The following is a full translation of the minutes of the meeting of 7 July 1941 signed by Juozas Ambrazevičius, prime minister of the Nazi puppet “Provisional Government” in Kaunas, including (in the concluding section) the (incorrect) information that “mass liquidation” of Lithuania’s Jews was ceasing, and the (correct) information that all of the remaining Jews in Kaunas are to be forced to move into a ghetto in the Vilijampolė section within a month. The Lithuanian original of the document is available here.
An extract containing the signature of the "prime minister" and the item about setting up the ghetto: "By German order a ghetto for Jews will be established in Vilijampolė, to which all the Jews of the city of Kaunas must be moved within 4 weeks."
The original of the 27 June 1941 protocol mentioning that “all means” are to be used against Jews (but calling for an end to public executions) and the 30 June 1941 document mandating a concentration camp for Jews were also signed by Juozas Ambrazevičius (who later changed his name to Brazaitis).
MINUTES OF THE AFTERNOON MEETING OF
July 7, 1941,
OF THE PROVISIONAL CABINET OF MINISTERS OF LITHUANIA
No. 12 [the numeral “11” is crossed out]
Presiding: Acting Prime Minister Mr. J. Ambrazevičius
Present: all members of the Cabinet of Ministers, except Transportation Minister Novickis,
Secretary: Director of Cabinet of Ministers Affairs Mr. J. Švelnikas
Considered: Resolved:
1. Reorganization of the Palace of Agriculture
1. On the suggestion of Mr. Agriculture Minister, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted this resolution:
To liquidate the law of August 24, 1940, on the Palace of Agriculture ([promulgated in] Vyriausybės Žinios No. 727, line 5951).
The Palace of Agriculture follows the laws in force on June 15, 1940.
2. Amendment of the list of agencies to be given
over to the Public Works Ministry and the Labor
and Social Security Ministry.
2. Amending their resolution of July 2, the Cabinet of Ministers adds to the list of agencies to be assigned to the Social Security and Public Works Ministries in the following manner:
To the Public Works Ministry, besides the agencies given over to it earlier, is given also the Provision and Exploitation Trust and the Firefighting Equipment Provision Sector.
To the Labor and Social Security Ministry, besides the agencies given over to it earlier, is also given the Cooperative Social Insurance Fund with all its active and passive [assets?].
3. Kaunas City Commander
Mr. colonel Bobelis’s report.
3. Kaunas City Commander Mr. colonel Bobelis informed the Cabinet of Ministers that German assent for the organizing of police in the city of Kaunas has been received. Then [he informed us] that police and 16 rural districts will be organized.
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2.
Initially the Germans didn’t want to give police weapons and said rubber clubs were completely sufficient. After discussions they agreed police would have a metal weapon: a bayonet by their side. When it was demonstrated by Mr. Commander that even such a weapon was insufficient for the police, the Germans finally agreed that the police would be armed with pistols and would wear the old Lithuanian uniform. They will be called “Hilfsordnungspolizei”. Police will have on their sleeves a green armband with an inscription which the Commander suggested be in German and Lithuanian language, but the Germans only retained the German text: “Hilfsordnungspolizei Kowno”. Mr. Commander tasked police chief Mr. Žarskis with negotiating so that it would be Kaunas rather than Kowno. There will be about 300 police in Kaunas and it will begin functioning from July 8.
Mr. Commander [Jurgis Bobelis –trans] also reported about the Jews. According to a statement by German general Stahlecke [sic], the mass liquidation of Jews will not be carried out further. By German order a ghetto for Jews will be established in Vilijampolė, to which all the Jews of the city of Kaunas must be moved within 4 weeks.
After this information, the meeting was closed and the next meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers was scheduled for 10 AM, July 8.
- [signed] Ambrazevičius
- Acting in the post of Prime Minister
- [signed] J. Švelnikas
- Director of Cabinet of Ministers Affairs