A 1995 execuitve order required all non-exempt historically valuable CIA documents, more than 25 years old to be declassified. As a result, the intelligence agency recently published more than 12 million pages, some 930,000 documents online, making decades of files easy to access and search.
Prior to this, the documents were available to the public, but they could only be accessed in person during business hours at the National Archives in Maryland. Only four computers were available for use.
A search for Estonia-related reports produced a wide variety of materials on various topics, many gleaned from Soviet era newspapers published in occupied Estonia and others through various means and sources.
Some of the declassifed material offers surprises about the eclectic interests of the CIA. For instance, the Estonian community in Shanghai, was described in a multi-page report written in 1947:
“From 1931 to 1946 the number of members of the Shanghai Estonian community varied from 120 to 150. About 30% were born in Estonia and spoke the language fluently; 60% were naturalized Estonian ctizens through marriage or other means; the remaining 10% were persons claiming Estonian citizenship or holding questionable passports.
”Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the majority of the members of the Estonian communirty in Shanghai were planning to return to Estonia. However this was not possible because of the Japanese invasion of China. In 1939 , an organization called ”Eesti Selts” was formed. ... The main purpose of the ”Eesti Selts” was to establish better contact with Estonia, to obtain Estonian literature and to help Estonians in need. ... In the early fall of 1940 there were various indications that the Shanghai Estonian Consulate would be closed by the Soviet authorities. (Estonia had then been invaded by Russia.ed.)
(Pikemalt Eesti Elu 27.jaanuari paberlehest)
