Letter of 40 intellectuals
Encyclopedia
The Letter of 40 intellectuals, also The letter of 40 , originally A public letter from Estonian SSR was a public letter dated October 28, 1980 and posted a week later, in which 40 intellectuals attempted to defend the Estonian language
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...

 and expressed their protest against the recklessness of the Republic-level government in dealing with youth protests that were sparked a week earlier due to the banning of a public performance of the band Propeller
Propeller (band)
Propeller is an Estonian punk band formed in March 1980.- Line-up :*Urmas Alender – vocals*Prince Peeter Volkonski – vocals...

. The real reasons were much more deep-seated, and had to do primarily with the russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...

 policies of the Kremlin in occupied Estonia.

The letter was addressed to the newspapers Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....

, Rahva Hääl
Rahva hääl
Rahva Hääl was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Estonia during Soviet occupation of Estonia. It was founded shortly after the first Soviet takeover in 1940 based on offices and resources of Uus Eesti , an earlier Estonian newspaper.-See also:*Eastern Bloc information dissemination...

 and Sovetskaya Estoniya. None of these nor any other Soviet publication printed the letter. Copies of the letter were however widely distributed through samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...

.

Publication

The letter was first published abroad on December 10, 1980 in Eesti Päevaleht (Stockholm), a weekly newspaper run by Estonians in exile. At the same time that the letter circulated in Estonian exile communities, radio stations in other countries broadcast the contents of the letter. Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...

 read the letter in full on 11 December 1980 in the Estonian language
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...

, and later also transmitted it in translated form in other languages. Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...

 did a thorough overview on December 23, 1980. This distribution round, in turn, led to a number of tertiary copies, meaning hand-written transcripts of the reading from the broadcasts began to circulate underground in Estonia.

The letter was translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 by Jüri Estam. Dr. Jaan Pennar contributed editing.

In Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, the letter was first officially published in Vikerkaar (no. 7, 1988), together with commentary by Rein Ruutsoo and Lembit Valt.

Soviet reaction

In November of 1980, the Soviet government took a number of repressive measures against the signatories: they were "interviewed" at work and by various Party structures, and invited to renounce their signatures. A number of signatories did so.

The Soviet KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...

 conducted a search at the home of Jaan Kaplinski
Jaan Kaplinski
Jaan Kaplinski is an Estonian poet, philosopher, and culture critic. Kaplinski is known for his independent mind, focus on global issues and support for left-wing/liberal thinking...

, whom it suspected to have been the originator of the letter.

Academician Gustav Naan
Gustav Naan
Gustav Naan was an Estonian physicist and philosopher.Gustav Naan was born in Russian SFSR in a village near Vladivostok to a family of Estonian settlers. He graduated from the Leningrad State University in 1941. He took part in World War II and joined the CPSU in 1943...

 in turn sent a letter to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia, demanding reprisals against what he described as the “gang of forty”.

Four signatories were fired from their jobs.

Other repressions were not undertaken against the signatories. The KGB attempted but failed to track down people who had sent copies of the letter out of the country.

Signatories

Priit Aimla
Priit Aimla
Priit Aimla is an Estonian writer, poet, humorist and politician known for several stage plays and books. During 1992 to 1995, he belonged to Riigikogu, having been elected as a member of the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia; later, he switched to Reformierakond.- References :...

, Kaur Alttoa, Madis Aruja, Lehte Hainsalu, Mati Hint, Fred Jüssi
Fred Jüssi
Fred Jüssi is an Estonian biologist, nature writer and photographer.Jüssi was born on Aruba, where his father worked for a Venezuelan oil company. His family returned to Estonia and settled in Tallinn when Jüssi was 3 years old...

, Aira Kaal, Maie Kalda, Tõnu Kaljuste
Tõnu Kaljuste
Tõnu Kaljuste is an Estonian conductor.Born in Tallinn, Kaljuste is the child of Heino Kaljuste , an Estonian choral conductor, and Lia Kaljuste, a radio journalist. Tõnu sang in his father's choirs as a child, and graduated from the Tallinn Music High School in 1971...

, Toomas Kall, Jaan Kaplinski
Jaan Kaplinski
Jaan Kaplinski is an Estonian poet, philosopher, and culture critic. Kaplinski is known for his independent mind, focus on global issues and support for left-wing/liberal thinking...

, Peet Kask, Heino Kiik, Jaan Klõšeiko, Kersti Kreismann, Alar Laats, Aare Laht, Andres Langemets, Marju Lauristin
Marju Lauristin
Marju Lauristin is an Estonian politician and social scientist. She is the daughter of Johannes Lauristin and Olga Lauristin. Her father signed away Estonia's freedom to the Soviet Union in 1940. Together with Edgar Savisaar, in 1988 Lauristin established Rahvarinne, the first large-scale...

, Peeter Lorents, Vello Lõugas, Endel Nirk, Lembit Peterson, Arno Pukk, Rein Põllumaa, Paul-Eerik Rummo
Paul-Eerik Rummo
Paul-Eerik Rummo is an Estonian poet and politician and a former Estonian Minister of Culture and Education, a former Estonian Minister of Population Affairs....

, Rein Ruutsoo, Tõnis Rätsep, Ita Saks, Aavo Sirk, Mati Sirkel, Jaan Tamm, Rein Tamsalu, Andres Tarand
Andres Tarand
Andres Tarand , is an Estonian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party, part of the Party of European Socialists between 2004 and 2009. Tarand also served as the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1994 to 1995.Born in Tallinn, Tarand graduated from the...

, Lehte Tavel, Peeter Tulviste, Mati Unt
Mati Unt
Mati Unt was an Estonian writer, essayist and theatre director....

, Arvo Valton
Arvo Valton
Arvo Vallikivi , commonly known under the pen name of Arvo Valton, is an Estonian writer known for a number of books and, among other things, the script for Viimne reliikvia, the highly successful movie adaptation of Eduard Bornhöhe's Vürst Gabriel ehk Pirita kloostri viimsed päevad...

, Juhan Viiding
Juhan Viiding
Juhan Viiding , also known under the pseudonym of Jüri Üdi was an Estonian poet and actor.-Childhood, education, and family:Juhan Viiding was born June 1, 1948 in Tallinn to Linda and Paul Viiding...

, Aarne Üksküla.

Literature

  • Text of the Letter of 40 in English http://www.sirjekiin.net/40%20Letters.htm
  • 40 kirja lugu by Sirje Kiin, Rein Ruutsoo and Andres Tarand
    Andres Tarand
    Andres Tarand , is an Estonian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party, part of the Party of European Socialists between 2004 and 2009. Tarand also served as the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1994 to 1995.Born in Tallinn, Tarand graduated from the...

    . Olion 1990, ISBN 5-450-01408-2
  • Rein Ruutsoo: Tartu Ülikool ja 40 kiri: kodanikuühiskond Eestis ja vastupanu strateegiad, no. 31 in Tartu Ülikooli ajaloo küsimusi, pages 144–181
  • Andres Tarand
    Andres Tarand
    Andres Tarand , is an Estonian politician and former Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party, part of the Party of European Socialists between 2004 and 2009. Tarand also served as the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1994 to 1995.Born in Tallinn, Tarand graduated from the...

    : Kiri ei põle ära: päevaraamat 1980–..., Eesti Päevalehe Kirjastus 2005, ISBN 9985-9662-1-X
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