Secretariat Resolution. Ambassador to visit Kalevi SORSA, chairman of Finnish Social Democratic Party and “confidential contact”, and congratulate him on his 50th birthday. Includes message to ambassador and preceding note (11 December 1980, 18‑S‑21) from CHERNYAEV, p. 3. [R 16 Dec 80,  St 241-108] total 8 pp.

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[page one of eight]

Workers of all Lands, Unite!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION. CENTRAL COMMITTEE

[Text along left-hand margin]
Return to the CPSU Central Committee
(General Department, sector 1) within [illegible] days of receipt
(Central Committee Resolution of 17 June 1976, St 12/4)

Top Secret

No St 241/108, 16 December 1980

Excerpt from item 108 of Minutes No. 241 of the Central Committee Secretariat

About measures linked to the 50th birthday of K. Sorsa, chairman
of the Finnish Social-Democratic Party

1. Confirm text of the telegram to the Soviet ambassador in Helsink (attached).

2. Central Committee Administrative Department to acquire a comemmorative gift to present to K. Sorsa.

SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

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[page two]

Attachment 108
to Minutes No 241

Urgent

HELSINKI

SOVIET AMBASSADOR

Visit at a time of his convenience Sorsa, chairman of the SDPF and congratulate him on his 50th birthday on behalf of the Central Committee.

Wish Sorsa good health and successful activities in the cause of peace, relaxation [detente] and disarmament in the interests of further strengthening of mutual trust, good neighbourly relations and all-round cooperation between Finland and the Soviet Union and also of the relations he has personally established betwee the SDPF and the CPSU.[1]

Present Sorsa with the commemorative gift that has been sent to you.

Telegraph to report on completion.

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[page three, 11 December 1980]

Secret

To the CPSU Central Committee

On measures relating to the 50th birthday of K. Sorsa,
chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland

On 21 December 1980 K. Sorsa, chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDPF), celebrates his 50th birthday.

In his party and governmental activities (as Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs) Sorsa has consistently maintained positions friendly to the USSR and the CPSU. He has promoted the development of Soviet-Finnish relations and fostered stable contacts between the SDPF and our Party. On the international scene, first and foremost in the Socialist International, Sorsa, in confidential cooperation with us, [2] has been working for detente, for the limitation of the arms race and for disarmament.

In view of the above, and in consideration of Sorsa’s election at its last congress as one of the vice-chairmen of the Socialist International, where he will continue to coordinate the activities of this organization on issues of detente and disarmament, and bearing in mind his contacts with other political forces, we believe it expedient to instruct the Soviet ambassador in Finland to personally congratulate Sorsa on his 50th birthday, on behalf of the CPSU Central Committee, and to present him with a commemorative gift.

Draft CPSU Central Committee resolution attached.

Deputy head,
Central Committee International Department

(A. Chernyaev)

11 December 1980
18‑S‑21

[page four is the formal Resolution, page five repeats the instructions to the ambassador; pages six to eight cover Zamyatin’s visit to Finland, see 12 December 1980*, St 241/54]

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NOTES

[1] When this document was made public in Finland during the run-up to the 1994 presidential elections, Sorsa expressed regret and withdrew his candidacy.

[2] In the 11 December 1980 document, Sorsa is described as providing the Soviet Union with “confidential cooperation”. In accordance with KGB terminology this suggests he was not a fully-fledged agent (see Christopher Andrew & Oleg Gordievsky, Instructions from the Centre, pbk edition 1993, “Agent recruitment”, p. 77).

General

1. Notes and additions by translator and editor are bracketed, thus [ ];
2. Text added by hand is indicated in italic script;
3. when a handwritten phrase, figure or word has been inserted
in a previously typed document it is indicated by underlined italic script.

Translation, John Crowfoot