POSSIBLE FINNISH-SOVIET BORDER RECTIFICATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A000700070013-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 22, 1999
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: July 17, 1956
• Content Type: BRIEF

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FINNISH-SOV ETI BORDER RECTIFICATION
1.. Various diplomatic approaches and other Soviet moves in the
past few months have encouraged the Finns to believe that Moscow is
preparing to make certain territorial concessions along the Karelian
border, Such concessions would have a considerable impact on Finnish
opinion and do much to convince the other Scandinavians of the USSR's
peaceful intentions.
2. Talks have been going on with-the Russians since April
regarding greater Finnish use of the Saimaa Canal, which was cut by
the 1944 territorial cession. The Finnish government, doubtful about
the economic value of the canal but alive to the political importance
of the Karelian question for the 450,000 Karelian refugees settled in
other parts of Finland since 1944, has proposed that (a) the entire
canal be returned, (b) Finland lease the port city of Vyborg, and
(c) Finland lease the territory cut off from the USSR by the canal.
3. Several events have encouraged the Finns to believe that
the Russians are preparing to make some territorial concessions. Soviet
president Voroshilov is to visit Finland August 21-26 and the Finns
have indicated that they would like to discuss border rectifications.
On 16 July Moscow announced the abolition of the Karelo-Finnish SSR;
three days earlier the chairman of the Supreme Soviet reportedly had
told the Finnish Ambassador in Moscow that this change would facilitate
border modification at the appropriate time. (The Saimaa Canal area.
and Vyborg, in which the Finns are particularly interested at present,
are actually within the Leningrad Oblast of the RSFSR). Recent
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reports of explosions on the Soviet side of the border near the canal
have raised speculation that the Soviets are destroying installations
preparatory to a withdrawal. Moreover, the Finns still attach importance
to Bulganin's remarks at the time of the Porkkala negotiations last
September that Porkkala was no longer necessary for the defense of
Leningrad because of Soviet-Finnish friendship; the Finns hope this
argument will apply to other former Finnish territory. Since early
spring Soviet ambassador Lebedev has had a number of talks with
President Kekkonen and a, few other high Finnish officials, the Foreign
Ministry being largely excluded from the discussions.
4. There are indications, however, that no border modifications
will actually be agreed on during Voroshilov's visit. Izvestia on
13 July strongly attacked "those who agitate for a. revision of the
Soviet-Finnish borders" and stated that the frontier was finally decided
by the Peace Treaty of 1947 and consequently not subject to revision.
The Russians may delay any concessions until next spring, when the
projected
visits of Bulganin and Khrushchev to the Scandinavian
countries would give the move its maximum propaganda impact. In view
of the Izvestia article, territorial revisions are unlikely to be
extensive, but will be probably limited to the Saimaa Canal area..
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BACKGROUND--THE SAIMAA CANAL
1. In the prewar period the 36-mile-long canal served as an
outlet for the extensive lake system of Southeast Finland through
which the large timber exports of the area were transported for loading
on ocean-going freighters at Vyborg. Since the war the canal has
been little used and as long ago as 1953 the USSR indicated its
willingness to discuss arrangements permitting the Finns to use
the lower half of the waterway which is now in Soviet territory.
The Finns, however, have meanwhile developed an extensive roadnet
in this area to handle the timber traffic, and a group of government
experts who recently investigated the prospects of utilizing the
canal are dubious about its present economic value.
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