Talk:Urho Kekkonen/Archive 1

Untitled
errata:

1. Urho Kekkonen's father Juho was not a farmer but worked for the forest industry, as a logging site foreman (metsätyönjohtaja) and a lumber agent (tukkiasioitsija) for Kajaanin puutavaraosakeyhtiö.

2. Kekkonen did not lead the execution squad in Hamina during civil war but was ordered by the squad leader to give the actual "ready, aim, fire" command during the execution. Nevertheless this occasion, according to his memoires, shocked him quite hard and he thought this might have affected his attitude towards the reds (socialists) during his later political career because he deeply sympathized with them.

Random quote from an old comedy show: "Presidentti on jälleen valittu tasavallan Kekkoseksi."

Illustrates his status and authority rather well. Plus it's funny. --Kizor 20:40, 21 July 2005 (UTC)

FCMA treaty
What is that?


 * It's the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, I linked it from the article. - Bobet 13:37, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

The quotation from Kekkonen smells a bit harshly translated, though Kekkonen didn't spare his swear words really. But for international audiences it might be good to point out that colloquial finnish isn't that prudish about such things. And secondly, where is that quote from? A source for such a remark should be incorporated. I couldn't find any quote from Kekkonen that would translate to such.

Adding to the the random quote from the old comedy show thing "The President has been once again elected to be the Kekkonen of the Republic"... My father remembers listening to the radio broadcast of the electorate vote counting in the sixties, and that being the most repitive and monotonous of all. "Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen..."

Firing squad
Are you sure it was firing squad? Not a mistranslation? `'mikka (t) 08:06, 30 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Yes, it was a firing squad. According to the Finnish article, they executed nine Reds. --Silvonen 04:38, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Political Party
Political party: Agrarian League 1956-1965: Centre Party 1965-1982

The President of Finland is no longer member of any political party after he/she is elected.


 * Why not? Many Presidents of Finland have given up their party membership, but for example Martti Ahtisaari did not. Mstuomel 21:36, 25 November 2006 (UTC)


 * It's actually the other way around; Ahtisaari actually criticized Koivisto, his predecessor, for re-joining the SDP after his precidency. Ape89 (talk) 04:06, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Law degree
Finnish article mentions "valmistui lakitieteen kandidaatiksi 1926" (~ graduated with Bachelors degree of Law in 1926) and this article says "graduating as a Master of Laws in 1926". Which one is correct? --195.148.29.73 (talk) 07:36, 10 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Actually the English translation doesn't catch the full meaning of the Finnish article. Kandidaatti is, as noted a Bachelor degree. However, Kekkonen was a varatuomari (VT, technically qualifies for judges' positions) and the title of varatuomari requires training on the bench amounting to a Master's degree. --Vuo (talk) 12:13, 10 August 2008 (UTC)


 * This is very late, but lakitieteen/oikeustieteen kandidaatti has at least in recent decades been equivalent to a Master's Degree, whereas someone with a Bachelor's Degree in law is called oikeusnotaari (varanotaari in earlier times). In fact, I think the kandidaatti degree no longer exists, or rather those graduating from a faculty of law are now called oikeustieteen maisteri.--Victor Chmara (talk) 15:08, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

KGB agent
The article seems to say nothing about him being a recruited KGB agent according to multiple credible sources.Muscovite99 (talk) 19:53, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

Right. Oleg Gordievsky and Christopher Andrew (1999). KGB: The Inside Story of its intelligence operations from Lenin to Gorbachev (Russian language edition, Moscow, Centerpoligraph, ISBN 5-227-00437-4, page 575.). After describing Arne Treholt affair, they tell (my approximate translation): "In 1981 the Center also lost its the most important agent in Scandinavia: Finnish president Urho Kekkonen was retired. At this moment, the KGB had at least 160 fully employed agents and "contacts" in Finland, more than in all countries controlled by the 3rd Department of the First Chief Directorate." Later on, KGB tried to place another their "contact" (Akhti Karijalainen) to the presidential position, but failed, according to the book.

Keep in mind that another book (probably by Klepikova) tells the following. Kekkonen was very smart, and he did what the best for the Finland. He did almost nothing for the Soviet Union, but he received a lot of economic help and good trade contracts for his country in return. Besides, he made his country safe by nominally working for the KGB (another Soviet propaganda?). However, all Soviet people who escaped to Finland have been arrested by Finnish police and returned back to Moscow At least two of them were placed to psychuska. Their torture was described by David Satter in his "Age of delirium".

A Russion language source (from RFE/RL): Ханну Рауткаллио, который писал о Кекконене с очень критической точки зрения, и одна из книг называется: "Лаборатория Финляндия. Кекконен и КГБ. 1944-1962-й годы". Она вышла в 1996-м году. И там, ссылаясь на убежавшего из Хельсинки на Запад офицера КГБ Голицына, он прямо пишет, что Кекконен, якобы, был агентом КГБ под кличкой Кима, и что его завербовали в 1948-м году. В Финляндии вообще известно, что вокруг Кекконена, среди его близких друзей и сотрудников, было несколько завербованных КГБ людей, которые с ним работали. Кроме того, Кекконен - все его отношения, которые он поддерживал с Советским Союзом, он поддерживал их через резидентов КГБ, не через посла даже, не по дипломатической линии, а по так называемой партийной линии, они называли это партийной линией, но все делалось через агентов КГБ. . Biophys (talk) 00:58, 13 October 2008 (UTC)