THE SIROLA FOUNDATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R005000510009-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 19, 1999
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: June 28, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSII-WA I I(JINI
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INFORMATION REPORT
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COUNTRY Finland/Sweden V?our
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NO. OF PAGES 3
SUBJECT The Silvia Foundation
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1. The Simla Foundations or Institute (known in Finnish as Sirola Opisto
and in Swedish as Sirolastiftelsen), is located an the Vanaja estate.
at Hameenlinna (!ravastehun), Finland, and ie considered one of the more
permanent training schools for ftrationaries of the Finnish Comonmiet
Party.
2. The Sirola Foundation was named in honor of 7r3o Sirola, one of Finland's
leading Co eta. He was Foreign Minister of the Finnish Red
Government in 1918, escaped to Russia after the rebellion in Finland
and becamerresident of the National University for Minorities in Leningrad.
Striaa was a Lenin Communist who was responsible for training Finnish
Communists in a nationalistic viewpointe, During his tenure at the
Leningrad University, he had a large number of Finnish Communists who
were so trained. When the anti-nationalistic purge was carried out in
Russia, the majority of these pupils were imprisoned and executed.
Sirola himself was transferred to the Lenin University in Moscow, which
operated directly under the Comintern. Sirola was an outstanding
Marxist expert.
3. An unnamed informant of the source who met Sirola personally in 1936
in Moscow, and who pas well acqtaiLedwith him, said that Simla was
very bitter over the arrest of his students, because he was personally
responsible for the indoctrination which was considered undesirable.
Sirola expresued the opinion at that time that the CPU had deliberately
failed to arrest hin for tho purpose of causing bitterness and strife
among Finnish Communists of nationalistic sympathies. Sirola died a
natural death in Moscow in 1936.
4. Throughout ScnadinaviaFelkhogakoler (public colleges) which specialize
in adult education are fairly common. All enjoy government subsidies.
In Finland such instititions are maintained by the Social Democrats
and Agrarians as well as by the Communists. The curriculum at most
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of the schools includes foreign lanauage?, social sciences? the history
of Finland, and in the case of the agrarian school, practical agricultural
training. The Sirola Foundation, a government-subsidized Foikhoaskola,
is openly and officially a Communist Party institution and maintains a
curriculum main3y concerned with political science.
5, It is possible that Ture Lehen in his position as an export on barricade
street fighting, author of a textboak on such tactics, and a leading
Communist Party tactician, may give courses in guerrilla or violence
activities. In the opinion of the source, it is not likely that physical
military training or training in weapons is part of the curriculum,
ae most of the students are young Communists who have already had military
service. The source stated that institutions of this kind are required
to submit an annual report to the government outlining their activities.
The Sirola Foundation did not submit reports in 1947 and 1948. This
failure caused considerable newspaper comment, but the source stated
that the Finnish government officials did not feel that it woad be rise
at the time to take any punitive or restrictive action against the
foundation.
6. Finnish Law provides that the faculties of such schools must be Finnish
citizens and the president or rector of the school must have an acceptable
academic background,
7. The present head of the school is Mrs. Aire Sinervo (married name Kolula).
Her husband is a comparatively unimportant. Cour-mist probably identical
with Vaikko Vicktor Kolula? who participated in the a/ark of the Finnish
Union of Commeeist Youth in 1933. 'dhile in military service in 1942,
Kolula wrote letters to the govnrnment threatening to refuse to fulfill
his military duties if his wife, who had been arrested ferEspionage? was
not released. For this reason Kolula was detained by the military
authorities and assigned to a special labor croup. Hrs. Sinervo (who
uses her maiden name) has an Mee. degree:, has never been in the USSR
but' is an ardent Coreetnist Party member. She resents the fact that she
serves only as a "front" for the school and that she was chosen because
the Finnish Communist Party is short of academically trained persons who
could fulfill the requirements for the position. The vice-president
(rector) of the school is Antti Hyvonen, a graduate of the Leningrad
University for the Minorities and of the Lenin School in Moscow. I-yvonen
is a Finnish citizen who formerly served on the faculty of the Lenin
School.
. Two other regular faculty members are Eine Vevalainen and Axel Modh, both
with backgrounds and training similar to Hyvonen. In addition to the
above-named four individuals who constitute the official faculty, the
Sirola Foundation 'uses the services of a number of temporary lecturers
including such well-known Finnish Communists as Ture Lehen, Ihkeri
Lehtinen, Armes Mlle and Herta Kuusinen.
9, The Sirola Foundation was founded in 1945 and was first located in
temporary quarters at Hertonas, near Helsinki', Fiala*. At the time of
the Peace Treaty with the USSR, the Soviets acquired a considerable
amount of property in Finland formerly owned by German nationals; or
persons who were so considered by the Soviets Among such properties
was the estate of Willi Deese, the well-known international financier*
This property was :known as the Vanaja estate, located at Hameenliena
(Tavastehus)a Finland, which is about two hours by rail from Heleieki.
In 1947 the property was leased by the Soviet authorities in Finland
to the Sirola Foundation, and is now used as the site for the school.
It is a large beautiful estate, consisting of a number of houses and
a considerable amount of land. It operates as a boarding school
vith facilities far 100 students. The regular course lasts from September
to June, so that each year 100 fully trained propagandists are graduated.
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In addition, there are special summer courses of 2 to 3 weeks, SO the
total number of graduates of the school, including the short courses,
is between 500 and 600 persons per year. The /00 who have taken the
bill training arepreaumably loaders and the others may be persons
who have taken refresher courses or are receiving limited training. The
Finnish Comaaanist Party has on its permanent payroll 400 full-time
propagandists. This is double the number employed by the Social
Democrats.
10. The amount of the government subsidy received by the school represents
only a fraction of the actual cost of maintaining the establishment.
The balance is received from abroad in the form of subsidies from the
Cominform and gifts from Communists in the United States. Adnal
cash transfers or payments are not ueed. Instead a gift of coffee,
or some other scarce commodity, is received for -which an import 'Acme
is easily obtained inasmuch as no dollar drain on Finnish economy is
involved. The coffee, or other commodity, is then sold on the open
market at an inflated price and in this manner the actual dollar contri-
bution may result in a net return to the Sirola Foundation of as much
as 2000 Finnmarks to the dollar,
11. Direct subsidies and grants are given the Finnish Communist Party and
the Sirola Foundation by certain Finnish businesses which were turned
over to the Soviets in connection with the Peace Treaty at the end of
the second war with the USSR. The boards of directors of such businesses
usually consist of Soviet and Finnieh citizens -who are Communists. A
substantial par:. of the profits of these firms may be diverted to
Communist Party activities, if necessary. The source believes that
as a result of these methods of obtaining funds, the Finnish Communist
groups and organizations have more than adeenate financial resources
and can spend as Balch money as is necessary in carrying out their
activities,
12. On two occasions in 1948 the Swedish Communist Party transferred money
to the Finnish Communists. One transfer in the amount of /5480
Swedish kronor was made to the Sirola Foundation, Kaisaniemerikatu 13A,
Helsinki, as a gift to the tlrola Foundation from the Sirola Foundation
Help Committee in Sweden. In narch 1948 the Swedish Communist Party
directly transferred 5,000 Swedish kronor to the Finnish Communist Party.
13. It is generally believed that the Communist front organ Finland's
Democratic People's Organization (Fitlands Folkdemokraters Forbund-FFDF)
supports the Sirola Foundation,
14. Although the Sirola Foundation was originally intended to train the
advanced party cede% it has recently opened its doors to all Ccumunist
Party members in good standing. Karl Staff and Hilding Sarden of the
Swedish Ceemnaaist Party have recently attended the Sirola Foundation.
15. It was reported. in February 1950 that anotherzahoel, the rtillykallio
School at Lautasaari (Drunso), Helsinki, is also in operation. This
school, which is only intended for Party members in the Helsinki
district, differs somewhat from the Sirola Foundation in that it mainly
specializes in daily lectures and short evening courses, thus making
it easier for the average Party member to attend. **
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** 111110011111 The source was unable to supply aga additional
information concerning the NYllykallio School,
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