Defecting: In the mid 1960s if someone wanted to defect from the Soviet Union would it have been possible to?

Question

leave by way of Finland and cross the Gulf of Bothnia to Sweden? What problems would one have encountered? Was the Finnish coastline closely guarded? Does anyone know of this type of escape being done? Can you recommend any books or articles that describe the situation in Finland in this time period?

As far as I know Finland was never part of the Soviet Union but did have some sort of treaty with the USSR that would have made it not an ideal place fo be for anyone who wished to leave the USSR without official permission. I'm wondering if one's chances would have been better from Finland or Estonia which was annexed by the Soviet Union.

Answer 1

People will always find ways to escape from oppression. The Olympic Games and similar sporting competitions offered athletes an opportunity to escape provided they could dodge their coaches & guards. The same was true of Musicians & Academanians sent on tours outside of The Societ Union and in fact almost anyone whose work gave them the opportunity tio travel, quite a number of 'defectors' made it to fredom.
As for Finland - - - popular in fiction but because of bitter cold it wasn't as favored as hiking out across Poland and East Germany to The West. .And Czeckoslovakia bordered on Austria another destination for defectors, and a short hop across Austria brought one to Switzerland. Actually an industrious Russian with a sound boat might make the passage across The Baltic to any number of Swedish Islands. And during the heyday of NATO a Russian who could get his way into Turkey could find sanctuary since Turkey scored 'brownie points.'

There were many holes in The Iron Curtain. During the waning days of The Soviet Union, one defector piloted a small Cessna-Like aircraft from Russia to West Berlin, that made the news.

Note // America has always used the term 'communist' as a derogatory term and thus anyone managing to defect from Russia and loudly cursing the evils of Communist Society was welcome as a hero. 'Country Jumping' was encouraged especially if a person was a high ranking Russian; a top athete, a diplomat. In fact if a Soviet committed a crime in Russia it made sence to defect to America or Britain - - - no matter how foul one's deeds if they 'came out against communism' they were forgiven.

Movies // 'The Spy Who Came in From The Cold,' also a book; the Billy WIlder film 'One Two Three' with James Cagney. Though 'revilled' the 1965 version of 'Casino Royale.' The book & movie of 'The Third Man,' books by Graham Greene - - - also 'The Defector' a flawed final film featuring Montgomery Clift, from 1966 which truly shows 'how it was.'

Peace

Answer 2

What you are talking about is called country jumping. It's illegal all over the world. To defect, a person would have to have serious political dangers at home, then legally manage to come to the US, and apply for asylum once here. It's not easy. Best used by spies,and scientists with skills needed in other countries, and on rare occasions, artists. Some people have used country jumping to go from place to place and not gotten caught, but it's hard, as are the prisons they mostly end up in.
Another way people come here legally is to emigrate from their home country to some other country. Then they find another country that allows emigration to the US and move to that country. Once they have established legal residency, then they can move to another country still. They just keep doing this until they are in a country with what's called positive emigration status with us. I have known people who have done this, and it took around forty, yes 40, years to do this.

Answer 3

By making it to Finland wouldn't you already be out of the USSR, thereby making the boat trip unnecessary? I don't know it sounds like you know more about this than me. Thanks for asking the question I'll check back to learn something about Finland.

Answer 4

Yes, it was done. I've read an account of it. Sorry I can't be more help than that.