“No, My Friends, We Won’t Go Slow”. The Restoration of Lithuania’s Independence in the Pages of the World Press in 1990

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    March 24, 1990

    Ezio Mauro. “Vilnius asks the free world for help”

     

    Moscow’s noose is getting increasingly tighter around the new government of independent Lithuania. To accomplish this, Gorbachev is using his presidential powers. The Kremlin is closing Lithuania to foreigners. Yesterday, Western embassies in Moscow were ordered to withdraw their representatives from Vilnius within 12 hours. Two American diplomats, who had arrived in Lithuania's capital on Tuesday, received an order to leave the Baltic republic. Washington objected to this decision by Moscow, which “does not help to reduce the tension.”

     

    About the author (in Italian)

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    March 27, 1990

    Enrico Singer. “Commandos evict the Communist Party of Lithuania”

     

    “The Soviet Union will not use force in Lithuania, unless lives are at risk.” Senator Edward Kennedy communicated this phrase by Mikhail Gorbachev after a meeting in the Kremlin and the conflict between Moscow and Vilnius has become even more heated.

    For the first time, the leader of the Kremlin stated that he does not rule out the possibility of using force to deal with the crisis in Lithuania. True, the wording indicated certain limits. This sharper tone was another alarming sign at the end of a day full of contrasts. At the beginning of the day, paratroopers took over three buildings, which had belonged to the Communist Party of Lithuania, and later the first meeting took place between the leaders of the Baltic Republic and the Soviet military.

     

    Full article (in Italian)

     

    Singer's video on Youtube (in Italian)

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    March 31, 1990

    Carmelo Garofalo. “Attention – Perestroika and the “good” Gorbachev. The West is arming its killer”

     

    Gorbachev’s cynicism is impressive: while declaring not to use force, but reserving the right to use it “to save lives,” he is sending tanks and paratroopers into Lithuania, which has declared its independence, and which Soviet Russia had annexed in 1940 with Hitler’s consent.

     

    About the author (in Italian)