21 February 2008

The Government of the United States of America Donates the Archives of Lithuanian Voice of America Radio Programs to Lithuania

Media Event: Friday, 22 February 2008, 13:00
The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (J.Tumo-Vaizganto g. 2, Vilnius)

On February 22, Minister Petras Vaitiekunas, Ambassador John Cloud, former journalists and editors of Voice of America (VOA) Lithuanian programs and other distinguished guests will mark the occasion of transferring the Lithuanian-language VOA recordings to the Lithuanian State Archive.

"The news may be good. The news may be bad. We shall tell you the truth," said William Harlan Hale during the 1st VOA broadcast.  With a mission "to promote and sustain freedom and democracy by broadcasting accurate and objective news and information about the United States and the world," the VOA helped the Lithuanian people to maintain hope for freedom and independence during the soviet occupation and provided an alternative to the ideologically charged news of the soviet era.

The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government. Currently VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 115 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages.

The Lithuanian language VOA programs were broadcasted for 53 years (1951-2004). After the end of the Cold War, the US Congress decided to cease the VOA programs in several European languages because many countries in Europe regained full independence, became democratic and became members of NATO.

This ceremony to donate the VOA Lithuanian recordings serves as one more occasion to mark the 85th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Lithuania and also as a friendly gesture to congratulate Lithuania on the 90th anniversary of its Independence.

The United States established diplomatic relations with Lithuania on July 28, 1922.   The United States never recognized the forcible incorporation of Lithuania into the Soviet Union, and the Lithuanian diplomatic representation in the United States continued uninterrupted throughout this period.

More information about VOA can be found at www.VOANews.com