The Defection of Simas Kudirka
Based on the true story of the attempted defection in 1970 by a Lithuanian seaman seeking political asylum in the United States. Kudirka was denied asylum and returned to the Soviets, charged with treason, and sentenced to ten years of hard labor. It was later discovered and verified that his mother had been born in Brooklyn and gone to Lithuania at a young age, which meant she was a U. S. citizen. As a result, Kudirka was declared a U. S. citizen and in 1974 released by the Soviets.
From the archive
KTLA (channel 5) broadcast
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The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. No signup, no payment and no advertising interrupts playback. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- David Lowell Rich
- Starring
- Alan Arkin, Richard Jordan, Donald Pleasence, George Dzundza, John McMartin, Shirley Knight, Marvin Silbersher, Peter Evans
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