PRESIDIUM
DECREE
Under the Constitution of the Lithuanian SSR, the Lithuanian
language shall be the official language of the Republic.
In order to ensure the development and the use of the
Lithuanian language in state and social life without abridging
the constitutional right of those whose native language is not
Lithuanian to use their native language, the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR decrees:
1. That the Lithuanian language shall be the official
language, that is the principal means of official communication
for the people of the Republic. Lithuanian shall be used in
carrying out the business of state and social bodies, in all
spheres of public education, culture, science, industry, public
services, communications and other areas of social life, and in
all enterprises, institutions, and organisations of the
Lithuanian SSR, irrespective of their institutional chain of
command (with the exception of the armed forces).
2. That the highest bodies of state power and government,
ministries, departments, Soviets of People's Deputies and their
executive committees, social organisations, enterprises,
institutions, and other organisations shall conduct their
business and correspondence in the Lithuanian language.
Enterprises, institutions and organisations whose internal
business until recently was conducted in the Russian language,
shall begin to make the transition to conducting business and
correspondence in the Lithuanian language within two years from
the date of entry into force of this Decree. In certain cases,
for valid reasons, and with the permission of the Presidium of
the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR, this transitional
period may be extended by particular enterprises, institutions
and organisations for an additional year, but these must
guarantee that other organisations and citizens will be provided
with the opportunity to communicate with them, resolve problems
and receive documents in the Lithuanian language.
Correspondence with the bodies of state power and the
government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, with
ministries and departments, social organisations, enterprises,
institutions, and other organisations beyond the borders of the
Lithuanian SSR, shall be conducted in the Russian language or in
whatever language is acceptable to both parties.
3. That laws of the Lithuanian SSR, acts of the Supreme
Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR and its Presidium, resolutions and
directives of the Council of Ministers, and documents of social
organisations shall be issued in the Lithuanian language,
promulgated in the Lithuanian language, and, as necessary, in the
Russian language as well.
Resolutions, directives, and other documents of ministries,
departments, the Soviets of People's Deputies and their executive
committees, enterprises, institutions, and organisations shall be
issued in the Lithuanian language and, if necessary, translated
into another language.
4. That official assemblies, sessions, plenary sessions,
meetings, sittings, congresses, and other events shall be
conducted in the Lithuanian language. Persons who do not know
Lithuanian shall have the right to speak in their language. In
such cases, their language will be translated into Lithuanian.
5. That seals, business forms, signs and plaques used in
offices and in public places, as well as designations on goods
produced in the Republic and their descriptions, shall be in the
Lithuanian language. Official letterhead and other documents used
in international and all Union correspondence, as well as
correspondence with the republics of the USSR shall be provided
in Lithuanian and in translation into other languages.
6. That heads and other senior officers of the supreme
bodies of state power and government of the Lithuanian SSR,
ministries, departments, the Soviets of People's Deputies and
their executive committees, social organisations, enterprises,
institutions, and other organisations of the Republic shall know
the Lithuanian language.
Senior officers of the People's Courts, state notary
offices, bodies of the Procuracy and Internal affairs,
institutions of public health, social security, trade, public
service, transportation, communications, finance, housing, as
well as other institutions shall provide their services in the
Lithuanian language or in the language acceptable to both
parties.
7. That the people of the Lithuanian SSR shall have
schooling and obtain elementary and secondary education,
vocational, specialised and higher education in the Lithuanian
language. For persons whose native language is a language other
than Lithuanian, so that they may take an active part in the
state, public, and cultural life of the Republic, and so that
they may avail themselves of education at institutions of
higher learning of the Lithuanian SSR, adequate means shall be
provided for such persons to learn the Lithuanian language in
educational institutions where the language of instruction is not
Lithuanian, as well as in special courses provided for that
purpose.
8. That persons whose native language is a language other
than Lithuanian shall be provided with appropriate facilities
for organising preschool education, classes, elementary and
secondary education, for training teachers, for publishing books
and newspapers in their native language, and for establishing
societies of language and culture, clubs, museums, theatres,
musical groups, etc.
In preschool educational institutions, elementary and
secondary schools, and cultural organisations established for
persons whose native language is other than Lithuanian,
correspondence and other business may be conducted in the
appropriate language.
9. That state government bodies of the Lithuanian SSR shall
enhance the prestige of the Lithuanian language, preserve
Lithuanian personal names and place names, as well as provide
general assistance to scholarly institutions devoted to the
Lithuanian language, and create the material basis necessary for
the development, research, and expansion of the Lithuanian
language. At the same time, conditions shall be provided for the
development of other languages used in the Republic.
The Lithuanian SSR shall contribute to the schooling and
study of the Lithuanian language outside Lithuania.
10. That heads of ministries, departments, the Soviets of
People's Deputies and their executive committees, enterprises,
institutions, and organisations shall be directly responsible for
the implementation of this Decree within their respective
institutions.
The Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR shall oversee
the implementation of this Decree throughout the Republic.
The Council of Ministers shall be responsible for providing