Lithuanians in cuba and the idea of an honorary ionsulate-general in lithuanian diplomatic jhicumentsofthe 1930s

During the period of the First Lithuanian Republic a relatively small number of emigrants headed for Cuba. Accurate data about Lithuanians in Cuba are not available but is likely that around 1933 the number of jjthnic Lithuanians there could have appro-pehcd 400, with the total number of Lithuanian citizens (non-Lithuanians included) Inching 800. But eventually the first number declined as some Lithuanians returned to Lithuania or emigrated to other countries. In 1937 only about a hundred Lithuanians were Iclt. Lithuanian diplomatic representatives In the United States and the Society to Aid I itliuanians Abroad tried to seek out and establish contact with Lithuanians living in Cuba as well as uniting them in an Alliance of Cuban Lithuanians, launched early 1937 In Havana. From as early as 1931 onwards, the difficult economic situation Lithuanians found themselves in, their immigrant status, and the need to represent them in Cuban government offices and courts, the idea of establishing an honorary Lithuanian consulate in Havana became ever more pressing. Those who raised it included Povilas Žadeikis, the Lithuanian consul-general in New York and later Minister Plenipotentiary in Washington, and Jonas Budrys, consul-general in New York. In 1938-1939 there was already talk in Lithuanian government circles about founding an honorary Lithuanian consulate-general in Havana. This was tied to real possibilities for expanding economic cooperation between Lithuania and Cuba and exporting Lithuanian goods to Cuba. Until 1939 small quantities of Cuban goods were shipped to Lithuania but there were no Lithuanian products in Cuba. In that year for the first time a small quantity of Lithuanian meat was sold on the Cuban market. Procrastination on this issue, primarily for financial reasons, was due to the Lithuanian Foreign MinistryVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij