Memel Convention

The Klaipėda Convention (or Convention concerning the Territory of Memel) was an international agreement between Lithuania and the countries of the Conference of Ambassadors (United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Japan) signed in Paris on May 8, 1924. According to the Convention, the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) became an autonomous region under unconditional sovereignty of Lithuania.

The region was detached from East Prussia by the Treaty of Versailles and placed under a provisional French administration. During the staged Klaipėda Revolt of January 1923, the Lithuanians seized control of the region and attached it to Lithuania. The Conference of Ambassadors accepted this fait accompli and set out to formalize the territorial changes. The inhabitants of the area were not given a choice on the ballot whether they wanted to be part of the Lithuanian state or part of Germany. After difficult negotiations, the Convention was agreed upon in spring 1924. The region was granted extensive legislative, judicial, administrative, and financial autonomy. It had its own democratically elected parliament (Klaipėda Diet) and appointed executive branch (the Klaipėda Directorate). The administration and operation of the port of Klaipėda was entrusted to a three-member Harbor Board. The Neman River, particularly its timber traffic, was internationalized granting freedom of transit to all nations. The Convention became obsolete when the Klaipėda Region was attached to Nazi Germany as a result of the ultimatum of 1939.

The lands north of the Neman River were part of a German state since their conquest during the Prussian Crusade in the 13th century. According to article 28 of the Treaty of Versailles, the region was detached from the German Empire and, according to article 99, were placed under a mandate of the League of Nations effective January 10, 1920. The French became temporary administrators of the region known as the Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory. The Lithuanians believed that the region should be attached to Lithuania due to its significant Lithuanian-speaking population of Prussian Lithuanians. Also Klaipėda (Memel), a major sea port in the Baltic Sea, was the only viable access to the sea for Lithuania. However, such Lithuanian aspirations gained little local or international support. It seemed that the region would be turned into a free city similar to the Free City of Danzig. Rather than waiting for an unfavorable decision by the Allies, Lithuanian activists decided to organize a revolt, capture the region, and present a fait accompli. The revolt, organized by the Lithuanian government and the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, began on January 9, 1923. The rebels met little resistance and controlled the region by January 15. They organized a new pro-Lithuanian Directorate (main governing institution) and petitioned to join Lithuania. On January 24, the First Seimas (parliament of Lithuania) accepted the petition thus formalizing the incorporation of the Klaipėda Region on the Lithuanian side. The Conference of Ambassadors decided to dispatch a special commission to the region, rejected a military intervention, and agreed to open negotiations with Lithuania.

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