Informacinių kovų kryžkelėse: JAV lietuvių informacinės kovos XIX a. pabaigoje - 1922 m

LTTyrimo objektu tapo lietuvių išeivių JAV informacijos kaip kuriančio ir griaunančio įrankio panaudojimo kaita (nuo atskirų informacinių operacijų iki masinių kampanijų) nuo XIX a. antros pusės iki 1922 m. Apatinės chronologinės ribos pasirinkimą lėmė išeivių bendruomenės JAV formavimosi pradžia, viršutinę - JAV Lietuvos nepriklausomybės pripažinimas, prie kurio, naudodami įvairias informacijos sklaidos priemones, nemažai prisidėjo ir išeiviai, taip užbaigdami vieną ryškiausių savo istorijos etapų - paramą Lietuvos nepriklausomybes siekiui, pradėtą veik nuo pirmų bendruomenės formavimosi metų JAV. Objektas lėmė ir tyrimo tikslą - išanalizuoti išeivių informacinės erdvės formavimąsi, jos istorinę kaitą ir panaudojimą informacijos sklaidai dviem kryptimis (žinoma, su daugybe vidinių atšakų): veikiant išeivių bendruomenės ideologinę ir politinę raidą; remiant tautinio išsivadavimo judėjimą Lietuvoje ir reprezentuojant lietuvius kaip savarankišką tautą tiek JAV, tiek pasaulyje (toks siekis privertė išplėsti geografines tyrimo ribas ir įtraukti JAV išeivių informacinę paramą lietuviams Europoje). Kartu norėta analizuoti, kaip išeiviai mokės naudotis informacija siekdami tikslų - pradedant atskirom operacijom (prieš asmenį ar oponentų organizacijas) ir pereinant prie įvairaus masto kampanijų stengiantis neutralizuoti priešininko informacijos sklaidos žalą, formuoti savo teigiamą įvaizdį, palankią visuomeninę nuomonę bei veikti įvairių šalių (pirmiausia - JAV) vyriausybių Lietuvai palankius sprendimus. Be to, šalia viešosios informacijos sklaidos dėmesys skirtas ir slaptai (t. y. žvalgybai), bet jos tyrimą labai riboja tokią veiklą lydintis slaptumas, tad remtasi labai fragmentiškais duomenim ir (neretai) spėlionėm [Iš Pratarmės].

ENLithuanians began immigrating to the United States in large numbers in the late 19th century. This immigrant community soon had its own specific political, social, cultural, and religious institutions, as well as a unique field of information that allowed identical social and cultural development in the widely scattered Lithuanian communities. The foundations of this field of information were printed and oral forms of information dissemination. Of course, only the printed form has left visible traces: newspapers, books, leaflets, and other publications. This press encouraged as well as reflected developments occurring in the community - its division into a right-wing (the Catholics), a left-wing (the Socialists), and a center (the Nationalists). Each of these ideological groups formed their own media starting in 1875, when the first Lithuanian book in America was published. By the 1920s, the Lithuanians had published almost two thousand books and about 150 newspapers. It is quite notable that a community of 300,000 - 500,000 individuals could sustain about ten large newspapers (Keleivis, Kovas, Draugas, Darbininkas, Katalikas, Naujienos, Laisvė, Saulė, Lietuvis, Vienybe). Verbal information mostly took the form of “orations”; this concept included speeches at rallies, meetings, picnics, and other gatherings. Over several decades a semi-professional class of speechmakers arose, and they also were divided by ideology. A lack of speechmakers compelled various ideological groups to train such orators, gather special materials for speeches. Some used visual materials for the purposes of illustration. Speechmakers were encouraged to make use also of private gatherings, such as christenings, weddings, nameday celebrations, and so on.These orations were used as one-time methods for dissemination of information (at a single meeting or rally) as well as for multiple events, with organization of tours for orators. Organizers also used visual tools, e.g., the Lithuanian exhibit at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1900, and participation in various U.S. holidays with visual attributes - folk costume, artistic groups, posters, and decorated carriages. Cinema was also popular. In the early 20th century several Lithuanian filmmakers toured Lithuanian communities. Lithuanians sought to establish film companies and distributed information about Lithuanian community events to American film companies for inclusion in newsreels. The Lithuanian immigrant community quickly grasped the importance of the collection and safekeeping of information. Periodicals created networks of mostly unpaid correspondents, exchanged material with other periodicals and monitored their content. With the start of World War I and the German occupation of Lithuania, Lithuanian immigrant organizations sent their representatives to the homeland to report back on the situation; these organizations, after all, had to adapt their activity to the new situation. To be sure, such cooperation was not a new development. The various ideological groups in the community had earlier been keeping an eye on each other and collecting each other’s information, utilizing it in their competition. Nevertheless, this had been spontaneous activity. For example, the Nationalists never did create a “spy” unit for their struggle with the Catholics in spite of such suggestions. The Lithuanian immigrant community, especially during World War I, sensed the attention of the intelligence services of Russia, Germany, and Britain.For example, the Nationalists never did create a “spy” unit for their struggle with the Catholics in spite of such suggestions. The Lithuanian immigrant community, especially during World War I, sensed the attention of the intelligence services of Russia, Germany, and Britain. After U.S. entry into the war, the Lithuanian Catholics worked with American intelligence, although the surviving sources illustrate details only about assistance in censoring the letters ofLithuanian-American soldiers and about information on Lithuanian antiwar activity. In addition, at the end of the war, the Lithuanians utilized their relationship with the Americans in establishing a channel of information from Lithuanian through Switzerland. Security of information was a problem for the Lithuanian diplomats who came to the U.S. in 1920; the American government had not yet recognized Lithuania diplomatically, so the Lithuanians had to rely on the regular services of the U.S. Post Office, which would send their correspondence via Poland. The most significant institutions of information collection were the editorial boards of periodicals. As dissemination of information became a business, the community witnessed the establishment of the first Lithuanian media conglomerates that collected and published information (by publishing newspapers and books) on a commercial and ideological basis. These media owners and leaders of social organizations had a keen interest in the enlargement of the arena of information and were the first to organize and conduct informational campaigns. Somewhat later, at the turn of the 20lh century, organizations began to form specific institutions, e.g., press committees and literature commit tees, for this purpose, but they turned out to be short-lived or only of secondary importance. [...].