Sweden releases classified cables linked to Soviet Union collapse

Feb 17, 2011, 12:54 GMT

Stockholm - More than 400 pages of classified Swedish diplomatic cables relating to the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago were published Thursday by the Foreign Ministry.

'The material is unique, and the decision (to publish) is unique,' Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said.

The move was unusual as diplomatic cables of this nature are usually classified for 50 years. But Bildt said there was interest in contributing to the writing of history concerning a 'dramatic period.'

The cables include Swedish diplomatic reports about the attempted coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991, including assessments of the coup leaders and recommendations on how Sweden should respond.

Other cables related to developments in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that would regain independence following the demise of the Soviet Union.

The published documents from 1989-91 did not include reports received from other countries as this could potentially harm Sweden's diplomatic relations.

The Foreign Ministry jokingly referred to its publication as 'FM Leaks' - a reference to WikiLeaks, the self-proclaimed whistle-blower website WikiLeaks that last year published hundreds of thousands of classified US diplomatic cables.

In addition to online publication, the ministry printed facsimiles of many cables in a booklet, entitled An Empire Implodes.

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