Lifelong foe of tyranny: Vilius Brazenas has spent a lifetime battling on behalf of freedom. Through writing and speaking, he has opposed tyranny in America and in his native Lithuania. (Interview).

In a few months, Vilius Brazenas will celebrate his 90th birthday. Throughout his many years, he has spent considerable energy working to achieve freedom for his native Lithuania and preserve it in the United States. Beginning in 1994, he began journeying to Lithuania with his beloved wife and helpmate, Eda, who passed away in 2000. His main goals are to help the people of Lithuania understand recent world developments, aid patriots in that nation in their fight for the soul of a country ravaged by 50 years of Communist rule, and contribute to the struggle to keep Lithuania independent.

THE NEW AMERICAN: Before we ask you about Lithuania today, tell us a bit about yourself You have lived through an amazing period of history

Vilius Brazenas: My parents were Lithuanians, but they were living in neighboring Latvia when I was born in 1913. My father had taken the family there to find work. When World War I began, Czarist Russia controlled the Baltic nations [Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia]. When German forces threatened the region, the Czarist government relocated entire factories to Russia. In 1915, my family went with the factory to Moscow.

When the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917, my parents tried to return to Lithuania but were trapped. Then my father died in 1919. By 1922, at age nine, all of the children in my first grade class were forced to march in a Communist May Day parade in front of Lenin himself. But later that year, my mother, my one surviving sister, and I were finally able to get back to Lithuania.

TNA: Were you in Lithuania all during World War II?

Brazenas: Almost all. We lived under the Communists for one year, then under the Nazis for three. But in 1944, as the Red Army was reinvading and in the face of tanks, I retreated toward the West and finally found my wife and daughter [who had preceded him]. In 1949, we were able to get to America. I had studied engineering and, once in this great country, I was able to make a decent living. With great joy, I became a citizen in 1955. But when I joined The John Birch Society in 1960, I felt I had become a much better American.

TNA: You have always spent a great amount of effort promoting freedom, opposing Communism, and trying to awaken fellow Americans. What exactly have you done over these years?

Brazenas: I have always been actively alerting people to the threat of totalitarianism--of both the Nazi variety and the Communist form of tyranny. Having lived under both, I can speak with authority about the horrors that are inevitably associated with total government. Eventually, I became the vice president for Communications of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania, a group formed by the underground resistance during the Nazi occupation. I wrote articles for various Lithuanian-language newspapers in the West, served as editor and reporter for an independent conservative newspaper in Florida, toured the nation speaking for The John Birch Society, and served as an instructor at many of the Society's summer camps for teenagers [now sponsored by Robert Welch University]. I have also appeared as a guest on hundreds of radio and television programs.

Then, I have written two books on geopolitics in the Lithuanian language that have been distributed throughout that country and elsewhere. One of these addresses the conspiracy above Communism and the other warns about the "new world order." And while in Lithuania during my most recent lengthy stays, I have written numerous articles for the local press, given many speeches, and attended political programs where I was able to inform the people. In everything I do, I convey the information I obtain from The John Birch Society.

TNA: What kind of reaction have you received?

Brazenas: Generally, the people like what I have to say because I deal in facts and have the documentation to back them up. But when my messages reach some of the politicians and government workers, their reactions remind me of the time when Russian Social Democrats became Bolshevik Communists. Now that the Bolsheviks aren't formally in power there, the wheel of history seems to be turning backwards because many of those who were Communists are now calling themselves Social Democrats. Many of them cannot be trusted and, not surprisingly, they don't like what I offer.

TNA: You say "many" but not "all." What do you mean?

Brazenas: I mean that some of the former Communists in Lithuania have truly become anti-Communists and are joining in the struggle to keep Lithuania independent. During the time that the Soviet Union occupied the country, some of these people worked in the government or joined the Communist Party simply because it was the only way they could get an education or a job. They were never true supporters of the tyrants and are happy the tyranny has collapsed. But many others among the Social Democrats of today--in Lithuania and elsewhere--should still be considered opportunistic Communists at heart.

TNA: Lithuania has just been invited to join NATO. Do the people understand the connection between NATO and the United Nations and that this is not really a good development?

Brazenas: The Lithuanian people are much more concerned about Russia coming back than they are about NATO's connections to the United Nations. You have to understand that, after only one year of Russian Communist occupation in 1940, many Lithuanians were almost relieved to have the Germans invade-as long as they pushed the Communists out. But the Communists came back in 1944 and occupied Lithuania for almost 50 years. Thus for Lithuanians today, the clear and present danger to their freedom and independence is the possibility that the Russians will return. This central fear overrides all other concerns including even globalism, which is seen as a distant problem. Moscow-loving Communists are opposed to Lithuanian membership in NATO and are working to sabotage efforts in that direction.

TNA: Are fears that the Russians will return realistic? If so, on what are they based?

Brazenas: Early in December 2002, Russian President Putin reinstated the use of the Red Star as the symbol of the Russian Army. A symbol expresses how a people feel about themselves. To Russians, the Red Army may be a source of pride, but to Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians the Red Army means only one thing--conquerors! Furthermore, the Russian Duma [parliament] has expressed a desire to reverse Russia's recognition of independence for the Baltic countries.

Then there is the Russian pressure on Lithuania regarding "transit rights" through Lithuania to Kaliningrad, the port city in what used to be known as East Prussia. Russia has negotiated with the European Union to have "visa-free access" for themselves through Lithuania to this port. This means that both Russia and the EU are ignoring Lithuanian sovereignty. And Russian generals in Kaliningrad, which is not only a port but also a huge military district, have repeatedly voiced threats about how easy it would be to roll through Lithuania in several hours if Lithuania refuses to grant them whatever they want. The people I meet with in Lithuania are also acutely aware of Vladimir Putin's background as a high official in the former KGB. They don't trust him to be a friend.

On the other hand, Lithuanian patriots greatly admire Brigadier General Jonas Kronkaitis, the chief of Lithuania's military, for the excellent job he has done developing a national defense system. A Lithuanian-American, he is a retired colonel from the U.S. Army Special Forces who has transformed the military into a Westernized force. Leftover Reds are trying to remove him from this post. Second only to Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, who led the nation toward regaining independence, he is the most admired man among Lithuanian patriots. These two, of course, are at the top of the former Communists' "most disliked" list.

TNA: What is the link between Lithuania and Kalinin grad?

Brazenas: The link is so strong that the area has actually been known to Lithuanians as "Lithuania Minor." This relationship developed as far back as the 13th century because the original Prussians were ethnic relatives of the Lithuanian people. Lithuanians in Prussia were instrumental in maintaining Lithuanian national identity and language during the 19th-century Czarist occupation of Lithuania when even the language was suppressed. Books and newspapers in the Lithuanian language were smuggled into Lithuania proper, at great risk, by daring patriots from Kaliningrad. The area was even known as Karaliauchius, the Lithuanian rendering of Koenigsberg, and the name by which the entire district was once known.

TNA: Are there many Lithuanians still in Kalinin grad?

Brazenas: Not many remain. The area today is virtually an immense military base created after a mass genocide of its former inhabitants, an "ethnic cleansing" on a massive scale. Lithuanians and others expected that the disintegration of the Soviet Union would lead to Kaliningrad becoming neutral territory. But the West permitted Russia to remain in control, allowing the Russians to maintain it as a huge military center and a bridge into the rest of Europe.

TNA: What attitude do Lithuanians have about America?

Brazenas: In general, they admire America although some are beginning to realize that Western diplomats are forcing globalism on the world. I tell the people that "globalization," the free exchange of people and goods from country to country, is a good thing. But I add that "globalism," the creation of a one-world government that will mean tyranny, is completely different and should be combated. It is certainly my hope that the fear of Russia will not lead Lithuanians to give up their hard-won independence to a world government. President Bush visited Lithuania recently. He was received with great joy, which demonstrated the friendship and trust the Lithuanians have for America. Because of the overriding concern for their own nation's security, they don't worry about the globalists who dominate the Bush administration.

TNA: Are other globalists attempting to influence the Lithuanian people?

Brazenas: Several months ago, a former German Finance Minister, who is a big shot in the German news media, came to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. He spoke at what appeared to be an "invitation-only" event at the German Embassy. But I was invited to "tag along" by the editor of one of the newspapers that regularly publishes my columns. His message stressed the need for global control of many human activities even while he insisted that this would not mean world government. I challenged him, and he admitted that he is a member of the Trilateral Commission.

TNA: How do Lithuanian political leaders and ordinary citizens react to your books and articles?

Brazenas: The president of Lithuania is a Lithuanian-American named Valdas Adamkus who is a former official of the U.S. Environmental Agency. Our paths crossed during my most recent stay in Lithuania [March-November 2002]. He acknowledged that I was "still hitting hard" in my articles, which apparently means he reads them in spite of my criticisms of him during his first election campaign. But, generally, the message I am spreading is hard for most to grasp, just as it is hard for many here in the United States to grasp it.

Nevertheless, I have been an honored guest at various convocations honoring former freedom fighters, former political prisoners, and other victims of Communism. I am delighted when these people treat me as one of their own. It is these Lithuanians who seem best able to understand what I am telling them. Many others who hear me speak or read my articles in any of the eight newspapers that publish them are becoming aware of both the external threat of world government and the internal threat posed by former Communists in the government. Regarding awareness of this internal threat, I am not alone. I have been working closely with many fine patriotic Lithuanian journalists and political activists.

TNA: What are your particular projects right now?

Brazenas: At present, I am helping to publicize the work of the Communist Crimes Research Support Foundation based in Vilnius [the capital]. Organized by Lithuanian survivors and victims of Communist terror, this group sponsored a conference in 2000 that heard the testimony of individuals from 15 different nations about the horrors inflicted on humanity by the Communists. They also conducted a tribunal focusing on Communist War Crimes, something that has not been undertaken elsewhere. They conducted hearings, took witness statements, and announced a judgement in September 2000. Their work is a valuable resource for all who believe that Communist crimes should never be swept under a rug.

TNA: Will you return to Lithuania?

Brazenas: Yes, I'm leaving again in January 2003. I have dual citizenship, and I have an apartment in Vilnius. My wife, my mother, and my grandparents are buried there. It's where I feel I can do the most good. Lithuania is at a crossroad, and I want to do what I can to help the people understand--and use--their freedom.

I am tremendously grateful to The John Birch Society for providing me with knowledge of what is really happening throughout the world. It is this kind of "ammunition" I can use to contribute to the development of a free society in my native land. I have made many friends for the Society and THE NEW AMERICAN in Lithuania. From my writings, they know of the JBS contribution in the fight against the Soviet slave empire. Decent people everywhere are searching for the truth, and, with God's help, I will be doing my part in bringing it to that corner of the world.