Foreign ministry

Email Print PDF
< Prev

FOREIGN MINISTRY OF THE ESTONIAN SSR

What should be considered the beginning of the Foreign Ministry (1940 or 1944)?

How to estimate the activities of Nikolai Andresen and his deputy Hans Kruus at the head of the Foreign Ministry in 1940? Already from July 23, 1940 it was in fact the Foreign Ministry of the ESSR, although the old name and other attributes had been preserved. On August, 25 the hitherto existing ministries were changed into People’s Commissariats. On the bases of the Stalinistic constitution the soviet republics didn’t have an independent foreign policy. The new constitution enforced in Estonia meant the liquidation of the so far existed Foreign Ministry which met its end in January 1941. (See Medijainen Akadeemia. 1993 No 11, pages 2323 – 2351, 2460 – 2461.)

The Foreign Ministry of the «peoples government» which worked for a short time in the summer of 1940 was needed to legitimate the «June revolution». At the same time Andresen, Kruus and other officials who had stayed at work sincerely thought that at least some embassies and central establishment would remain in the Estonian SSR. Obviously, the order of the liquidation of the Foreign Ministry was a surprise for many of the «June communists», it was enforced by the decision of the Soviet of the People’s Commissariat of the Estonian SSR on September 11, 1940.

The new epoch began in autumn, 1944. In then established People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the Estonian SSR we may take into consideration mainly two different purposes:

  1. The establishing of the UNO was decided at the conferences of the USA, the Soviet Union and Great Britain or allied states in Moscow and Teheran in 1943. Before determining of the structure and role of the UNO, Moscow hoped to complement its «sovereign» republics also. Consequently the attributes of the independent state had to be given to the republics, among them, to establish the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. If the plan had succeeded it would have brought 16 additional votes to Moscow in UNO. It was managed to put into as independent states the Soviet Republics of Russia, Ukraine and Byelorussia. Consequently they had to have their own Ministries of Foreign Affairs. It was not possible to make big exceptions to some republics in the case of centralized state. Therefore the Ministries of Foreign Affairs were restored (they existed until 1923) in the other republics also. The People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union was reformed at least three times during the war. The establishment of the People’s Commissariats of Foreign Affairs in the republics was based on the law accepted on February 1, 1944.
  2. After the reoccupation of the Baltic states it was propagandistically useful to show that they would be independent in the complement of the Soviet Union. At the same time the problems of emigrants, refugees, prisoners of war, partakers of the war returning home, deportees etc. waited for solution, the quantity of which demanded the existing of the relevant establishments at places, first and foremost on the western territories of the Soviet Union. The formed People’s Commissariats were the so-called central republican offices or ministries. On the bases of the law of the Soviet Union the analogical formal decision of establishing the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of Estonia was made on September 17, 1944 in Võru. The tenures of the leading persons of the institution or the relevant changes of the structure which largely were caused by these, may be taken the bases of the periodization of the history of the Foreign Ministry.

    3. I) Period of Kruus 1944 – 50. Conditionally, the year 1954 may be considered the end of the period as the last officer of Kruus time was fired then.

    H. Kruus was nominated the People’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs of the Estonian SSR by the Decision of the Bureau of ECP on October 20, 1944. In March, 1946 the People’s Commissariats were changed into ministries. Kruus continued as the Minister of Foreign Affairs until March 1950. Characteristic to the time, it seems that the naive faith in the possibility of independent foreign relations of the Estonian SSR was preserved. In addition to Kruus it was believed by other officials also. There were 32 persons on the payment list including three chauffeurs and caretaker-stoker, which was the biggest number in this establishment. Kruus laid on educated and perfectible people in the choice of the staff. During the campaign of nationalists, he was even blamed of preferring Estonians who knew some foreign language and didn’t think that the knowledge of Russian was the most important in taking into service.

    Certainly he couldn’t (scarcely tried) to employ the officials directed from Moscow. So, in the end of 1944, Ellinor Reede and Valentin Poljakov arrived into his subordination. Obviously, the last one was sent to Tallinn to fulfill the tasks of the NKVD. Furthermore Poljakov was the head of secret or encoding department for a long time. Juri Pereverzjev was nominated his deputy. Up to the spring of 1946 at least 7-8 Russians worked in the Ministry. Beside them on the leading positions worked persons later known on as soviet historians and propagandists such as Jaroslav Raid, August Sunila, Ilo Sildmäe. In 1946, the budget of the Ministry was 1.68 mill. rubles.

    Because of the several obligators (for example the participation at Peace Conference in Paris) Deputy of the Minister (at first even two) was responsible for the work of the Ministry. Aleksander Renning was paid for it from December 1944, who started his diplomatic career as an ambassador of the Estonian SSR in Riga in summer 1940. Together with H. Kruus he was prepared for the future work in the Foreign Ministry already in the soviet rear in the summer of 1944. It is not exactly known, what kind of role had the Secretary of Party A. Renning before and during the March Plenum, from December 1951, he worked in the Academy of Sciences.

    Aleksander Aben came to the Foreign Ministry as Deputy of Kruus (Dec. 1944- 1949) from the position of Head of the Department of Agriculture of Central Committee of ECP. His primary responsibility was the propagandist work among the refugees in Sweden. For some time (1945 – 46) he worked in the embassy of the Soviet Union in Stockholm. At that time he was substituted by Feliks Roose as deputy (March 1945 until December 1946). Similarly to Aben the refugee and repatriation problems were dealt with by Anton Vaarandi who also worked as the Deputy of Minister.

    At first the Minister and Deputy were responsible for the staff politics but also for the correct financial management. They also had the general responsibility in directing the department of politics (later on the I department).

    What was dealt with:

    The operation of the Ministry of the second half of 1940ies is best of all characterized by hope or belief of Kruus himself that «it is late to feed the horse when time has come to go ploughing» as he wrote in his own hand as a resolution to one document in May, 1945. Readiness of the Foreign Ministry for foreign relations must have been guaranteed by the continual self-improvement of the officials. The study of foreign languages and the history of diplomacy was compulsory for all workers. The same way were compulsory the regular lectures-overviews of the international situation (mainly on the bases of atlases of TASS), about the activities of the Estonian refugees, history of Estonia and the world. So, for example, Kruus read the series of lectures «Estonian Bourgeois State, 1918-1940» on Saturdays.

    Secondly, it was continuously taken care of the supplement of library of the Ministry. In addition to the fast growing collection in Russian it was tried to buy the memorials of the previous diplomats published in Estonia before the war, general publications of the history of diplomacy in foreign languages, etc. In the same way the opportunities were searched to procure all publications, specially of the press, published in exile. The special fund of the Foreign Ministry of the Estonian SSR soon got together with the funds of the State Library the main bases to all who were interested in activities in exile. The relevant permits were given on quite a high level. For example to Paul Kuusberg the permit for studying the exile press was granted by the Secretary of Agit-Propaganda of the Central Committee of the ECP Ivan Käbin in 1949.

    Thirdly the officials of the Foreign Ministry Marino Talfeld, Georg Kimask, Ilo Sildmäe, Eduard Kubjas regularly looked through the documents of the previous Foreign Ministry and compiled relevant overviews on several themes. Some times the orders of the Foreign Ministry of the USSR were fulfilled, for example, the documents of right of possession of the previous embassies were prepared. From February 1947, the gathering of the materials about the staff of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, embassies and consular representations began. Unfortunately, it is unknown how far was reached and what happened to the compiled materials. The physical condition of the building was tried to mend also during the Kruus time and organize regular repairs although the house was shared with several institutions, first and foremost with the State Library. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was responsible for the decorating of the building. So, it was planned in 1946, to procure approximately 60 portraits of the leaders of the Soviet state, sculptures and paintings of the nature, mythology, living conditions of Estonia and also on the themes of the war and uprising in 1343.

    Practical actions in the field of foreign relations were mainly the steps connected with Estonians in exile. The relevant propagandistic articles were prepared to the Estonian press. TASS and the radio program «An Hour in Homeland» was strictly directed and controlled. At the same time, nothing was done to protect the interests and every day needs of the Estonians. Even the application of the member of the CP of Great Britain , husband of Aira Kaal, A. R. Hone to come to visit his homeland for once was answered negatively and was, as tens of others similar, sent to Moscow. Nor was the permanent representation of the Estonian SSR in Moscow subordinated to the Foreign Ministry in Tallinn.

    So the hopes of Kruus didn’t realize. How could he help the citizen of Sweden who in his letter asked for help to the family who lived in Tartu before the deportation in 1949: «Please do everything possible, so that my innocent wife and child could return to their residence».

    II-III period or the time of Aleksei Müürisepp and Arnold Green

    From the beginning of the cold war in 1949 and elaboration and confirmation of the constitution there was no need for the Foreign Ministries of the Soviet republics any more. It is possible, that behind the new restrictions the struggle between L. Beria (attempt to enlarge the autonomy of the Soviet Republics) and opponents of his line in the Soviet Union in the beginning of 1950ies was reflected. After the arresting of Beria in July 1953, the decreasing of staff in the Foreign Ministries of the Soviet Republics began. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs in Estonia was not nominated after the removal of Kruus. Until March 1951, the substitute of the Minister was his deputy Rudolf Auendorf.

    After that the post was occupied by the Chairman of the Council of Ministries of the ESSR Aleksei Müürisepp. The total cleaning in the previous staff of the Ministry followed. There still worked 12 officials in 1952, up to 1962 the number decreased to four. Similar situation lasted until 1991. To the end of 1960ies three posts were gained in addition and in the Foreign Ministry of the Estonian SSR worked Deputy of the Minister (for longer time for example Eero-Lembit Toomaru), Head of the Department of Protocol-Consular (G. Pais), 2 Senior Inspectors and 3 Inspectors. Later the inspectors were denominated secretaries.

    Why the apparently unnecessary Foreign Ministry still existed?

    Several points must be taken into consideration:

    1) the need of making propaganda among the Estonians in exile existed and

    grew with which the small staff of the Foreign Ministry dealt with also in co-operation with institutions of VEKSA (Organization of Cultural Association with Estonians in Exile), KGB etc. Later the Estonian press in exile and the library stayed under the control of the Senior Inspector of the Foreign Ministry.

    2)it was not wanted to constitute a precedent on the bases of the recalling of the

    representations of Russia, Ukraine and Byelorussia from the UNO could have

    originated. Obviously, it was important to preserve these ministries in any

    case for the propagandistic war with the western countries.

  3. For the work with the emigrants from the Baltic states the Foreign Ministry of the USSR and other institutions needed specialists, including diplomats. These were looked for, prepared and directed to work besides the other establishments also by the Foreign Ministry of the ESSR. Convenient person for working in the Embassy of the Soviet Union in Stockholm was found to be Enno-Lembit Mikkelsaar, later on A. Toompuu, P. Toom, F. Meiner etc. On initiative of Arnold Green, it was started to demand from Moscow the sending of representatives also to Germany, Great Britain, USA and Canada. So E.-L. Toomaru became the 2. Secretary of the Embassy of the USSR in London, the expert in oil-shale Georgi Ozerov was sent to work in UNO. (See special dissertations of the contributors from the Baltic). The Foreign Ministries of the Baltic states might have been a significant reserve in choosing the competent staff for the foreign service of the Soviet Union.
  4. The Foreign Ministry of the ESSR had to fulfill some protocolic role. From time to time it was recommended (wanted themselves) to the diplomats of the friendly states to travel around in the Soviet Baltic Republics. Sometimes it happened that diplomats and other official representatives of capitalist countries paid a visit. Also the relevant official of the Foreign Ministry was partly responsible for meeting them. The Department of Protocol was established already in 1944 when Kruus entered service. At first quite free hands were given in the questions of protocol. According to the orders of July, 1946 the soviet republics were allowed to fulfill quite indefinite rules of protocol «Every republic solves the problems connected with the protocol-ceremony itself according to the practice and traditions of protocol of the Soviet Union and the international demands«. Yet foreign visitors were rare and uncommon in the activities of the Foreign Ministry. There was more of them in the so-called«melting time of Hrustsov». The visit of the Finnish presidential couple to the Estonian SSR in March, 1964, no doubt, turned out to be the greatest event although certainly the main responsibility lay on the CC of the ECP. From there came also quite detailed regulations of protocol. The shah of Iran in 1974 and Prime Minister of India in 1981 were accepted in the same way.

The Foreign ministry of the Estonian SSR stayed up to the end the convenient propagandistic institution in demonstrating the equality of the soviet republics in the Soviet Union and do the work of enlightenment among the refugees from the Baltic republics.