Abstract
World War II and the 1940 Soviet occupation changed the destinies of most of Lithuania’s inhabitants. They were confronted with the necessity of reaching, often within the span of several hours, a decision that would transform their entire subsequent lives. They had to choose between tyranny or freedom, resistance or submission, East or West. This article aims to reveal, through fragments of the life history of Jurgis Valiulis-Karolis Drunga (1919–1987), the alternatives facing a whole generation of young Lithuanians, including the option of freedom, of joining the underground resistance, of acting on the principles of liberty and of liberalism, of the personal development of ideas, and of fostering ties with intellectual soulmates and collaborators in a common struggle. The main sources for this study are the fragmentary recollections of J. Valiulis, his written texts published in the diaspora press, his documents and letters to confederates (Henrikas Žemelis, Bronys Raila) as well as the recollections of his former friends kept in the archives of the VMU Lithuanian Emigration Institute.
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