Justas Paleckis
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Justas Paleckis (1899 - 1980) was a Lithuanian journalist and politician.
In 1926-1927, he was a director of the Lithuanian official news agency ELTA. He later voiced opposition to the ruling elite in Lithuania; in this way, he became a suitable candidate for the Lithuanian communists to become president of Lithuania in 1940 (June 17, 1940 - July 21, 1940), when Lithuania had been occupied by Soviet troops. His appointment as a president was made in an extraordinary situation under the control and dictate of the Soviet embassy in Kaunas. It is considered by some to have been unconstitutional, especially since the former state president Antanas Smetona had never resigned from his office.
Justas Paleckis held his office, which was named, according to the Soviet constitution, the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Lithuanian SSR, until 1967. However, as was customary in communist regimes, he was only the formal head of the republic, and the real leader was the first secretary of Lithuanian Communist party.
As a representative of communist elite in the Soviet Lithuania, he was told being more liberal and sympathetic to non-communist ideas. However this statement is not very confident for big secrecy of ruling affairs during communist times.
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