281. Editorial Note
During the period 1955–1957, Finland’s political and economic stability and its relations with the Soviet Union continued to be of interest to the United States.
From September 16 to 19, 1955, President Juho Paasikivi and Prime Minister Urho Kekkonen, along with other officials, visited the Soviet Union. The visit resulted in the signing on September 19 by Kekkonen and Soviet Premier Bulganin of (1) a protocol extending for 20 years the Finnish-Soviet treaty of friendship and mutual assistance that had been concluded in 1948, and (2) an agreement whereby the Soviet Union undertook to evacuate, and to return to Finland, the naval base of Porkkala (12 miles southwest of Helsinki) which had been leased to the Soviet Union under the terms of the Finnish Peace Treaty signed in 1947. An analysis of the significance of these developments is in Soviet Affairs, October 1955, pages 11–12. (Department of State, INR Files) A memorandum of a conversation on September 21 between Assistant Secretary of State Livingston T. Merchant and Finnish Ambassador Nykopp about the return of Porkkala is ibid., Central Files, 660E.61/9–2155. The agreements were ratified by the Finnish Government on October 7 and by the Soviet Government on October 11.
On February 15, 1956, Prime Minister Kekkonen was elected President for a 6-year term to succeed Paasikivi. The election results were discussed in despatch 381 from Helsinki, February 20. (Ibid., 760E.11/2–2056) Following Kekkonen’s inauguration as President on March 1, a new government headed by Karl-August Fagerholm was formed on March 2. The formation of the Fagerholm government was discussed in despatch 409 from Helsinki, March 5. (Ibid., 760E.13/3–556)
On November 28, 1956, a Finnish-Soviet trade agreement was signed, and from January 30 to February 3, 1957, Prime Minister Fagerholm and Minister of Commerce Kleemola visited Moscow for [Page 706] discussions with the Soviet Government. The Fagerholm government resigned on April 25, 1957, and a new government headed by V.J. Sukselainen was formed on May 27.
From June 6 to 13, 1957, Soviet Communist Party Chairman Khrushchev and Premier Bulganin visited Finland. Documentation on their visit, consisting mostly of telegrams from Moscow and Helsinki, is ibid., 033.6160E. An analysis of their visit is in despatch 564 from Helsinki, June 21. (Ibid., 033.6160E/6–2157) The visit was also discussed in Soviet Affairs, July 1957, pages 4–5. (Ibid., INR Files) On October 18, 1957, the Sukselainen government resigned, and it was not until November that a new government, headed by the President of the Bank of Finland, Rainer von Fieandt, was formed. The 6-week period during which Finland was without a government constituted the longest political crisis since the end of World War II. Reports from the Embassy in Finland during the crisis are ibid., Central File 760E.13.
No new policy papers on Finland were adopted by the National Security Council during this period. The policy paper in effect continued to be NSC 5403, “United States Policy Toward Finland,” January 25, 1954. For text, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, volume VIII, page 773. However, the Operations Coordinating Board did prepare and submit to the NSC various Progress Reports on NSC 5403. These Progress Reports, dated April 25, 1955; November 23, 1955; July 3, 1956; and June 12, 1957 are in Department of State, S–S/NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5403 Series.