Jonas Budrys (born Jonas Polovinskas, 10 May 1889 – 11 September 1964) was a

counterintelligence Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's Intelligence agency, intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering informati ...

officer and later a Lithuanian diplomat. He is best known as the commander of Lithuanian forces during the

Klaipėda Revolt The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory or ). The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from East Prussia, German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a ...

in January 1923. The region was a

League of Nations mandate A League of Nations mandate represented a legal status under international law for specific territories following World War I, involving the transfer of control from one nation to another. These mandates served as legal documents establishing th ...

administered by the French. Budrys led a small Lithuanian military force into the region and successfully took control. Klaipėda was incorporated into Lithuania as an autonomous region. After the revolt, Budrys served as Lithuania's representative to the region and its first governor until 1925. He was later Lithuanian consul to

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. His son,

Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, copy editing, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome ...

, became a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

writer.

Early life

Polovinskas was born in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

in 1889 but grew up on a nearby farm. Perhaps due to the sensitive nature of future Polovinskas' career, very little is known about his family or early life. His son Algis never learned his paternal grandfather's name but believes he was also a Russian intelligence officer. Polovinskas was a member of the choir of the Lithuanian Daina Society in 1900–1905 and graduated from Kaunas gymnasium in 1907. In 1910, he was conscripted to the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

and served in the of the Caucasus Grenadier Division. In 1912–1915, he worked as an assistant of a

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

governor in the

Courland Governorate Courland Governorate, also known as the Province of Courland or Governorate of Kurland, and known from 1795 to 1796 as the Viceroyalty of Courland, was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the ...

Career

Counterintelligence

After the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914, Polovinskas was mobilized to the

and was assigned to the counterintelligence section of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

of the 5th Army. At the same time, he was sent to counterintelligence courses. After graduation, he became commander of the counterintelligence unit of the 19th Army Corps. After the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, he was reassigned to the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. In 1918, he was counterintelligence commander of the

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

's Amur Military District (see Siberian Army) with the rights of a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

commander. He also briefly studied at the Oriental Institute in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

in 1920–1921. When the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

captured the territory, he retreated to China and returned to Lithuania in July 1921. It was a long and difficult journey and Polovinskas suffered a bout of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

. Immediately upon his return, Polovinskas was offered a job with the Lithuanian counterintelligence. On 21 July 1921, he became commander of the counterintelligence section of the

of the

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

. During his tenure, Polovinskas discovered the so-called saccharin scandal – smuggling of foodstuffs to Soviet Russia in diplomatic packages which led to the resignation of Minister of Foreign Affairs

Juozas Purickis Juozas Purickis (sometimes Juozas Puryckis; often used pen name Vygandas; 1883 – 1934) was a prominent diplomat and journalist in interwar Lithuania and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from June 1920 to December 1921, as well as the ...

in December 1921.

Klaipėda Revolt

In 1922, the government of

Ernestas Galvanauskas Ernestas Galvanauskas (20 November 1882 – 24 July 1967) was a Lithuanian engineer, politician and one of the founders of the Peasant Union (which later merged with the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union). He also served twice as Prime Min ...

sent him to the

Klaipėda Region The Klaipėda Region () or Memel Territory ( or ''Memelgebiet'') was defined by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles in 1920 and refers to the northernmost part of the German province of East Prussia, when, as Memelland, it was put under the administr ...

to determine opinions of local residents on joining the region with Lithuania. After many Lithuanian officers refused to lead the rebellion, Polovinskas became the military leader of the

. He changed his last name to Budrys so it would sound more

Prussian Lithuanian The Prussian Lithuanians, or Lietuvininkai (singular: ''Lietuvininkas'', plural: ''Lietuvininkai''), are Lithuanians, originally Lithuanian language speakers, who formerly inhabited a territory in northeastern East Prussia called Prussian Lithuan ...

. He commanded the "Ypatingosios paskirties rinktinė" (Special Purpose Force), which was formed in

and marched into the Klaipėda Region in early January 1923. After taking control of Klaipėda on 16 January, he organized a local army from the inhabitants of the region. On 17 January, Budrys became the deputy of

Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual, journalist and politician. He served as the first president of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and later as the authoritarian head of state from 1926 until the Occu ...

, the Lithuanian government's representative to the Klaipėda Region. When the French Army retreated from the region on 19 February, Budrys declared he was taking over the position of the previous French commissioner. When Smetona resigned as the Lithuanian representative in April 1923, Budrys became the ''de facto'' representative of Lithuania in the Klaipėda Region. By the president's decree of 21 October 1924, Budrys was appointed as the first governor of the Klaipėda Region. However, after the failure of Lithuanian parties in the first elections to the

Parliament of the Klaipėda Region In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

in November 1925, Budrys resigned from the governor's role.

Consul in Germany and New York

On 12 January 1927, Budrys became the chief of the Lithuanian Political Police (predecessor of the

State Security Department of Lithuania The State Security Department or VSD () is a Lithuanian intelligence agency which collects information on threats to national security and works to eliminate those threats. The VSD also conducts counterintelligence, protects state secrets and cl ...

) under the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

. Taking the post soon after the December 1926 coup d'état, he helped President

to establish his authoritarian regime and suppress any counter-coups. For example, he dealt with the anti-government

Tauragė Revolt The Tauragė Revolt () was an anti-government revolt that took place in Tauragė, Lithuania on 9 September 1927. Members of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania and Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union wanted to remove President Antanas Smetona ...

in September 1927. He also dealt with one of the most prominent espionage cases in interwar Lithuania. The Political Police discovered that retired General

Konstantinas Kleščinskis Konstantinas Kleščinskis (, ; 1879–1927) was a military officer who served in the Imperial Russian Army, Polish Army and Lithuanian Armed Forces. A graduate of the Nicholas General Staff Academy, he fought in the Russo-Japanese War and World Wa ...

was spying for the Soviet Russia. Kleščinskis was arrested and executed in May 1927. Budrys resigned from the police on 1 January 1928 and was appointed as Lithuania's consul in

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

. In November 1933, he became the

consul general A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

of Lithuania in

. Due to the rise of Nazi rhetoric and increased attacks against him, Budrys asked for a reassignment. On 11 November 1936, Budrys was appointed the consul general of Lithuania in New York City. Despite the

Soviet occupation of Lithuania The occupation of the Baltic states was a period of annexation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by the Soviet Union from 1940 until its dissolution in 1991. For a period of several years during World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Baltic st ...

in June 1940, the consulate continued to function as a diplomatic representative of independent pre-war Lithuania thus preserving legal state continuity of Lithuania. The family also owned a chicken farm in rural New Jersey. Budrys continued to serve as the consul until his death from a heart attack in 1964. He was buried in the

Lithuanian National Cemetery The Lithuanian National Cemetery () is a non-profit cemetery in Justice, Illinois, that mainly serves the Lithuanians in Chicago, Lithuanian American community in Chicago. Established in 1911, it is the resting place of many prominent Lithuanians ...

in Chicago. His gravestone depicts the coat of arms of

Klaipėda Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...

, stylized sea waves, and the Jagiellon Cross. In New York, Budrys published English-language ''Short Economic Outline of Lithuania'' (1938). His memoirs about his counterintelligence work in 1921–1923 were published posthumously in Brooklyn and Hartford (1967) and republished in Lithuania in 1991.

Awards

Budrys received the following awards.

Lithuanian honours

Order of the Cross of Vytis The Order of the Cross of Vytis () is a Lithuanian presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. History Interwar period Reje ...

**2nd type 1st class (1922) **1st type 3rd class (1927) * Silver Medal of the Liberation of Klaipėda (1925) *

Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this O ...

, 3rd class (1933) * Riflemen's Star (1933) * Riflemen's Medal (1939)

Foreign honours

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

, 3rd class with swords *

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 3rd class with swords * Honorary citizen of New York City (1940)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Budrys, Jonas 1889 births 1964 deaths Lithuanian diplomats Lithuanian-American culture in New York City Consuls for Lithuania White movement people Lithuanian emigrants to the United States Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Vytis Diplomats from Kaunas Lithuanian military personnel in the Imperial Russian Army of World War I People of Lithuanian intelligence agencies