Mika Waltari
WSOY, 2008
185 sivua
Kirjastosta
GR: 5/5 tähteä
★★★★★ (jos kerran Valvontakomissio katsoi kirjan kieltämisen arvoiseksi...)
Written by Waltari during the "Interim Peace" in 1940-41, published under a pen name in Sweden in 1941 and forbidden after the World War II by the Allied Control Commission (led by Zhdanov who also makes an appearance in the book), "The Truth about Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania" tells what happened in those three countries from 1939 to 1941 when they were occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union. The deportations of June 1941 are not mentioned, the book was probably finalized just before that.
Working for the government information center since the beginning of the Winter War Waltari had had all the available sources at his disposal, including reports from the military intelligence, state police and diplomats, both Russian and Baltic newspapers, interviews and even some literature. Using all that information Waltari paints an sorry picture that can be considered accurate even by what is known today.
Even though the subject matter is serious, Waltari sometimes uses his humour while being clearly critical towards the Soviet actions. Some of the anecdotes are also funny, showing how people tried to cope with the ever more worsening situations. I have of course known what happened to the Baltic countries in general but the book gave me a clearer picture about what happened behind the scenes and how everything was orchestrated by Stalin and his acolytes. I wouldn't be surprised if the information of this nature was one of the reasons for the Finnish determination, especially in 1944 but also after that.
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