Citation

Saluvere T. Tuna-Ajalookultuuri Ajak. 2013; 4: 121-124.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

The correspondence between Helmi Mäelo (1898-1978) and Ülo Koit (1925-1996) is deposited in the Helmi and Bernhard Mäelo collections at the Estonian Cultural History Archives (EKLA, collection 226, m. 17:15 (Mäelo to Koit) and EKLA, collection 226, m 24:11 (Koit to Mäelo)). Their correspondence began in 1956, meaning practically immediately after contacts became possible between Soviet Estonia and the world abroad after the CPSU 20th Congress, which is surprising since the persons involved were not at all so close to each other to restore contact at the firstopportunity. Helmi Mäelo was a nationalist with conservative views who had been active primarily in the fieldofjournalism in the Republic of Estonia, editing several women's and children's periodicals. She had also started her work in fictionalliterature. Shewasactivein the temperance movement and supported other idealistic undertakings. She had escaped to Germany with her family in 1944 and from there onward to Sweden. She earned a living in Sweden as an officeclerk at a publishing house, directing most of her energy to her own literary activity. Mäelo has penned over ten novels, a number of stories for young people, several works of memoirs and numerous brochures on temperance and education. It was at her initiative that Mothers' Day started being observed in Estonia beginning in 1923. Ülo Koit, who was born in the Republic of Estonia, was evacuated at the age of 16 with his mother to the rear area in the Soviet Union when the war broke out. There he studied at courses for Party employees and began his career as a KGB agent after the war upon returning to Estonia, and later as a confidantwhile working at the same time as the editor of the Valgamaalane newspaper (1944-1950). He served as deputy chairman of the Estonian SSR Television and Radio Committee (1950-1975). His dead body was found in September of 1996 in the Lielupe River in Latvia and to this day it is not known if it was an accident, suicide or murder. Their correspondence began when Mäelo wrote to Koit's mother, whom she knew from the period of Estonian independence. Since the latter had died during the war, her son answered the letter. The correspondence continued until Helmi Mäelo's death and later continued to a lesser extent between Ülo Koit and Bernhard Mäelo. They exchanged information about cultural events and their personal lives, but also about politics. The correspondence gave Mäelo an overview of life in her occupied homeland. Koit, on the other hand, acquired information about the moods and fears of expatriate circles and helped him gain contacts among expatriate Estonians abroad. This could help readers of the publication to understand those barriers that had arisen between Estonians in the homeland and expatriate Estonians abroad during the post-war decades, to see the different ways that contacts were established but also to see the hidden reefs in this intercommunication.

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