During his term, he helped Simas Kudirka, a seaman from the Soviet Republic of Lithuania, to freedom by political asylum.

[1] He quite literally jumped ship, clearing the three metre gap between the Litva and the Vigilant in order to escape.

Massive fallout ensues from the event, with Lithuanian Americans protesting in Boston, Washington, and Cleveland.

[2] President Richard Nixon himself declared outrage at the return of the defector and orders an investigation at the State Department, which Hanrahan assisted with.

Two months later, Kudirka and his family flew out of the Soviet Union, and landed in New York being welcomed by congressmen, including Hanrahan.

[3] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress