Simas Kudirka

Simas Kudirka (9 April 1930 – 11 February 2023) was a Lithuanian sailor.[1] He is best known for the attempted defection from the Soviet Union in 1970 and subsequent activism against the Soviet regime in Lithuania. An important outcome of the incident was the creation of the improved guidelines for handling defections by American officials.

Simas Kudirka
KGB prison photo
Born(1930-04-09)9 April 1930
Griškabūdis, Lithuania
Died11 February 2023(2023-02-11) (aged 92)
Pilviškiai, Lithuania
NationalityLithuanian
EducationLithuanian Maritime Academy
OccupationSailor

Biography

Born in Griškabūdis[2] on 9 April 1930, Kudirka graduated from the Lithuanian Maritime Academy in 1952. He worked as a radio operator on various ships from 1956 to 1970. He was denied promotions due to his refusal to join the Communist Party.[3] On 23 November 1970, during a bilateral negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding fishing rights, he jumped from his ship, the trawler Sovetskaya Litva ('Soviet Lithuania'), onto the American coast guard ship, the USCGC Vigilant (WMEC-617). He requested political asylum, but he was detained, beaten, and forcibly returned to the Soviet ship by Soviet troops who had been let on board by the Americans.[1][3][4]

Actions by U.S. and Soviet officials were condemned by American news sources, particularly the Voice of America.[1] President Richard Nixon was angered by the incident, because of the violation of the procedure of handling the defection cases. After that three high officers associated with the incident were relieved from the duties. A more important outcome was the creation of the new guidelines for handling defections, which made the standing procedures more specific to ensure that similar situations would not happen again.[5]

In May 1971, Kudirka was sentenced to 10 years of correctional labour camps and he served his time in camps in Pskov Oblast and at Potma in Mordovia.[2] His mother, who had been born in the United States, confirmed her U.S. citizenship despite Soviet interference,[2] and Kudirka managed to secure release from imprisonment in 1974.[2][3] He moved to the United States with his family and gave lectures about the communist regime in Lithuania. He returned to Lithuania in 2000, ten years after the country's independence.[1]

Kudirka died in Pilviškiai on 11 February 2023, at the age of 92.[6]

Honors

Works about Kudirka

Several books and films have been produced about the life and story of Kudirka:[1]

  • Simas (1971) – book written by Jurgis Gliauda
  • Day of Shame (1973) – book written by Algis Rukšėnas
  • Simas Kudirka in Chicago (1974) – film directed by Algimantas Kezys
  • The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978) – television film that won two Emmys[8][9][10]
  • For Those Still at Sea (1978) – book written by Kudirka and Lawrence E. Eichel
  • The Jump (2020) – Lithuanian documentary film

References
  1. "Simas Kudirka". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. 13 February 2023 [2018]. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  2. Barnicle, Mike (10 January 1975). "Lithuania's Agony and Then Freedom". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO. pp. 3D, 4D. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. Eayrs, James (12 November 1974). "A Day in the Life of Simas Kudirka". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 13. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. Barnicle, Mike (9 January 1975). "A Man's Struggle to Escape from Russia". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO. p. 39. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. Smith, Terence (6 December 1970). "Defector: Why Nixon Was So Angry Over Refusal of Asylum". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  6. "Mirė filme "Šuolis" įamžintas jūreivis Simas Kudirka". Lithuanian National Radio and Television (in Lithuanian). 12 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. Apdovanotų asmenų duomenų bazė
  8. Hopkins, Tom (23 January 1978). "Defector's Story Celebrates Joy, Freedom Snatched from Despair". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, OH. p. 17. Retrieved 24 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  9. "From a Soviet Prison to American Television". Sunday News. Lancaster, PA. 22 June 1980. p. 105. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  10. "The Defection of Simas Kudirka". The Odessa American. Odessa, TX. 22 June 1980. p. 179. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. open access

Further reading
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