The Soviet Plenipotentiary Mission and the Belarusian diaspora in Lithuania in the 1920s

Abstract

The article is dedicated to little-known pages of the history of Soviet diplomacy. Contacts with emigrant circles were an important part of the work of the Soviet representative office in Lithuania in the 1920s. The search for effective ways to infiltrate communist propaganda in broad circles of the population of neighboring countries, as well as attempts to persuade political figures of these countries to cooperate, were the main motives of these relations. Starting in 1921, the emigrants themselves, including members of the Council of the Belarusian People’s Republic, the unrecognized Belarusian government in exile, sought connections with Soviet diplomats, mainly for financial reasons. These contacts became interesting for Soviet establishment in 1923, when the Council of ambassadors of the Entente recognized the Soviet-Polish borders under the Riga Peace treatment. Looking for the way out of situation they decided to transfer to BSSR to implement even partially their ideas, or to cooperate closely with the Soviet mission. This one in its turn used this channel for access to Belarusian minority in Lithuania. The article is based on archival materials of the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the USSR.

Received: 10.11.2020.

Citation
Korotkova D. A. The Soviet Plenipotentiary Mission and the Belarusian diaspora in Lithuania in the 1920s // Slavic Almanac. 2021. No 1–2. P. 254–271 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2021.1-2.2.02