White_title.FH9 Fri Apr 15 12:23:06 2005 Page 2 Composite This work has been completed as a result of the work of the Estonian State Commission on Examination of the Policies of Repression and with the support of the Riigikogu, the Government of the Republic of Estonia and Ministry of Justice. Authors JAAK KANGILASKI, PhD (Arts), Vice-Rector of the University of Tartu VIRVE KASK, PhD (Med.), former Lecturer of the University of Tartu KALEV KUKK, PhD (Econ.), former Member of the Riigikogu JAAN LAAS, PhD (Econ.), Lecturer of Eurouniversity HEINO NOOR, Consultant of the Estonian Medical and Legal Aid Centre of Victims of Repression AIGI RAHI-TAMM, Dr. Sc. (Hist.), Lecturer of the University of Tartu REIN RATAS, PhD (Biol.), Development Director of Tallmac Ltd ANTO RAUKAS, Dr. Sc. (Geol.), Member of Estonian Academy of Sciences, Professor of the Estonian Maritime Academy ENN SARV, Member of the Board of the Association of Former Political Prisoners PEEP VARJU, Deputy Chairman of the Estonian State Commission on Examination on the Policies of Repression Editors Vello Salo, Dr. Sc. (Theol.), Editor-in-Chief Ülo Ennuste, Dr. Sc. (Econ.), Managing Director of the Estonian Institute of Economics of the Tallinn Technical University Erast Parmasto, Dr. Sc. (Biol.), Member of Estonian Academy of Sciences, Senior Researcher of the Institute of Zoology and Botany of the Estonian Agricultural Academy Enn Tarvel, Dr. Sc. (Hist.), former Lecturer of the University of Stockholm Peep Varju, Deputy Chairman of the Estonian State Commission on Examination on Policies of Repression Translators Mari Ets, Tiina Koitla, Mart Paberit, Mari Vihuri Editor: Tiina Koitla Designer: Riina Uisk Layout: Margit Plink © Republic of Estonia, 2005 All rights reserved. ISBN 9985-70-195-X Printed in Estonia by Multiprint Ldt CONTENTS Survey of Occupation Regimes (Enn Sarv, Peep Varju) 9 POPULATION Human Losses (Aigi Rahi-Tamm) 25 Health Care (Virve Kask) 47 Permanent Health Damages (Heino Noor) 58 CULTURE Higher Education and Research Work (Jaan Laas) 74 Fine Arts (Jaak Kangilaski) 113 ENVIRONMENT Environmental Damage (Rein Ratas) 126 Enormous Environmental Damage Caused by Occupation Army (Anto Raukas) 133 ECONOMY Economic Damage (Kalev Kukk) 141 FOREWORD In 1992, the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia established the Estonian State Commission on Examination of the Policies of Repression (ESCEPR) and set it „the fi nal goal to publish a scientifi c investigation into all the losses and damages suffered by the Estonian nation during the occupation regimes”.1 Only now, after twelve years of investigation work, the ESCEPR is able to publish a survey, which sums up the present state of our knowledge, in the form of eight original papers dedicated to the following fi elds: population, cultural life, environment and economy. The papers are based on archival materials preserved in Estonia, because till the present day it has not been possible to use the materials in the archives of occupation regimes. However, in the present analysis all published source materials have been taken into account.2 Therefore, the following papers contain data of two types: 1) Scientifi cally documented losses and damages; 2) Estimates based on the latter. The papers in The White Book are similar in structure: they start with a short summary that is followed by the text, in which a more detailed overview of the losses, of their signifi cance and investigation is given. Details can be found in references; sources and monographs are given in the bibliography section. The Commission wants to thank everybody who has contributed to the compilation of this survey. Vello Salo Chairman of the Commission 1 Riigi Teataja no. 40/1993, art. 591; see § 20. 2 The ESCEPR has published 20 scientifi c papers in 1994—2002. Because of that, only estimates of the number of citizens of the Republic of Estonia who died while fi ghting in the army of the Soviet Union can be given now. 7 I SURVEY OF OCCUPATION REGIMES Enn Sarv and Peep Varju In 1939 the heavy pressure of great powers preparing for the world war and direct aggression and occupation followed struck the inde- pendent and neutral state of Estonia. Three consecutive occupation regimes lasted for more than 50 years. The Republic of Estonia had signed non-aggression pacts with both the Soviet Union and Germany. The Soviet Union, like Estonia, had joined international legal acts banning aggression. These agree- ments, together with the Tartu Peace Treaty, formed a system that regulated all mutual relations of the two countries1. On 17 September 1939 when the Soviet Union attacked Poland which was on the brink of collapsing under the blows of the German army, it became clear that with the Stalin-Hitler agreement signed on 23 August 1939 (known as Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) the two great powers had divided Eastern Europe between themselves into their spheres of influence. Soon the Soviet Union presented ultimatums to the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. About a month and a half later, Finland received a similar ultimatum, which was then followed by the Winter War. Accompanied by direct threats, the Soviet Union demanded establishing of military bases for the Red Army on the territory of Estonia and signing of a so-called mutual aid agreement for legalising this military operation. The signing of the agreement was preceded by brutal demonstrations of power: the Red Navy blocked the sea border of Estonia, Soviet aeroplanes violated its air space, large divisions of the Red Army were concentrated on the Estonian border and a Soviet submarine sunk, for provocation purposes, the Soviet ship Metallist in Narva Bay. The Republic of Estonia declared its neutrality in World War II, which had broken out on 1 September 1939, but this step did not hinder the Soviet Union from submitting aggressive demands. Estonia remained in isolation. None of the neighbouring states wished to be the first to offer 9 any support to Estonia, which had fallen victim to aggression. In this situation the Government and the Parliament (Riigikogu) of Estonia were forced to accept the treaty on military bases to avoid bloodshed and extermination of the people of Estonia. The treaty was signed in Moscow on 28 September 1939 and foreign troops, which exceeded the regular forces of the Republic of Estonia several times, were brought to the bases in October 1939. After the arrival of the Red Army to the bases and of the military fleet to the ports of Paldiski and Tallinn, Estonia was no longer THE WHITE BOOK an independent state. Trying to avoid any conflicts and misunderstandings between the two parties to the treaty, the Government of Estonia fastidiously observed all obligations arising from the treaty. On 12 October 1939 a new Govern- ment was formed, headed by the Prime Minister Jüri Uluots. Even some limitation of the fundamental civil rights was applied to avoid possible cases of provocation. At the same time the Soviet Union had no intention to respect the treaty and they provoked a number of conflicts. Russian military personnel working in joint committees submitted new demands, which did not meet the conditions of the signed treaty, tried to enlarge the number of armed personnel arriving at the bases (the Soviet Union actually did this on a unilateral basis) and demanded additional territories for their troops. During the Winter War with Finland, the Red Army bombers set off from the airports of neutral Estonia to bomb Finnish towns. This was a gross violation of the treaty, the text of which solemnly declared respect for the sovereignty of Estonia. The war that the Soviet Union had started against the Republic of Finland was justly condemned by the League of Nations as an act of aggression. On 14 December 1939 the Soviet Union was expelled from that international organisation. The Soviet aircraft that took part in the Winter War operations cast bombs also on the Estonian territory, attacked an Estonian aircraft flying above Tallinn and committed other crimes, like sinking the Estonian merchant ship Kassari on the Baltic Sea on 10 December 1939, which should have provoked an immediate counter-attack from the defence forces of a sovereign state. Nothing of the sort happened and our defence forces showed their discipline and infinite patience by obeying the orders of the commander-in-chief. At the same time the Soviet General Staff were working out a secret military operation for occupying the Baltic states. With the directive No 02622 of 9 June 1940 the plan was put into action 2. While Paris fell to the German troops on 14 June 1940, the Soviet Union started to carry out the plan of occupying the Baltic states. Estonia was blocked from all directions — land, sea and air. The Estonian aeroplane Kalev that made regular flights between Tallinn and Helsinki was shot down, without warning, over the Gulf of Finland on 15 June 1940 and all merchant ships of Estonia were seized. 10 On 14 June 1940 the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum to the REGIMES SURVEY OF OCCUPATION Republic of Lithuania and the occupation forces invaded the country, cutting through the last land connection of Estonia and Latvia with the West. On 16 June at 15.20 a similar ultimatum with an 8-hour deadline was presented to the Republic of Estonia, accusing it of violating the mutual aid pact, demanding the permission to enter the country for the Red Army troops waiting at the Estonian border, consisting of about 100,000 men, ostensibly sent to protect the troops in the military bases from the alleged danger, and requesting the formation of a new Govern- ment of the Republic under the dictate of Moscow.