --> 03:04:22,825
That’s another very important document.
2017
03:04:23,759 --> 03:04:25,049
Those bullets...
2018
03:04:28,509 --> 03:04:32,294
You could see that the soldiers' eyes
2019
03:04:32,733 --> 03:04:34,348
were glazed over.
2020
03:04:36,217 --> 03:04:39,049
One of my doctors said,
"That's pill No.5,
2021
03:04:39,509 --> 03:04:43,175
it makes them indifferent
to any obstacle in their way -
2022
03:04:43,259 --> 03:04:46,592
be it a woman, a child,
an old person..."
2023
03:05:36,916 --> 03:05:38,251
Lithuania!
2024
03:05:44,108 --> 03:05:45,524
Lithuania!
2025
03:06:46,384 --> 03:06:48,676
Fascists!
2026
03:06:49,823 --> 03:06:51,465
Now let's give them a bit of a fright...
2027
03:06:56,460 --> 03:06:58,136
Bloody hell, I told you to break it up...
2028
03:06:58,772 --> 03:07:00,647
- Get back, I said!
- Clear out now...
2029
03:07:06,175 --> 03:07:10,259
Film them beating
the guy over there,
2030
03:07:10,300 --> 03:07:12,049
on the left.
2031
03:08:14,384 --> 03:08:19,133
The National Salvation Committee
of Lithuania
2032
03:08:20,009 --> 03:08:23,467
is the government of the common folk.
2033
03:08:23,801 --> 03:08:28,425
The government of workers, peasants,
public servants.
2034
03:08:30,676 --> 03:08:34,217
They probably thought
that the crowd would disperse.
2035
03:08:35,300 --> 03:08:36,425
Obviously.
2036
03:08:36,551 --> 03:08:40,086
They were very well equipped
2037
03:08:41,210 --> 03:08:43,460
and had military superiority.
2038
03:08:43,634 --> 03:08:47,175
They fired into the air
or at the ground,
2039
03:08:47,259 --> 03:08:51,884
but then started firing straight ahead,
when the crowd didn't disperse.
2040
03:08:52,133 --> 03:08:55,551
Tanks were used to crush people.
2041
03:08:56,092 --> 03:09:01,968
People should have run away
2042
03:09:02,676 --> 03:09:05,842
when they saw the level of violence.
2043
03:09:05,926 --> 03:09:08,092
But they did not budge,
2044
03:09:08,759 --> 03:09:10,934
they kept blocking the way,
2045
03:09:11,217 --> 03:09:16,133
dragged people out from under the wheels,
2046
03:09:17,259 --> 03:09:23,120
all the while cursing the attackers
as fascists.
2047
03:09:24,425 --> 03:09:27,926
Who was commanding
the military operation?
2048
03:09:28,175 --> 03:09:32,213
Vilnius' Commandant Uskhopchik
2049
03:09:33,790 --> 03:09:37,450
was present so he got blamed,
2050
03:09:39,311 --> 03:09:41,467
and later he was used as a scapegoat,
2051
03:09:42,050 --> 03:09:44,546
as if he had given the order.
2052
03:09:45,384 --> 03:09:48,283
But a special team was sent
2053
03:09:48,353 --> 03:09:50,776
by President Gorbachev himself,
2054
03:09:50,842 --> 03:09:52,512
an assault troop called "Alpha",
2055
03:09:53,175 --> 03:09:57,291
that only operated on his say-so.
2056
03:09:58,467 --> 03:10:02,411
At that moment their leader was.
2057
03:10:04,669 --> 03:10:06,768
Colonel Golovatov,
2058
03:10:08,467 --> 03:10:12,408
who was later involved
in a very interesting international story.
2059
03:10:13,634 --> 03:10:18,634
So Golovatov gave them orders
about what to seize and how to do it:
2060
03:10:20,781 --> 03:10:25,230
to seize the buildings by firing at them,
2061
03:10:26,057 --> 03:10:29,292
and at the windows,
by bursting in,
2062
03:10:29,717 --> 03:10:34,717
and if necessary,
by firing at people too.
2063
03:10:37,683 --> 03:10:42,683
The order was "to clear the entrances".
2064
03:10:45,092 --> 03:10:48,384
How do you clear the entrances
with crowds of people everywhere?
2065
03:10:48,634 --> 03:10:53,634
By saying, "to hell with those people,
kill them".
2066
03:10:55,061 --> 03:10:57,158
So they cleared the entrances
2067
03:11:01,395 --> 03:11:04,516
to enable them to carry out the order
2068
03:11:05,676 --> 03:11:08,133
to take over radio and TV.
2069
03:11:09,714 --> 03:11:13,259
Golovatov was in command of "Alpha"
2070
03:11:13,300 --> 03:11:17,175
but he had no authority
to order the attack.
2071
03:11:17,259 --> 03:11:22,217
He said himself,
"It's nonsense to blame me.
2072
03:11:22,425 --> 03:11:23,759
There was a Commander-in-Chief!"
2073
03:11:23,801 --> 03:11:24,801
And who was that?
2074
03:11:24,842 --> 03:11:25,852
Gorbachev!
2075
03:11:58,537 --> 03:11:59,537
Fascists!
2076
03:12:00,185 --> 03:12:01,185
Fascists!
2077
03:12:32,978 --> 03:12:34,844
...d'you understand, you bloody lout?
2078
03:13:03,525 --> 03:13:04,778
Let's get in front!
2079
03:13:21,720 --> 03:13:22,939
Clear out!
2080
03:13:37,116 --> 03:13:38,116
I'm not armed!
2081
03:13:39,023 --> 03:13:40,649
Why are you doing this?
2082
03:13:46,194 --> 03:13:47,194
Get lost!
2083
03:13:47,210 --> 03:13:48,110
Go home!
2084
03:13:48,132 --> 03:13:49,132
Get lost, I'm telling you!
2085
03:13:49,179 --> 03:13:50,527
Go home!
2086
03:14:01,294 --> 03:14:02,815
You're worse than animals!
2087
03:14:09,967 --> 03:14:10,967
Split up.
2088
03:14:11,068 --> 03:14:12,184
Disperse!
2089
03:14:17,807 --> 03:14:19,088
Get out of here.
2090
03:14:20,104 --> 03:14:21,104
Out!
2091
03:14:21,338 --> 03:14:22,338
Out!
2092
03:14:27,695 --> 03:14:28,910
Disperse!
2093
03:14:38,063 --> 03:14:39,063
Stop!
2094
03:14:39,528 --> 03:14:41,370
Don't degrade yourselves in front of them!
2095
03:15:08,092 --> 03:15:10,676
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
2096
03:15:10,717 --> 03:15:12,883
pray for us sinners now,
2097
03:15:12,884 --> 03:15:15,676
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
2098
03:15:15,717 --> 03:15:19,175
Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
2099
03:15:19,676 --> 03:15:22,926
Blessed art thou among women,
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
2100
03:15:23,842 --> 03:15:26,384
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
2101
03:15:26,425 --> 03:15:28,467
pray for us sinners now,
2102
03:15:28,509 --> 03:15:31,217
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
2103
03:15:31,300 --> 03:15:33,634
Hail Mary, full of Grace,
2104
03:15:33,676 --> 03:15:35,175
The Lord is with thee.
2105
03:15:35,259 --> 03:15:39,259
Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
2106
03:15:39,467 --> 03:15:41,926
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
2107
03:15:42,009 --> 03:15:44,217
pray for us sinners now,
2108
03:15:44,300 --> 03:15:47,050
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
2109
03:15:47,509 --> 03:15:49,842
Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
2110
03:15:49,926 --> 03:15:51,425
The Lord is with thee.
2111
03:15:51,717 --> 03:15:55,717
Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
2112
03:15:55,801 --> 03:15:58,009
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
2113
03:15:58,300 --> 03:15:59,759
pray for us sinners now...
2114
03:16:01,300 --> 03:16:03,592
Afanasyev is calling from Moscow.
2115
03:16:04,049 --> 03:16:05,634
Yuri Nikolaevich,
2116
03:16:06,009 --> 03:16:08,092
we have a lot of casualties
that we already know of.
2117
03:16:08,175 --> 03:16:11,049
The Chairman is filling him in
on current developments.
2118
03:16:11,509 --> 03:16:13,634
As of yet, we are uncertain
about the number of fatalities,
2119
03:16:13,676 --> 03:16:16,509
but there are bound to be some.
2120
03:16:18,523 --> 03:16:20,384
They've taken over the TV tower
2121
03:16:20,425 --> 03:16:23,884
now they’re taking over
the Central Telegraph...
2122
03:16:23,926 --> 03:16:27,009
There are lots of ambulances
at the Supreme Council.
2123
03:16:27,551 --> 03:16:29,050
I've called...
2124
03:16:29,300 --> 03:16:32,009
Lots of ambulances everywhere
not only at the Supreme...
2125
03:16:32,133 --> 03:16:34,092
...in Gorbachev's reception room
2126
03:16:34,926 --> 03:16:39,926
and asked for him to be informed
immediately about the military action
2127
03:16:40,842 --> 03:16:45,133
that has started in the city with tanks,
armoured vehicles and armed troops.
2128
03:16:45,634 --> 03:16:47,551
Give me the information!
2129
03:16:47,592 --> 03:16:50,384
...approaching the TV tower,
2130
03:16:50,425 --> 03:16:53,049
which is being defended by a large crowd.
It's a highly dangerous situation.
2131
03:16:53,050 --> 03:16:56,968
I've urgently requested that he halt
the operation,
2132
03:16:57,049 --> 03:17:00,425
to prevent bloodshed.
2133
03:17:01,592 --> 03:17:03,592
- Do you understand Russian?
- Yes.
2134
03:17:03,884 --> 03:17:07,133
I advise you to leave this building.
2135
03:17:07,884 --> 03:17:10,467
Your lives are at risk if you stay here.
2136
03:17:10,968 --> 03:17:13,849
That night.
2137
03:17:15,685 --> 03:17:18,881
Lithuania’s Supreme Council
made an appeal
2138
03:17:19,384 --> 03:17:23,634
to governments worldwide:
2139
03:17:25,884 --> 03:17:30,884
“The Soviet Union has begun
an undeclared war
2140
03:17:31,050 --> 03:17:33,133
against the Republic of Lithuania.
2141
03:17:37,050 --> 03:17:41,884
Innocent lives are being lost" and so on.
2142
03:17:42,926 --> 03:17:44,327
So this is...
2143
03:17:47,206 --> 03:17:48,840
the first confirmation.
2144
03:17:50,009 --> 03:17:54,217
People in Moscow tried to spin it
2145
03:17:54,509 --> 03:17:56,968
the other way.
"Lithuania has declared war against..."
2146
03:17:59,993 --> 03:18:04,516
Lithuania explained its position...
2147
03:18:05,509 --> 03:18:10,049
Far from declaring war,
Lithuania was the one being attacked.
2148
03:18:10,968 --> 03:18:12,842
But they went claiming
2149
03:18:12,884 --> 03:18:15,259
that Lithuania had declared war
against the USSR!
2150
03:18:15,384 --> 03:18:18,936
Yes, as if we were complete idiots
and had attacked the USSR...
2151
03:18:20,289 --> 03:18:24,695
Somehow we survived
2152
03:18:25,446 --> 03:18:26,766
the 13th of January
2153
03:18:27,467 --> 03:18:31,894
and managed to stop
2154
03:18:31,995 --> 03:18:33,861
further aggression,
2155
03:18:34,050 --> 03:18:36,884
and they saw the impasse they were in.
2156
03:18:39,049 --> 03:18:43,089
One high-ranking officer in Vilnius
2157
03:18:43,407 --> 03:18:47,717
said, off the record, but very vividly,
when asked,
2158
03:18:48,050 --> 03:18:51,356
“Why didn't you take the Supreme Council?”
2159
03:18:54,842 --> 03:18:58,042
"It would have been a bloodbath".
2160
03:19:43,592 --> 03:19:44,968
Put it next to the bus.
2161
03:19:45,092 --> 03:19:46,592
Next to the bus.
2162
03:19:54,592 --> 03:19:55,884
You have to leave a passage.
2163
03:19:57,634 --> 03:19:59,551
- OK...
- People, who's in charge here?
2164
03:20:00,259 --> 03:20:01,124
The crowd!
2165
03:20:01,149 --> 03:20:03,876
I won't be able to get it
to the militia if you pile stuff up here.
2166
03:20:03,884 --> 03:20:05,133
We'll need some more...
2167
03:21:02,425 --> 03:21:04,592
...lines from the Bible.
2168
03:21:06,049 --> 03:21:09,884
It impressed me deeply and helped me.
2169
03:21:10,676 --> 03:21:13,676
I put my faith in God's hands.
2170
03:22:07,829 --> 03:22:09,078
President,
2171
03:22:10,801 --> 03:22:12,676
look at your hands.
2172
03:22:15,592 --> 03:22:17,954
Look into your heart.
2173
03:22:22,425 --> 03:22:24,816
If you were powerless,
2174
03:22:26,603 --> 03:22:31,509
why are you shielding these killers
2175
03:22:32,795 --> 03:22:34,166
with your name?
2176
03:22:36,133 --> 03:22:39,069
If you had the power to stop them,
2177
03:22:39,974 --> 03:22:41,651
why didn't you?
2178
03:22:44,370 --> 03:22:45,909
Where is your country going?
2179
03:22:50,009 --> 03:22:54,968
It's heading towards an abyss,
and could drag the whole world into it.
2180
03:22:55,923 --> 03:22:57,635
Why would you do that?
2181
03:23:01,996 --> 03:23:07,787
Stop the massacre if you can.
2182
03:23:09,152 --> 03:23:10,869
A Nobel Peace Prize
M. S. Gorbachev.
2183
03:23:11,009 --> 03:23:16,009
My precious motherland,
2184
03:23:20,300 --> 03:23:24,759
A land where heroes
2185
03:23:25,217 --> 03:23:29,926
sleep in your graves,
2186
03:23:31,509 --> 03:23:35,884
The ancient battles
2187
03:23:36,092 --> 03:23:41,092
weren't fought in vain!
2188
03:23:42,050 --> 03:23:47,050
The songs of praise
2189
03:23:47,159 --> 03:23:52,133
were not composed in vain!
2190
03:23:52,634 --> 03:23:57,133
The ancient battles
2191
03:23:57,551 --> 03:24:02,551
weren't fought in vain!
2192
03:24:03,217 --> 03:24:07,759
The songs of praise
2193
03:24:07,926 --> 03:24:12,801
were not composed in vain!
2194
03:24:13,372 --> 03:24:16,049
And yet Gorbachev didn't dare
2195
03:24:17,033 --> 03:24:19,642
to give this command,
to follow through.
2196
03:24:20,509 --> 03:24:25,509
He even had
to express his disagreement publicly.
2197
03:24:26,592 --> 03:24:28,381
Although the same morning
2198
03:24:34,968 --> 03:24:39,537
he had held some discussion
with his aides,
2199
03:24:40,509 --> 03:24:44,050
who had persuaded him
that the only way out was for him
2200
03:24:44,884 --> 03:24:47,676
to go to Vilnius himself,
2201
03:24:49,300 --> 03:24:52,066
and make an appearance at Parliament,
2202
03:24:53,050 --> 03:24:55,592
and say that there has been a mistake,
2203
03:24:55,842 --> 03:24:58,009
that someone on the spot has got it wrong,
2204
03:24:58,467 --> 03:25:02,175
that we regret it, we are sorry,
we will punish the culprits,
2205
03:25:02,717 --> 03:25:06,454
and that Lithuania
has the right to independence.
2206
03:25:08,926 --> 03:25:12,454
Let's shake hands and depart in peace.
2207
03:25:13,050 --> 03:25:15,968
Even though it’s a bloodstained peace,
2208
03:25:16,050 --> 03:25:18,384
and it must never happen again.
2209
03:25:19,133 --> 03:25:22,676
The aides persuaded him,
he said, “write me a speech”,
2210
03:25:24,300 --> 03:25:26,154
and ordered a plane to be made ready.
2211
03:25:26,759 --> 03:25:28,759
The aides wrote the speech,
2212
03:25:29,092 --> 03:25:32,049
but something happened overnight.
2213
03:25:32,676 --> 03:25:34,916
When they brought him the speech,
2214
03:25:35,174 --> 03:25:38,854
he put it away in a box,
2215
03:25:38,968 --> 03:25:41,455
because he wouldn’t be needing it.
2216
03:25:42,801 --> 03:25:45,332
He was forbidden to make it.
2217
03:25:48,259 --> 03:25:52,009
It would have looked as if...
It's a pity the blood had been shed -
2218
03:25:52,467 --> 03:25:55,717
it would've looked as if,
either directly or indirectly,
2219
03:25:55,884 --> 03:25:58,522
he was following our suggestion:
2220
03:26:00,300 --> 03:26:02,759
"Don't follow in Stalin’s footsteps.
2221
03:26:03,676 --> 03:26:06,477
Stalin’s criminal actions were condemned,
2222
03:26:07,509 --> 03:26:11,977
but if you do the right thing, Lithuania
will build you a monument”.
2223
03:26:14,175 --> 03:26:15,842
But he didn't want to do that,
2224
03:26:16,092 --> 03:26:20,530
or more probably, wasn't allowed to,
the security service stopped it.
2225
03:29:01,760 --> 03:29:07,079
Grant to them eternal rest, O Lord!
2226
03:29:08,089 --> 03:29:13,089
Let eternal light shine upon them.
2227
03:29:16,254 --> 03:29:21,170
Because God is merciful,
2228
03:29:21,565 --> 03:29:26,256
and full of grace.
2229
03:29:29,427 --> 03:29:32,678
Requiem.
2230
03:30:00,243 --> 03:30:01,381
Do not cry.
2231
03:30:02,907 --> 03:30:04,107
Do not cry.
2232
03:30:05,189 --> 03:30:06,443
Do not be sad.
2233
03:30:07,750 --> 03:30:11,118
Today we must shed tears for those
2234
03:30:11,918 --> 03:30:15,468
who’ve been fostering lies
2235
03:30:16,157 --> 03:30:20,141
and violence for 50 years,
2236
03:30:20,679 --> 03:30:25,304
who robbed our homeland of independence.
2237
03:30:26,036 --> 03:30:29,744
We needn't cry for those
2238
03:30:30,126 --> 03:30:33,792
whom we are laying to rest,
2239
03:30:34,167 --> 03:30:36,500
or those whom we cannot lay to rest.
2240
03:30:36,930 --> 03:30:38,679
They are our pride.
2241
03:30:39,459 --> 03:30:41,241
They are our joy.
2242
03:31:01,959 --> 03:31:06,959
Hail Mary, Full of Grace.
2243
03:31:09,209 --> 03:31:13,084
The Lord is with thee.
2244
03:31:13,959 --> 03:31:18,959
Blessed art thou among women,
2245
03:31:20,500 --> 03:31:25,500
blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
2246
03:31:27,174 --> 03:31:29,636
Holy Mary,
2247
03:31:29,706 --> 03:31:34,145
Mother of God
2248
03:31:34,902 --> 03:31:39,235
pray for us sinners now,
2249
03:31:39,906 --> 03:31:44,906
and at the hour of our death.
2250
03:31:45,862 --> 03:31:47,779
Amen.
2251
03:31:49,312 --> 03:31:54,312
Grant to them eternal rest, O Lord.
2252
03:31:57,709 --> 03:32:01,395
Let light perpetual
2253
03:32:01,845 --> 03:32:05,530
shine upon them.
2254
03:32:41,112 --> 03:32:43,571
It was a complete shambles.
2255
03:32:44,532 --> 03:32:48,281
Gorbachev was tossing this way and that,
2256
03:32:48,957 --> 03:32:50,846
still unable to decide what to do,
2257
03:32:54,654 --> 03:32:58,441
so the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs,
was authorised -
2258
03:32:59,117 --> 03:33:00,894
I still have his name somewhere -
2259
03:33:01,736 --> 03:33:05,730
to summon the Western ambassadors
2260
03:33:05,750 --> 03:33:08,167
including the American ambassador,
2261
03:33:10,509 --> 03:33:12,738
and he read from a sheet of paper,
2262
03:33:12,984 --> 03:33:15,694
in a trembling voice,
2263
03:33:16,500 --> 03:33:20,583
that he was authorised to inform the world
2264
03:33:22,377 --> 03:33:25,017
that Gorbachev personally
had nothing to do with it,
2265
03:33:26,220 --> 03:33:31,073
he knew nothing about what was going on.
2266
03:33:34,890 --> 03:33:39,499
Some local leaders and forces
2267
03:33:39,638 --> 03:33:43,488
were to blame.
2268
03:33:46,496 --> 03:33:49,419
And those Soviet troops
2269
03:33:49,974 --> 03:33:53,563
who had fired
on defenceless people,
2270
03:33:54,849 --> 03:33:59,155
had not received any orders
2271
03:33:59,304 --> 03:34:02,130
from the highest authorities in the USSR.
2272
03:34:04,909 --> 03:34:07,916
After listening to this nonsense,
2273
03:34:08,837 --> 03:34:14,443
the American ambassador, Matlock,
2274
03:34:14,667 --> 03:34:17,917
very reasonably and modestly asked,
2275
03:34:17,959 --> 03:34:22,959
"So you're going to find the guilty men
2276
03:34:23,459 --> 03:34:26,292
and then punish them, right?"
2277
03:34:29,171 --> 03:34:30,888
Nobody answered, "Right",
2278
03:34:32,114 --> 03:34:34,540
because nobody was punished.
2279
03:34:34,985 --> 03:34:39,657
On the contrary:
the troops who killed innocent people
2280
03:34:39,993 --> 03:34:41,880
were given medals for their feats
2281
03:34:43,098 --> 03:34:47,125
in the name of their native land.
2282
03:35:45,294 --> 03:35:47,081
- Hello, good afternoon...
- Hello.
2283
03:35:48,467 --> 03:35:52,801
The treaty is all-encompassing,
2284
03:35:53,974 --> 03:35:57,015
we had many different obstacles,
2285
03:35:57,316 --> 03:36:00,472
so it was a very long road.
2286
03:36:01,759 --> 03:36:05,449
There were some disagreements
about certain aspects,
2287
03:36:07,425 --> 03:36:11,851
but the working groups on both sides
did a thorough job
2288
03:36:12,551 --> 03:36:17,551
and so, today Mr Landsbergis and I
2289
03:36:19,009 --> 03:36:22,968
added some final touches,
2290
03:36:23,801 --> 03:36:28,801
and we believe that the treaty
is ready for signing.
2291
03:36:29,342 --> 03:36:34,342
We also have chosen today,
the 29th of July, as the signing day.
2292
03:36:35,192 --> 03:36:39,231
I think that the signing of such a treaty
2293
03:36:40,634 --> 03:36:44,727
will push the central authorities
of the Union
2294
03:36:45,634 --> 03:36:49,899
to get round the table
2295
03:36:49,931 --> 03:36:52,301
as soon as possible,
and bash out a treaty
2296
03:36:52,326 --> 03:36:56,871
between the Union
and the Republic of Lithuania.
2297
03:36:57,874 --> 03:37:00,088
What kind of treaty do you mean?
2298
03:37:02,049 --> 03:37:04,428
A bilateral one.
2299
03:37:05,932 --> 03:37:10,475
I can add that
2300
03:37:12,717 --> 03:37:18,007
the position of Boris Yeltsin,
concerning the 13th of January
2301
03:37:18,372 --> 03:37:19,852
and his general approach
2302
03:37:21,144 --> 03:37:26,144
is obviously very important
to the whole of Lithuania...
2303
03:37:29,425 --> 03:37:33,038
No other leader of a great power
2304
03:37:34,092 --> 03:37:36,676
spoke out about January 13
2305
03:37:36,912 --> 03:37:38,539
the way the leader of Russia did.
2306
03:37:40,801 --> 03:37:45,801
He expressed himself frankly
2307
03:37:48,717 --> 03:37:51,574
and according to his conscience.
2308
03:37:53,253 --> 03:37:55,551
This is what matters most to me
2309
03:37:56,384 --> 03:37:59,634
and this is why Boris Nikolayevich
has my deepest admiration.
2310
03:38:00,259 --> 03:38:02,050
Now, dear colleagues, please excuse me...
2311
03:38:02,092 --> 03:38:03,676
Boris Nikolayevich and Mr Landsbergis
2312
03:38:03,717 --> 03:38:05,984
have agreed to pose together
for a picture for posterity.
2313
03:38:06,904 --> 03:38:10,491
Boris Nikolayevich, as President of Russia
will you be holding a press-conference?
2314
03:38:12,676 --> 03:38:14,634
- Do I need to?
- Of course.
2315
03:38:15,327 --> 03:38:17,134
- Ok, I'll put it on my 'to do' list.
- Use the...
2316
03:38:17,159 --> 03:38:19,242
- We'll request it, Boris Nikolayevich.
- Fine.
2317
03:38:28,770 --> 03:38:33,812
The treaty we signed with Yeltsin
gave us full recognition.
2318
03:38:34,676 --> 03:38:36,384
It stated that,
2319
03:38:37,592 --> 03:38:40,884
"We recognise the Russian Federation
2320
03:38:41,384 --> 03:38:45,884
as a sovereign state,
2321
03:38:46,049 --> 03:38:49,041
based on its documents
2322
03:38:49,337 --> 03:38:52,901
of the 12th June 1990,
2323
03:38:53,842 --> 03:38:56,296
and Russia recognises us,
2324
03:38:56,350 --> 03:39:00,632
according to our resolutions of March 11”.
2325
03:39:02,592 --> 03:39:07,592
Later, when the Gorbachevists
2326
03:39:09,349 --> 03:39:10,838
started muddying the water,
2327
03:39:11,300 --> 03:39:14,516
claiming that during the bloodshed
2328
03:39:14,815 --> 03:39:18,372
we weren't yet a recognised state,
2329
03:39:19,259 --> 03:39:22,759
I could point to the treaty:
The President of Russia's signature
2330
03:39:23,259 --> 03:39:25,842
confirms that we were recognised
on March 11,
2331
03:39:27,868 --> 03:39:32,868
and not on the day in September 1990,
2332
03:39:35,175 --> 03:39:38,342
when Gorbachev was kind enough
2333
03:39:39,154 --> 03:39:41,954
to recognise our sovereignty
2334
03:39:43,140 --> 03:39:47,745
on behalf of the Federal Soviet,
of the Federation Council.
2335
03:39:50,990 --> 03:39:52,168
Whatever...
2336
03:39:52,425 --> 03:39:57,425
In July, 1991, on the eve of
2337
03:39:57,507 --> 03:40:00,612
signing the treaty with Yeltsin
2338
03:40:01,049 --> 03:40:03,592
we had already agreed all the details,
2339
03:40:03,884 --> 03:40:06,050
even the most sensitive ones,
2340
03:40:06,300 --> 03:40:11,300
which the negotiators had left
for leaders and Presidents to work out.
2341
03:40:12,968 --> 03:40:15,098
There were two disputed points:
2342
03:40:16,884 --> 03:40:21,884
the 1920 peace treaty
2343
03:40:22,136 --> 03:40:25,704
between Russia and Lithuania
2344
03:40:27,041 --> 03:40:31,049
and the Soviet annexation of Lithuania.
2345
03:40:32,300 --> 03:40:35,759
They wanted the references removed
2346
03:40:36,676 --> 03:40:39,049
but I said, "I can't do that
2347
03:40:39,050 --> 03:40:41,801
without the agreement
of my people and my Parliament,
2348
03:40:42,259 --> 03:40:45,717
but let's split the difference:
2349
03:40:46,175 --> 03:40:50,629
I agree to remove one point
but the other one stays”.
2350
03:40:51,968 --> 03:40:56,968
So we removed the point
about the peace treaty of 1920,
2351
03:40:57,801 --> 03:41:02,801
and left the one condemning
the annexation,
2352
03:41:03,384 --> 03:41:08,040
the unlawful Soviet annexation
of Lithuania,
2353
03:41:08,599 --> 03:41:10,122
that took place in 1940.
2354
03:41:11,425 --> 03:41:14,425
Then came the solemn moment of signing:
2355
03:41:14,801 --> 03:41:18,801
I was surrounded by my delegation
and Yeltsin was surrounded by his,
2356
03:41:19,759 --> 03:41:24,759
including big shots
like Khasbulatov and Gaidar,
2357
03:41:26,175 --> 03:41:30,588
and suddenly they started butting in,
2358
03:41:31,217 --> 03:41:32,482
saying,
2359
03:41:33,448 --> 03:41:38,448
“there were two stumbling blocks.
2360
03:41:39,050 --> 03:41:42,517
So, since one of them has been removed,
why not get rid of the other one too?”
2361
03:41:44,801 --> 03:41:47,567
And then I felt as if I'd been trapped.
2362
03:41:49,801 --> 03:41:54,227
I couldn't refuse to sign
such an important treaty,
2363
03:41:54,884 --> 03:41:58,759
even if they chose to cross something out
at the last minute.
2364
03:41:59,175 --> 03:42:01,132
That's what they like to do -
2365
03:42:01,592 --> 03:42:06,768
they make last minute changes
to put you in a tight spot.
2366
03:42:08,416 --> 03:42:11,127
When I sensed this trap,
2367
03:42:11,662 --> 03:42:14,502
I said to Yeltsin,
who was sitting across the table from me,
2368
03:42:15,175 --> 03:42:18,342
"Boris Nikolayevich,
we've already agreed this,
2369
03:42:19,175 --> 03:42:21,107
and you are a man of your word”.
2370
03:42:22,133 --> 03:42:26,731
For some reason I just blurted it out.
2371
03:42:28,634 --> 03:42:32,551
And he told them,
"It's out of the question,
2372
03:42:32,759 --> 03:42:35,691
we've made an agreement
and we'll stick to it."
2373
03:42:45,676 --> 03:42:48,175
The heart of Lithuania.
2374
03:43:01,717 --> 03:43:03,133
Freedom for Lithuania
Marijampolė.
2375
03:43:18,509 --> 03:43:20,717
Carry them one by one.
One by one...
2376
03:43:25,049 --> 03:43:26,300
Don't sweat it.
2377
03:44:04,384 --> 03:44:06,467
This is the radio
of independent Lithuania speaking.
2378
03:44:06,509 --> 03:44:08,509
Here is the 5 o'clock news.
2379
03:44:08,634 --> 03:44:12,968
Deputies of the Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania
2380
03:44:13,133 --> 03:44:17,009
have decided to continue
in special session.
2381
03:44:17,259 --> 03:44:21,692
At 18.30 they will discuss an address...
2382
03:44:43,943 --> 03:44:45,365
...there has been a coup
2383
03:44:46,120 --> 03:44:48,345
which can only be called
2384
03:44:48,912 --> 03:44:53,600
a shameful and unlawful act
in the history of our country.
2385
03:45:16,592 --> 03:45:17,592
August came.
2386
03:45:18,092 --> 03:45:23,092
There was a putsch, a revolt, in Moscow,
2387
03:45:24,425 --> 03:45:27,551
and its instigators declared
2388
03:45:27,642 --> 03:45:31,336
that power in Lithuania
was back in the hands of
2389
03:45:31,774 --> 03:45:33,883
the putschists,
2390
03:45:36,739 --> 03:45:38,676
the army was under their command.
2391
03:45:43,759 --> 03:45:46,717
The commander-in-chief
of the Baltic region,
2392
03:45:47,050 --> 03:45:52,050
General Fyodor Kuzmin from Riga
called me and said,
2393
03:45:53,049 --> 03:45:56,217
"from now on, I run the Baltics
2394
03:45:57,597 --> 03:45:59,483
and you must
2395
03:45:59,851 --> 03:46:03,200
obey my orders".
2396
03:46:04,049 --> 03:46:09,049
I said, "I'm sorry,
but we won't obey you,
2397
03:46:11,009 --> 03:46:13,104
and you'll be responsible
2398
03:46:13,384 --> 03:46:16,760
if you choose the path of aggression."
2399
03:46:17,928 --> 03:46:22,801
We already had some
defensive military structures.
2400
03:46:24,133 --> 03:46:27,842
Of course, people were ready to fight,
2401
03:46:28,016 --> 03:46:29,916
even though...
2402
03:46:31,572 --> 03:46:34,657
the battle would have been
purely symbolic.
2403
03:46:35,259 --> 03:46:38,036
But we chose to have a political battle.
2404
03:46:39,050 --> 03:46:43,759
During the first session of the Parliament
2405
03:46:44,049 --> 03:46:48,050
we expressed wholehearted support
for democratic Russia
2406
03:46:48,634 --> 03:46:49,634
and its...
2407
03:46:54,676 --> 03:46:59,133
legal authority vested in Boris Yeltsin.
2408
03:47:00,175 --> 03:47:02,367
We are on Russia's side,
2409
03:47:04,300 --> 03:47:06,206
and not on the side of the Kremlin putsch.
2410
03:47:07,870 --> 03:47:12,553
Lithuania didn't falter
for a single moment,
2411
03:47:13,676 --> 03:47:16,295
and had no intention
2412
03:47:16,583 --> 03:47:21,756
of negotiating with the putschists.
2413
03:47:23,592 --> 03:47:27,770
They might be able to destroy us,
2414
03:47:27,809 --> 03:47:29,162
but not Lithuania.
2415
03:47:39,968 --> 03:47:42,634
What was the outcome
of your speech with the chairman?
2416
03:47:44,842 --> 03:47:45,842
It's hard to say.
2417
03:47:46,092 --> 03:47:48,676
When will the radio and TV
buildings be given back?
2418
03:47:48,717 --> 03:47:49,968
When I receive the order.
2419
03:47:50,009 --> 03:47:51,009
Thank you.
2420
03:48:12,820 --> 03:48:14,682
Leave the street, so they can pass!
2421
03:48:24,570 --> 03:48:27,387
Dear people, please move to the sidewalk.
2422
03:48:27,637 --> 03:48:28,818
I can see from here
2423
03:48:29,305 --> 03:48:31,315
that there's plenty of space.
2424
03:49:02,721 --> 03:49:04,057
Get into your vehicles!
2425
03:50:17,698 --> 03:50:18,847
Lithuania!
2426
03:50:39,177 --> 03:50:40,177
Freedom!
2427
03:50:40,232 --> 03:50:41,232
Hurrah!
2428
03:50:45,307 --> 03:50:46,808
They've finally gone!
2429
03:50:51,430 --> 03:50:52,483
Lithuania!
2430
03:51:03,759 --> 03:51:07,867
We learned all the details only later;
2431
03:51:09,049 --> 03:51:14,049
most probably, it was agreed
a priori with President Gorbachev,
2432
03:51:15,425 --> 03:51:19,906
who went on holiday
on the eve [of the putsch]
2433
03:51:20,300 --> 03:51:22,711
although this day was intended
2434
03:51:22,842 --> 03:51:27,556
as the dawn of
a new agreement for the Union,
2435
03:51:29,425 --> 03:51:31,908
which Gorbachev
had been pinning all his hopes on.
2436
03:51:33,467 --> 03:51:36,884
And he just washes his hands of it,
and goes off on holiday.
2437
03:51:38,300 --> 03:51:43,300
This had to be interpreted
as his capitulation
2438
03:51:44,509 --> 03:51:49,050
in the face of inner challenges
2439
03:51:49,425 --> 03:51:54,425
which he was incapable
of coping with.
2440
03:51:55,251 --> 03:51:59,300
He had to admit that times had changed,
2441
03:51:59,394 --> 03:52:01,220
and that relations had to be different,
2442
03:52:01,467 --> 03:52:06,467
and that if he wanted to survive,
he had to lead the Soviet Union
2443
03:52:07,634 --> 03:52:10,932
and Russia on the new path,
2444
03:52:11,369 --> 03:52:14,005
that Yeltsin was creating.
2445
03:52:17,842 --> 03:52:22,092
But it was unbearable for Gorbachev
to cooperate with Yeltsin,
2446
03:52:23,217 --> 03:52:25,580
and he couldn't force himself
2447
03:52:26,385 --> 03:52:29,841
to stand side by side with Yeltsin.
2448
03:52:33,175 --> 03:52:37,824
He was, and still is, inclined
2449
03:52:37,895 --> 03:52:39,286
to damn Yeltsin
2450
03:52:40,467 --> 03:52:43,876
for the decline and fall [of the Union].
2451
03:52:45,908 --> 03:52:50,206
He still doesn't realise
that his own inadequacy
2452
03:52:51,425 --> 03:52:53,929
is to blame.
2453
03:53:16,425 --> 03:53:19,425
The homeland is calling you,
2454
03:53:19,884 --> 03:53:24,259
Lithuania will be free once again...
2455
03:54:01,384 --> 03:54:03,217
My dear
2456
03:54:04,009 --> 03:54:09,009
free citizens of our free land!
2457
03:54:11,209 --> 03:54:13,045
Finally the day dawned,
2458
03:54:13,755 --> 03:54:18,755
the day we knew would surely come,
2459
03:54:20,342 --> 03:54:22,342
because we believed
2460
03:54:22,766 --> 03:54:25,630
in a Higher justice.
2461
03:54:26,634 --> 03:54:30,758
I remember three years ago in Vilnius,
2462
03:54:30,759 --> 03:54:34,049
in the Cathedral square,
when Sąjūdis was born,
2463
03:54:34,759 --> 03:54:36,665
when the Lithuanian anthem
2464
03:54:36,876 --> 03:54:40,906
rang out from thousands of hearts
2465
03:54:42,425 --> 03:54:47,217
and many of us shed a tear,
especially the elderly who said then,
2466
03:54:47,801 --> 03:54:52,384
"Thank you God, for letting me
live to see this day".
2467
03:54:53,175 --> 03:54:55,592
But that was three years ago.
2468
03:54:56,217 --> 03:54:58,943
Then the barricades and the chains
2469
03:54:59,553 --> 03:55:03,017
started to fall away.
2470
03:55:03,259 --> 03:55:05,342
It was only the beginning of the road.
2471
03:55:05,759 --> 03:55:10,759
But freedom, and faith were already
in our hearts,
2472
03:55:12,009 --> 03:55:14,676
and the conviction
that there was no other way.
2473
03:55:15,717 --> 03:55:19,342
Today nobody doubts anymore,
2474
03:55:19,676 --> 03:55:24,342
that Lithuania is a free,
independent state!
2475
03:55:37,133 --> 03:55:39,696
If stalinists, putschists
2476
03:55:39,759 --> 03:55:45,056
led by Yanayev or any other dictatorship
had returned,
2477
03:55:45,827 --> 03:55:50,050
and Europe had been forced,
2478
03:55:50,096 --> 03:55:54,331
or had felt obliged
2479
03:55:54,822 --> 03:55:56,676
to recognise this putschist government
2480
03:55:57,049 --> 03:56:00,384
for the sake of world peace,
2481
03:56:01,016 --> 03:56:04,098
that would have meant curtains
2482
03:56:04,371 --> 03:56:06,961
for everybody who opposed them,
2483
03:56:08,215 --> 03:56:11,092
including the rebels of Lithuania.
2484
03:56:13,009 --> 03:56:15,259
And the West would have to bear with it
2485
03:56:17,842 --> 03:56:22,842
or would have asked permission
to visit those who had been arrested,
2486
03:56:25,759 --> 03:56:27,167
to check if they were still alive,
2487
03:56:29,574 --> 03:56:32,645
or not.
2488
03:56:39,467 --> 03:56:41,666
But the putsch had its consequences,
2489
03:56:42,842 --> 03:56:44,855
which exist to this day.
2490
03:56:47,342 --> 03:56:51,675
Even Yeltsin wasn't able to punish them
2491
03:56:53,092 --> 03:56:55,634
because of internal resistance,
2492
03:56:55,676 --> 03:57:00,056
i.e. support for the defeated putschists.
2493
03:57:01,133 --> 03:57:05,946
They had very strong support,
so Yeltsin compromised
2494
03:57:08,049 --> 03:57:10,634
by declaring a kind of amnesty,
2495
03:57:12,968 --> 03:57:15,342
although they were traitors.
2496
03:57:19,968 --> 03:57:24,717
So they are as strong as ever
2497
03:57:26,884 --> 03:57:28,059
in the structures of power,
2498
03:57:29,572 --> 03:57:32,978
in influencing policy,
2499
03:57:33,797 --> 03:57:36,046
and that is still going on today.
2500
03:57:37,467 --> 03:57:40,208
Now they have almost heroic status...
2501
03:57:46,217 --> 03:57:49,778
They fought for things
they thought needed to be fought for,
2502
03:57:50,592 --> 03:57:53,133
what Gorbachev wasn't able to fight for...
2503
03:57:53,856 --> 03:57:56,886
They tried to do it instead of Gorbachev.
2504
03:57:58,425 --> 03:57:59,592
Well done, guys!
2505
03:58:10,758 --> 03:58:12,556
I request the Chief of Protocol
2506
03:58:12,836 --> 03:58:15,006
to escort the delegation
of the Republic of Lithuania
2507
03:58:15,257 --> 03:58:18,678
to its place in the General Assembly Hall.
2508
03:58:32,119 --> 03:58:33,119
Distinguished delegates,
2509
03:58:33,822 --> 03:58:35,600
I have the pleasure of welcoming
2510
03:58:36,920 --> 03:58:42,145
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
the Republic of Korea,
2511
03:58:42,940 --> 03:58:45,552
the Federated States of Micronesia,
2512
03:58:46,177 --> 03:58:47,361
Marshall Islands,
2513
03:58:48,283 --> 03:58:52,684
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
2514
03:58:52,839 --> 03:58:57,183
as members of the United Nations.
2515
03:59:07,461 --> 03:59:09,781
The Assembly will now hear an address
2516
03:59:10,375 --> 03:59:13,641
by the President of the Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania,
2517
03:59:15,243 --> 03:59:21,121
His Excellency Mr Vytautas Landsbergis.
2518
03:59:21,382 --> 03:59:24,940
I request the Chief of Protocol
to escort His Excellency the President.
2519
03:59:36,952 --> 03:59:39,725
On behalf of the General Assembly,
I have the honour to welcome
2520
03:59:40,887 --> 03:59:44,040
to the United Nations
2521
03:59:45,160 --> 03:59:47,760
the President of the Supreme Council
of the Republic of Lithuania,
2522
03:59:48,799 --> 03:59:52,439
His Excellency Mr Vytautas Landsbergis,
2523
03:59:52,784 --> 03:59:54,532
and to invite him to address the Assembly.
2524
03:59:54,799 --> 03:59:56,291
You have the floor, Mr Landsbergis.
2525
04:00:12,833 --> 04:00:15,360
The independent states of the world
2526
04:00:16,324 --> 04:00:20,519
which founded and fostered the UN
2527
04:00:21,677 --> 04:00:23,940
have today welcomed Lithuania
into the family of nations.
2528
04:00:26,421 --> 04:00:32,084
So Lithuania, a European state
for eight centuries,
2529
04:00:32,842 --> 04:00:37,420
which its neighbour wiped off the map
twice in the last 200 years,
2530
04:00:37,795 --> 04:00:41,900
today rises from the ashes,
2531
04:00:42,056 --> 04:00:45,025
like the mythical phoenix.
2532
04:00:47,751 --> 04:00:53,521
But Lithuania has been reborn
not only from the ashes of WWII,
2533
04:00:54,900 --> 04:00:59,068
Lithuania was reborn from the sufferings
and struggle of her people,
2534
04:01:00,080 --> 04:01:02,340
from their faith and their labours.
2535
04:01:04,694 --> 04:01:08,721
What did our country have faith in
for the last decades,
2536
04:01:09,840 --> 04:01:13,241
when crude force and cynical pragmatism
2537
04:01:14,157 --> 04:01:17,220
took away the faith of many
in what the world might be?
2538
04:01:19,058 --> 04:01:24,178
Our country had faith in fundamentals:
truth and justice.
2539
04:01:25,654 --> 04:01:28,721
I can say this:
2540
04:01:28,808 --> 04:01:31,780
oppression and lies exist,
but they are temporary,
2541
04:01:32,457 --> 04:01:37,740
and falsehood cannot reign for ever.
2542
04:01:40,902 --> 04:01:42,736
Did you want to be a politician?
2543
04:01:43,801 --> 04:01:44,821
Well, no.
2544
04:01:48,045 --> 04:01:51,629
I wanted to be an ordinary person!
2545
04:01:52,425 --> 04:01:54,300
...to study music,
2546
04:01:54,384 --> 04:01:57,425
to bring up my children,
to have a family,
2547
04:01:57,551 --> 04:02:02,362
just to stay out of trouble
and not end up in Siberia.
2548
04:02:05,133 --> 04:02:08,384
That was as far as my dreams went.
2549
04:02:09,425 --> 04:02:13,676
But why did you choose
to abandon the eternal verities
2550
04:02:14,050 --> 04:02:16,509
in favour of the here and now?
2551
04:02:17,393 --> 04:02:19,079
Because...
2552
04:02:19,845 --> 04:02:23,017
that's life.
2553
04:02:26,259 --> 04:02:30,886
One of my acquaintances,
a writer of children's books,
2554
04:02:32,259 --> 04:02:35,124
has written a few books
2555
04:02:37,117 --> 04:02:39,547
about a brown bear cub.
2556
04:02:42,592 --> 04:02:46,098
And that cub
2557
04:02:46,887 --> 04:02:48,995
also had a philosophical insight,
2558
04:02:50,133 --> 04:02:51,277
which he expressed as:
2559
04:02:52,386 --> 04:02:57,346
"Everything would be fine,
if it wasn't for this life".
2560
04:03:01,884 --> 04:03:06,217
So, we have trouble living life
and we agonise over it.
2561
04:03:08,233 --> 04:03:09,350
Was it scary?
2562
04:03:10,392 --> 04:03:11,392
No.
2563
04:03:15,049 --> 04:03:17,801
It was painful
2564
04:03:19,802 --> 04:03:21,553
when we got the news
2565
04:03:22,029 --> 04:03:26,657
about people being killed at the TV tower.
2566
04:03:31,717 --> 04:03:36,175
And we didn't know how many -
hundreds, even thousands, could be killed,
2567
04:03:36,217 --> 04:03:38,259
because there was a huge crowd
2568
04:03:38,676 --> 04:03:41,300
and they were determined to stay put,
2569
04:03:42,425 --> 04:03:44,707
even at the cost of their lives.
2570
04:03:46,676 --> 04:03:50,002
Anybody could have easily said,
2571
04:03:50,658 --> 04:03:54,129
"you are to blame".
2572
04:03:54,551 --> 04:03:58,342
The aggressor also tried
to put it like that:
2573
04:03:58,717 --> 04:04:00,425
“Why didn't you surrender?”
2574
04:04:02,300 --> 04:04:06,304
It wasn't just us who didn't surrender -
those people didn't surrender.
2575
04:04:08,175 --> 04:04:09,999
If, despite their will
2576
04:04:11,655 --> 04:04:16,242
to defend their honour,
we had surrendered,
2577
04:04:16,551 --> 04:04:17,881
we would have been traitors,
2578
04:04:20,009 --> 04:04:23,009
unworthy of respect or support,
2579
04:04:23,259 --> 04:04:28,362
but their hopes for a better world
2580
04:04:28,803 --> 04:04:30,281
would have perished too, of course.
2581
04:04:31,676 --> 04:04:36,676
And the world - their world
and perhaps the wider world -
2582
04:04:37,425 --> 04:04:39,566
would have sunk into despair.
2583
04:04:42,049 --> 04:04:43,884
But we fought to defend our hope.
2584
04:04:47,551 --> 04:04:50,342
My first political book
2585
04:04:54,342 --> 04:04:56,454
was also about hope;
its title is:
2586
04:04:57,485 --> 04:05:00,363
"Those Who Found Hope".205198
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