Speech #960198727

The Soviets finally forced Lithuania to allow Russian troops to use its land as a base for attacks against the Germans. Finally. in 1940. the Russians occupied Lithuania and set up a rigged election that resulted in the incorporation of the nation into the Soviet Union. During that terrible period. thousands of Lithuanians died. while others were arrested or deported. Since its incorporation into the Soviet Union. news has been very sparse from Lithuania as it has from its neighbors Latvia and Estonia. who suffered similar fates. The United States rightfully recognized the independent Lithuanian Government when it was first established and never has recognized that nations incorporation into the Soviet Union.