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On November 23, 1970, Simonas "Simas" Kudirka, a Soviet seaman of Lithuanian nationality, attempted to defect to the United States. He did so by jumping from the 400-foot (120 m) fish processing vessel Sovetskaya Litva, anchored in U.S waters near the island of Martha's Vineyard, onto the U.S. Coast Guard cutter moored alongside. The Soviets accused demanded his immediate return. After a series of communications problems and misinterpreting guidance, a Soviet team was allowed to board the U.S. cutter and retrieve Kudirka against his will.

Kudirka was tried and convicted of treason in Soviet courts and sentenced to ten years in the Gulag. Subsequent investigations revealed that Kudirka could claim American citizenship through his mother, who was born in the United States, and he was allowed to emigrate to the U.S. in 1974, where he lived until he returned to an independent Lithuania in 200?.

The U.S. Coast Guard officers responsible were reprimanded, and the incident was described as the Coast Guard's "Day of Shame" in writing. The lessons of this incident are still taught to prospective Coast Guard officers.

Background
In the detente period of the 1970's, the U.S. and Soviet governments agreed to coordinate in several efforts. One of those efforts was to respect each others' fishing rights. To coordinate some of these policies, the 400-foot (120-meter) Soviet fish processing vessel Sovetskaya Litva anchored in U.S waters near Aquinnah, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard and met with the New Bedford-based Coast Guard cutter USCGC Vigilant in November, 1970. The two sides conducted talks aboard the Vigilant about these fishing issues.

Kudirka
Simonas "Simas" Kudirka was a radio operator on the Sovetskaya Litva. Exposed to Western music and culture by his mother, who was born in the United States, he.......

Incident
On November 23, 1970, Kudirka leapt from the Sovetskaya Litva onto the Vigilant. The Soviets accused Kudirka of theft of 3,000 rubles from the ship's safe. Ten hours passed; communications difficulties contributed to the delay, as the ship was unfortunately in a "blind spot" of Boston Radio's (Marshfield) receivers, resulting in an awkward resort to using the public marine operator.

After attempts to get the U.S. State Department to provide guidance failed, Rear Admiral William B. Ellis, commander of the First Coast Guard District, ordered Commander Ralph E. Eustis to permit a Soviet KGB detachment to board the Vigilant to return Kudirka to the Soviet ship.

Aftermath
This led to a change in asylum policy by the U.S. Coast Guard. Admiral Ellis and his chief of staff were given administrative punishment under Article 15 of the UCMJ. Commander Eustis was given a non-punitive letter of reprimand and assigned to shore duty.

Kudirka's fate
Kudirka was tried for treason by the Soviet Union and given a ten-year sentence in the Gulag. Subsequent investigations revealed that Kudirka could claim American citizenship through his mother and was allowed to come to the United States in 1974.

Media coverage
An award-winning book detailing the incident, Day of Shame, by Algis Ruksenas, was published in 1973 (David McKay Publishers, New York). The book helped spur further investigations into the incident that eventually led to Kudirka's release by the Soviets. It remains part of the reading curriculum in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

The incident was portrayed in a 1978 television movie, The Defection of Simas Kudirka, with Alan Arkin playing Kudirka and Donald Pleasence playing the captain of the Soviet ship.