Vatican-Kaunas-Moscow :  the exchange of political prisoners (1933-1935)

Apsikeitimai politiniais kaliniais tarp Lietuvos Respublikos (LR) ir Sovietų Socialistinių Respublikų Sąjungos (SSRS) vyriausybių 20 a. 3-4 dešimtmetyje vyko ne kartą. Jie išskirtini ir svarbūs. 1933 ir 1935 m. apsikeitimus (kunigais ir komunistų partijos nariais) inicijavo Lietuvos pusė. Tačiau paaiškėja, kad keičiamų asmenų (kunigų) sąrašai ir pati apsikeitimo iniciatyva atėjo iš skrupulingai jį suplanavusio Šventojo Sosto. Nurodymus iš Vatikano gaudavusi Kauno metropolijos kurija savo ruožtu juos perduodavo vykdyti LR URM Politikos departamenti direktoriui Stasiui Lozoraičiui. Neabejotina, kad šioje grandinėje liks neįvardinti pagrindiniai iniciatoriai iš Šv. Sosto pusės ir politinę valią priėmę asmenys iš LR politinio elito. Taigi dvišalis apsikeitimas politiniais kaliniais tapo daugiašaliu: Vatikano – Lietuvos – Rusijos (SSRS).The exchange of political prisoners which was conducted between the Governments of the Republic of Lithuania and the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics could not be specified as a new phenomenon in 1930-1940. At first glance it might seem that the exchange of political prisoners carried out from 1933 to 1935 was not specific or unique. People exchange process was unique and significant in pre-war Lithuania's history. The exchange of political prisoners in 1933 and 1935 was initiated by the Lithuanian side, and this process mainly involved the exchange of priests for the members of the Lithuanian Communist party. This approach formed a sceptical attitude of the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist party towards the exchange of political prisoners. However, historical facts and details give reasons to claim that the lists of persons subject to the exchange and its initiative had emerged from the Holy See, where these plans had been scrupulously worked out. It can be supposed that the instructions and other technical issues were passed on to the Curia of Kaunas Metropolitan area; the latter, in its turn, conveyed this information to Stasys Lozoraitis, Director of the Department of Politics for Foreign Affairs. Unquestionably, the main initiators on the side of the Holy See and those on the Republic of Lithuania elite will, however, remain unidentified in this chain of events. In this way, the bilateral exchange of political prisoners became multinational, i.e. the exchange of political prisoners was conducted among Vatican City, Kaunas and Moscow