Jewish Communists are charged by the Lithuanian government with responsibility for spreading false reports concerning the pogroms against the Jews in Lithuania which are declared without foundation in a written statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent by B. K. Balutis, Lithuanian Minister, quoting a cable received from the Lithuanian government in response to an inquiry made by Minister Balutis.
“Reports regarding the alleged anti-Jewish pogroms in Lithuania during which scores of persons were supposedly injured are without foundation,” the statement reads. “On the first of August scores of Jewish Communists who attempted to stage a manifestation were slightly jostled by some Lithuanian passersby. Following this incident the Communists spread reports concerning anti-Jewish attacks. The police arrested three Jewish Communists caught throwing stones at the windows of Jewish apartments with a view to instigating trouble.”
Minister Balutis in the statement called attention to the fact that August first was designated for Communist demonstrations in various countries.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
