Crowded road to Moscow - Juhani Suomi writes critical book of early Koivisto presidency

Historian and diplomat says Koivisto showed more deference to Soviet sensibilities than predecessor Kekkonen

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By Unto Hämäläinen
     
      Right at the beginning of his term as President, Mauno Koivisto rushed to push for an extension to the Finnish-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance (FCMA). He did this in spite of the fact that officials at the Foreign Ministry felt that there was no need for the move, as the treaty would still be in force for four years.
      Koivisto's haste suited the purposes of the Soviet Union just fine, and the treaty was extended by 20 years ahead of schedule.
      The event is one of ten cited by Juhani Suomi as examples to show that Koivisto was very deferential to the wishes of Moscow.
      Suomi documents the events in a book, which came out on Tuesday, called Pysähtyneisyyden vuodet - Mauno Koiviston vuodet 1981 - 1984 ("The Years of Stagnation - Mauno Koivisto's years 1981 - 1984").
     
In Suomi's view, Koivisto went so far in seeking Moscow's favour that it was only a "short step to wooing the Kremlin".
      According to Suomi, Koivisto had to constantly invoke his predecessor Urho Kekkonen in matters related to relations with the Soviet Union.
      "Assurances of the continuity of the Paasikivi-Kekkonen line and other jargon related to Finnish-Soviet relations were repeated over and over, so that some of the key elements of political language became a real liturgy", Suomi admits.
     
The most important Kremlin contact for the new president was KGB general Viktor Vladimirov, who already in the late Kekkonen years had dealt with the President's relations with Moscow.
      Koivisto had to repeat the same assurances again and again because power in Moscow changed many times. Leonid Brezhnev died in November 1982, and his successor Yuri Andropov was able to deal with the tasks of party leader for only a couple of years.
      At his first meeting with a Finnish leader, Brezhnev gave assurances that "the Soviet Union has never tried to impose its views on Finland, or interfere with its internal affairs".
     
According to the book, the Soviet Union did, in fact, interfere heavily in Finland's internal affairs. The Soviets engaged in extensive espionage in Helsinki, constantly denounced the Finnish press, and took issue with Finland's foreign policy decisions, and even meddled in the formation of Finnish governments.
      According to Juhani Suomi, the Soviet Union staunchly opposed Finnish membership in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and in the Council of Europe.
      After Koivisto was elected, Vladimirov made it plain to the main political parties that the National Coalition Party should not be accepted into the government in 1982 and 1983.
     
When SDP chairman Kalevi Sorsa had dared publicly ponder the possibility of cooperation between the Social Democrats and the National Coalition Party, Vladimirov took issue with the matter. After being approached on the subject by Vladimirov, Sorsa stopped all talk of such cooperation, and the National Coalition Party did not get into the government.
      In addition to the President and the Prime Minister, parties also competed for the popularity of Moscow. The Communist Party and the Centre Party had the best relations with the Kremlin during the Kekkonen era, but already at the beginning of the Koivisto period, the order began to change.
      Under Sorsa's leadership, the SDP took the number one position, even though the Centre Party, led by Paavo Väyrynen, tried hard to maintain good ties. Väyrynen's position and that of the Centre Party was weakened by the fact that the Centre Party had not chosen Ahti Karjalainen as its candidate for President, even though Karjalainen was Moscow's favourite.
     
The position of the Finnish Communist Party was weakened by its internal divisions. Moscow backed the hard-line faction headed by Taisto Sinisalo, against whom Aarne Saarinen and Arvo Aalto of the majority faction used tough measures.
      According to Suomi, the competition for Moscow's favour made it more difficult to deal with foreign policy.
      The Soviet Union succeeded in persuading parties, organisations, and politicians to back "peace initiatives" of the Soviet Union. This led to a weakening of Finland's policy of neutrality and to an emphasis on the FCMA treaty.
     
Suomi also criticises Koivisto's secret activism on foreign policy issues. In the early part of his presidency, Koivisto engaged in correspondence with US Vice President George Bush, but did not say anything about it to the government or to Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
      In Juhani Suomi's view, Koivisto did not, in fact, seek to reduce the power of the President, even though that is the impression that people had of him.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 28.9.2005  

More on this subject:
 BACKGROUND: Suomi's rebuttal to Mauno Koivisto's memoirs
 FACTFILE: Juhani Suomi - diplomat and researcher

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Lipponen launches attack on new book about former President Koivisto (30.9.2005)
  President Kekkonen and his successful balancing act (28.9.2004)
  Professor Juhani Suomi to switch from President Kekkonen to Koivisto (24.9.2003)

UNTO HÄMÄLÄINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
unto.hamalainen@hs.fi