Antony Beevor’s larger argument about the politicisation of history writing (Review, 3 February) is certainly correct, but his statement that “most Russian archives, especially the military ones, were closed to foreign historians back in 2000 after the tantalising glimpses we had enjoyed from 1992” will come as a huge surprise to the many dozens, if not hundreds of foreign historians who have been working in these same archives from the early 1990s up to the present day, many of them researching quite sensitive topics. It is true that the archive of Russia’s defence ministry is virtually inaccessible to foreigners, and access to the security services’ archive is highly restricted, but all other archive collections, both in Moscow and in regional centres, remain open, including one of the other military archives.
It is true, as he says, that parts of some collections may be taken out of circulation, but these cases are relatively rare, and it is usually possible to find the same, or at least comparable material, elsewhere. The unsung heroes in all of this are the Russian archivists, who with few exceptions are highly trained, dedicated specialists who go out of their way to help scholars, both Russian and foreign, obtain the sources they need for their research. Prof Beevor’s comment implies that Soviet history is now an impossible undertaking, whereas in fact our knowledge of the country deepens with every year.
Donald Filtzer
Emeritus professor of Russian history
• Civil wars are always dirty. Finland’s was no different from the ones in Spain, Russia, Poland etc (Letters, 16 February). The difference is you can talk about it – descendants of victims of white and red, historians, newspapers can express their point of view. The Polish coup d’etat in 1926 is still taboo which is even worse. Finland was allied with Germany, true. But they were in a rather uncomfortable position between the Nazis and Soviet Russia. The consequences of being conquered by Stalin were rather gruesome, much worse (for Finns) than being an ally of Hitler, so they chose the lesser evil.
Zofia Nowinska
Helsinki, Finland
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