January 13, 1977

Honorary Consul General of Lithuania Julius J. Bielskis died on December 26, 1976, in Santa Monica, California. At the funeral, the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service was represented by the Consul General in New York, Anicetas Simutis.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 658, summary No. 1, file No. 32, pages 158–161

Washington, D. C., February 28, 1977

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 668, summary No. 1, file No. 74, page 27

New York, February 24, 1977

Local Lithuanians proposed several candidates, from which the leadership of the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service chose the engineer Vytautas Čekanauskas as the “most suitable in every respect.” At that time, he was 48 years old; he, his wife, and their three daughters spoke both Lithuanian and English fluently. V. Čekanauskas had distinguished himself as an active community member, serving as Chairman of the American Lithuanian Council in Los Angeles and Vice-chairman of the United Lithuanian Relief Fund of America (BALF) in Los Angeles. He was eloquent, possessed leadership skills, was financially capable of supporting the Honorary Consulate, had connections within Los Angeles authorities, and had a good reputation in the Los Angeles Lithuanian community, including among the older generation of immigrants.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 658, summary No. 1, file No. 32, pages 204–205

Westlake Village, March 2, 1977

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 668, summary No. 1, file No. 74, page 34

Chicago, May 24, 1977

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 668, summary No. 1, file No. 74, page 69

August 20, 1977

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 656, summary No. 4, file No. 123, pages 179, 179 a.p.

Rome, August 20, 1977

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive 658, summary No. 1, file No. 32, page 402

October 6, 1977

On August 26, 1977, the Lithuanian Chargé d’Affaires in Washington, S. Bačkis, authorized by S. Lozoraitis, formally informed the U.S. Secretary of State that V. Čekanauskas had been appointed as the Honorary Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles, and requested his recognition. On October 6 of the same year, the U.S. Department of State replied in writing to the Lithuanian representative that V. Čekanauskas had been granted recognition as the Honorary Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles, and enclosed his certificate of consular status. The new Honorary Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles was placed under the direct authority of the Consul General A. Simutis in New York.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive 656, summary No. 2, file No. 123, page 189

Washington, D. C., October 6, 1977

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 668, summary No. 1, file No. 74, page 85

October 20, 1977

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 656, summary No. 2, file No. 123, page 217

Chicago, November 3, 1977

V. Čekanauskas maintained close ties with the American Lithuanian Council, the Lithuanian American Community, and the governing body of the Lithuanian World Community. Relations with these Lithuanian American organizations were collegial, although occasional difficulties arose. Despite tensions between the Lithuanian diplomatic service and the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania (VLIK), V. Čekanauskas’s relations with VLIK were always excellent, and he was regularly invited to participate in its assemblies.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 1818

Los Angeles, December 10, 1977

On behalf of the Los Angeles Lithuanian community, an organizing committee decided to hold a formal presentation of the new Honorary Consul General to the Lithuanian public on December 11, 1977, in the hall of St. Casimir’s Parish. The ceremony was attended by the Lithuanian Chargé d’Affaires in Washington, Dr. S. Bačkis; Consul General of Lithuania in New York, A. Simutis; Honorary Consul General of Lithuania in Chicago, Juzefa Daužvardienė; Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania (VLIK), Dr. Kęstutis J. Valiūnas; Chairman of the American Lithuanian Council (ALT), Dr. K. Bobelis; Chairman of the Lithuanian American Community, Algimantas Gečys; and other prominent members and representatives of Lithuanian American society and organizations.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 1818

From the left: 1 – Consul General of Lithuania in New York, Anicetas Simutis; in the center – Daužvardienė; Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania (VLIK), Dr. Kazys Bobelis; 3 – Honorary Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles, Vytautas Čekanauskas

Photo by L. Briedis.

Los Angeles, 1977

V. Čekanauskas presented himself to the Los Angeles Consular Corps on January 26, 1978. At that time, the Los Angeles Consular Corps had 63 registered foreign consulates, making it the third largest in the United States after New York and San Francisco (in 1984, Los Angeles surpassed San Francisco in the number of foreign consuls). On February 16, 1978, Los Angeles Mayor Thomas Bradley visited Vytautas Čekanauskas.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, P-44711

Los Angeles, January 28, 1978

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 658, summary No. 1, file No. 32, page 387

Los Angeles, June 15, 1981

The situation of Baltic diplomats and consuls largely depended on the state of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. During periods of confrontation between the two great powers, their situation would ease, while during periods of détente, it would become more complicated. The situation of honorary consuls was even more difficult than that of career consuls, and the circumstances for their work were no longer as favorable as before. Since 1981, in Los Angeles, only states with full U.S. recognition have been allowed to raise their national flags. Although the U.S. did not recognize their occupation, the Baltic states did not fall into this category – or did so only partially – depending on various circumstances, primarily the nuances of high politics, and sometimes even decisions by local authorities played a role. In 1982, for the first time in many years, the Lithuanian flag was not raised at the city hall because the city council, having argued over whether to raise the flag of the communist People’s Republic of China or that of Taiwan, decided to ban the raising of foreign flags entirely on city-owned properties.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 1818

Los Angeles, June 9, 1985

The year 1985 was challenging for the honorary consuls of the Baltic states in Los Angeles. Following the death of Estonian Consul E. Laur in 1985 and the resignation of Latvian Honorary Consul E. Anderson, for a time the Baltic states were represented in the Consular Corps solely by V. Čekanauskas.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 1818

August 22, 1985

Although the title “Honorary Consul” was used in communications with U.S. government institutions and foreign consuls, in letters addressed to the leadership of the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service, Lithuanian organizations, or other individuals, V. Čekanauskas stated his title without the word “honorary” — as the Consul General.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 1818

Los Angeles, November 25, 1987

The beginning of the Rebirth period in Lithuania radically changed the nature of the activities of Lithuania’s consular and diplomatic missions abroad, including the Honorary Consulate General in Los Angeles. First and foremost, the émigré community wanted objective information about events in Lithuania, so the consulate urgently needed to strengthen its work in the field of information. On the other hand, Los Angeles was soon flooded with numerous visitors from Lithuania, ranging from Sąjūdis (Lithuanian Reform Movement) representatives and dissidents to members of other organizations. Although most of them were united by the goal of independence, they often represented quite different views on Lithuania’s future. Vytautas Čekanauskas had to demonstrate exceptional flexibility, tolerance, and tact to avoid confrontation between representatives of various political currents.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, P-39702

Los Angeles, November 26, 1987

Lithuanian Central State Archives, P-39698

New York, January 11, 1988

On January 17, 1988, the 10th anniversary of Vytautas Čekanauskas’s consular service was commemorated in the hall of St. Casimir’s Parish in Los Angeles. On this occasion, representatives of the Lithuanian community expressed their respect to V. Čekanauskas, thanking him for his sincere work for Lithuania and the preservation of Lithuanian identity. Despite the gradual weakening position of Lithuanian identity in the United States, the receptions organized by V. Čekanauskas on the occasion of February 16 would gather numerous Lithuanians and foreign guests.

Lithuanian Central State Archives, archive No. 1818