Office of the Historian

740.0011 European War 1939/15268

The Secretary of State to the Lithuanian Minister (Zadeikis)

Washington, September 18, 1941.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of September 3, 194114 protesting against the invasion of Lithuania by Germany and declaring that any attempt on the part of Germany to shape the political future of Lithuania without regard to the free will of the Lithuanian people and that any acts of the German regime of occupation incompatible with the spirit of international law will be considered void of any legality.15

You will recall that in the joint declaration agreed upon by the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Great Britain during their historic meeting at sea16 it is stated that the United States and Great Britain respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of Government under which they desire to live and that the United States and Great Britain wish to see self-government restored to those peoples who have been forcibly deprived of it.

Accept [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
A. A. Berle, Jr.
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Similar notes had been received from the Latvian Minister on August 14, 1941, and from the Estonian representative on September 4, 1941.↩
  3. Ante, p. 367.↩