the microfilmed collections of russian archival materials in the danish and swedish national...

The Microfilmed Collections of Russian Archival Materials in the Danish and Swedish NationalArchivesAuthor(s): Hugh RagsdaleSource: Slavic Review, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer, 1984), pp. 270-275Published by:Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2497841 .

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NOTES AND COMMENT

HUGH RAGSDALE

The Microfilmed Collections of Russian Archival Materials in the Danish and Swedish National Archives

The national archives of Denmark and Sweden have engaged Soviet archives in extensive and probably unique exchanges of copied materials. These two archives consequently hold substantial quantities of Soviet archival records, records some- times of extraordinary value, which in some cases are scarcely accessible in any other part of the world, including the Soviet Union. Approximately 40 percent of the holdings of Soviet documents in the Danish National Archive come from the Arkhiv vneshnei politiki Rossii. The fact that it is very difficult to gain access to this institution considerably enhances their importance. The Swedish holdings are similar.1

The Russian documents in both archives were acquired in two phases, and phase one was common to both. In 1928, archivists and historians from Den- mark, Norway, and Sweden formed a joint Scandinavian committee for the ex- ploration of the Russian state archives (Den Nordiske Faelleskomite for Udforskning af de russiske Statsarkiver).2 The committee was assisted by Alek- sandra Kollontai, then Soviet ambassador to Oslo, and by M. N. Pokrovskii, representing Tsentrarkhiv. An agreement was signed on May 14, 1930 that pro- vided for Soviet photographing of the Russian materials by means of a photo- graphic apparatus supplied by the Scandinavians. The arrangement was subject to cancellation by either side on two weeks' notice, and it was canceled at Soviet request in 1932. The minutes of the committee's meetings as well as progress

I would like to thank Sigurd Rambusch and Ebba Waaben of the Danish Rigsarkiv, Ole Feldbaek, Hans Bagger, and Knud Rasmussen of the University of Copenhagen, Berndt Fredriksson of the Swedish National Archive, and Wilhelm Carlgren of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for advice and assistance in preparing this article. I am indebted to the American Council of Learned Societies for financial support of this and related research.

1. Basic information on location, conditions of access, and working conditions, as well as on the collections and finding aids for these archives is found in Daniel H. Thomas and Lynn M. Case, eds., New Guide to the Diplomatic Archives of Western Europe (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1975), pp. 43-55 and pp. 314-27.

It should be noted that the Swedish National Archives also hold a large collection of adminis- trative and judicial documents from the years of Swedish occupation of the territory of Novgorod (1609-1617). This entire collection is available on microfilm at the library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Descriptions of the collection can be found in the following articles: Henrik Birnbaum, "Novgorodiana Stockholmiensia," Scando-Slavica, 10 (1964): 154-73; L. V Cherepnin, "Obzor fonda novgorodskikh dokumentov khraniashchikhsia v gosudarstvennom arkhive Shvetsii, v Stokgol'me," Problemy istochnikovedeniia, 9 (1961): 221-57; and I. Kalnins, "Ockupationsarkivet fran Novgorod 1611-1617," Meddelanden fracn Svenska Riksarkivet fir dren 1976-1977 (Stockholm, 1980), pp. 136-43.

2. This is the Norwegian name of the committee. It was the name most commonly used.



Microfilmed Collections 271

reports on the work done in Soviet archives are available for examination at the Swedish National Archive in Stockholm, and a summary of the initial work and acquisitions of the committee was published by Olaf Broch, one of the Norwegian participants.3 The second phase of acquisition of the Russian documents was different for Sweden and Denmark and will be described separately below.

The Russian documents in Copenhagen fall into two basic categories, those from the Arkhiv vneshnei politiki Rossii and those from the Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi arkhiv drevnikh aktov.

Rigsarkivet I. Danicafilm fra sovjettiske arkiver: Arkhiv vneshnei politiki Rossii.

Fond 53: Snosheniia Rossii s Daniei. Opis' 1: 1720-1763. Perepiska Kollegii inostrannykh del s rossiiskimi diplomaticheskimi predstaviteliami v Danii i s datskimi diplomaticheskimi predstaviteliami v Peterburge. 26 reels.

Fond 53: Snosheniia Rossii s Daniei. Opis' 5. Dela Nos. 1-64: 1762-1800. Kabinetnye pis'ma. (Correspondence of

Frederick V [1746-1766], Christian VII [1766-1808], Catherine II, Paul I.) 1 reel.

Dela Nos. 65-138: 1762-1801. Ministere. (Chiefly correspondence between foreign office personnel of the two powers, especially that of N. P. Panin and I. A. Ostermann with Danish counterparts.) 1 reel.

Dela Nos 139-278: 1762-1773. Perepiska Kollegii inostrannykh del s rossiiskimi diplomaticheskimi predstaviteliami v Kopengagene. 5 reels.

Dela Nos. 279-340: 1773-1779. Perepiska Kollegii inostrannykh del s rossiiskimi diplomaticheskimi predstaviteliami v Kopengagene: Simolin. 2 reels.

Dela Nos. 341-539: 1779-1798. Perepiska rossiiskikh diplomaticheskikh predstavitelei v Danii Chekalevskogo, Sakena, Kriudener, Vasil'eva, Kosheleva s Kollegiei inostrannykh del. 7 reels.

Dela Nos. 540-566: 1798-1807. Udenrigskollegiets korrespondance med russisk gesandt i K0benhavn. (Correspondence of the [Danish] foreign ministry with the Russian minister in Copenhagen.) 1 reel.

Dela Nos. 567-620: 1762-1777. Perepiska datskikh diplomaticheskikh predstavitelei v Peterburge s rossiiskoi kollegiei inostrannykh del. 1 reel.

Dela Nos. 621-644: 1778-1784. Perepiska kollegii inostrannykh del Rossii s datskim polnomochnym ministrom v Peterburge Alefel'dom. 1 reel.

Dela Nos. 645-702: 1784-1801. Perepiska datskogo diplomaticheskogo pred- stavitelia v Peterburge s Kollegiei inostrannykh del Rossii. 1 reel.

Dela Nos. 703-722: 1762-1770. Perepiska Kollegii inostrannykh del Rossii s russkim konsulom v Gelsingere [Helsing0r] po razlichnym voprosam. 1 reel.

Dela Nos. 723-773: 1770-1788. Perepiska Kollegii inostrannykh del s russkim konsulom v Gelsingere [Helsing0r]. 3 reels.

Dela Nos. 774-802: 1789-1806. Perepiska konsula v Gel'singere [sic: Hel- sing0r] s Kollegiei inostrannykh del po konsul'skim voprosam za 1789-1806 g. Part of reel.

3. Riksarkivets Ambetsarkiv, Forteckning, Folio J: "Kommitt6n for ryska arkiv." Olaf Broch, Arkivstudier i Russland, Mai-Juni 1828 (Oslo: Jacob Dybwad, 1928).



272 Slavic Review

Dela Nos. 803-812: 1783-1796. Perepiska konsula v g. Kile Timnanovicha s Kollegiei inostrannykh del za 1783-1796 g. Part of reel.

Dela Nos. 813-816: 1800. Perepiska general'nogo konsula v g. Kopengagene Tunkelia s Kollegiei inostrannykh del. 1800 g. Part of reel.

Dela Nos. 817-818: 1805-1806. Konsul'stvo v Khristianzande [Christian- sand]. 1805-1806. Part of reel.

Dela Nos. 819-823: 1754, 1762, 1791, 1792, 1799. Vypiski iz donesenii rossiiskikh predstavitelei v Kopengagene i nekotorykh drugikh gorodakh za 1754, 1762, 1791, 1792, 1799 gg. Part of reel.

Fond 53: Snosheniia Rossii s Daniei. Opis' 6. Dela Nos. 1-72: (Correspondence of the Russian and Danish royal families,

1720-1800.) 3 reels. Fond 374: Dela o vooruzhennom morskom neitralitete. Delo No. 9: 1780 Dannemarc. 1 reel. Fond: Kantseliariia, 1820-1844. The contents of these materials are described year by year and typically read

"Indberetninger fra og ordrer til det russiske gesandtskab i K0benhavn, korrespondance med det danske gesandtskab i St. Petersborg" (Reports from and or- ders to the Russian legation in Copenhagen, correspondence with the Danish legation in St. Petersburg), though there is a good deal of correspondence here between the sovereigns as well, and there is some correspondence of the Danish ambassador in Constantinople. 18 reels. This series later resumes to cover 1863- 1865, 1871, 1900-1917. 6 reels. Films of the records from 1872-1899 have been ordered, and the Soviet authorities have promised to produce them.

Fond 51: Snosheniia Rossii s Golshtiniei. Opisi 1, 2, 6, 8: 1720-1789. There are significant gaps in holdings. 7 reels.

Rigsarkivet II. Danicafilm fra sovjettiske arkiver: Arkiver undtaget [other than] AVPR.

TsGADA. Fond 4: Razriad IV: Perepiska lits imperatorskoi familii i drugikh vyso-

chaishikh osob. Dela Nos. 161-165: 1767-1796. 1 reel. Fond 6: Ugolovnye dela po gosudarstvennym prestupleniiam, 1780-1846.

This is correspondence from the files of the Tainaia ekspeditsiia pri Senate concerning the residence of the Braunschweig-Luneburg family in Horsens, Jutland. 7 reels.

Fond 9: Kabinet Petra I i ego prodolzhenie. Ile otdelenie. Indberetninger fra den russiske gesandt i Danmark, 1705-1723. (Reports from the Russian ambassador in Denmark, 1705-1723.) 3 reels.

Fond 10: Razriad X: Kabinet Ekateriny Vtoroi i ego prodolzhenie. Delo No. 83, 1785--1792: Sobstvennoruchnye zapiski imperatritsy Ekateriny II po di- plomaticheskim snosheniiam s Daniei. 1 reel.

Fond 53: Snosheniia Rossii s Daniei. Opis' 1: 1516-1719. Opis' 2: 1574- 1699. Opis' 3: 1562-1716. Opis' 4: 1700-1719. 102 reels.

Fond 150: Dela v vyezdakh inostrantsev v Rossiiu. Concerns the entrance into Russian service of foreign soldiers, sailors, artisans, and others, in the years 1604, 1615, 1661, 1667, 1668, 1670, 1673, 1679-1680, 1685-1687, 1689, 1694, 1698, 1701, 1703, 1714, 1719. 2 reels.




Fond 176 tilf0jelser [supplement]. Verkhovnyi tainyi sovet. 1726 god, No. 1: Zapiska general'nogo sostoianiia del i interesov vserossii-

skikh so vsemi sosednymi i drugimi inostrannymi gosudarstvami, sochinennaia vitsekantslerom baronom Ostermanom.

1726 god, No. 6: Punkty o kotorykh v tainom sovete nadlezhit razsuzhdenie imet' o delakh persidskikh, turetskikh i golshtinskikh.

1726 god, No. 12: Kopiia s opredeleniia uchinnago v bytnost' eia impera- torskago velichestva v tainom sovete, i podpisannago eia velichestva rukoi, o persidskikh, turetskikh i golshtinskikh delakh. (Other similar documents here.) 1 reel.

Many of the holdings listed in Vol. II of the catalog, that is, the materials copied from archives other than AVPR, are of interest chiefly to historians of Denmark, and hence they are omitted here. The Danish National Archive now holds 90 full reels of material from AVPR and 119 reels from TsGADA and other Soviet institutions, well over 150,000 frames, about 200,000 pages, of Rus- sian documents. The exchange continues, but at a slower pace than formerly.

In addition to these materials, the archive holds a substantial collection of correspondence between the royal families of Russia and Denmark from 1856- 1885 (5 reels). The use of this correspondence requires the queen's permission, but, according to officials at the archive, it is regularly given.

The larger part of the Danish acquisitions dates to the mid-1960s. At that time, pursuant to a cultural exchange agreement between the two governments, Sigurd Rambusch and Knud Rasmussen went to Moscow in 1965 and again in 1966 to screen and order documents. They were not shown comprehensive finding aids, and not all of the materials which they ordered have been received. Never- theless, Denmark was the first NATO country to establish such an archival exchange with the Soviet Union, and the benefits are obvious in the National Archive.

It is important especially for the researcher in foreign affairs to understand significant differences in the character and quality of the diplomatic documents obtained in the earlier filming and those obtained later. The later material is much more comprehensive in scope than is the earlier, but in some respects it is inferior in quality. The earlier material contains a far higher proportion of ciph- ered documents, and as ciphering is often a clue to the importance of the contents, this fact suggests that much of importance was removed from the documents made available for copying from 1965 on. The researcher is advised to use both the earlier and the later sets of films for periods when both sets are available. The diplomatic correspondence from the earlier phase of acquisition covers the years 1633, 1717-1718, 1722, 1759-1788, 1793-1819, 1853-1860, 1862, 1864, 1866-1880, 1882, and 1885 (42 reels). The archive's catalogs distin- guish between the two sets of documents.

As in the case in Denmark, the larger collection of Russian documents in Sweden was acquired relatively recently. Artur Attman of the University of Goth- enburg and Wilhelm Carlgren, then of the Swedish National Archive staff, went to Moscow in 1958 and again in 1959 to select and copy Russian documents. They did not have the benefit of detailed finding aids, and they were unable to obtain all the documents they requested. The Soviet archivists were especially



274 Slavic Review

reluctant to deliver documents concerning Russian bribes in the Swedish diet in the eighteenth century, describing such materials as trivial and disgusting. Still, the documents assembled at the archive are extensive and significant. For ex- amples of the exploitation of these materials, see Michael Metcalf, Russia, Eng- land, and Swedish Party Politics, 1762-1766 (Stockholm: Almqvist and Wiksell, 1977) and Arndt Oberg, De yngre mossorna och deras utlandska bundsforvanter 1765-1769: med sarkild hdnsyn till de kommersiella och politiska forbindelserna med Storbritannien, Danmark och Preussen (Uppsala: Scandinavian University Books, 1970).

I. Foreign Affairs Materials.

A. Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi arkhiv drevnikh aktov. Shvedskiia dela: akter 1510-1719. 30,400 frames. Shvedskiia dela: registraturbocker 1555-1699. 16,000 frames. Xlandskongressen, 1717-1719. 1192 frames.

B. Arkhiv vneshnei politiki Rossii.4 Handlingar rorande rysk-svenska relationer 1720-1762 (Documents con-

cerning Russo-Swedish relations . . .). 6329 frames. Brevvaxling mellan ryska beskickningen i Stockholm och hovet/regeringen

i St.-Petersburg 1762-1800 (Correspondence between the Russian legation in Stockholm and the court/government in St. Petersburg . . .). 12,702 frames.

Nystadskongressen 1721. 1684 frames. Abokongressen 1742-1743. 4742 frames. Brevvaxling mellan kanslerer m. fl. i Ryssland och Sverige 1762-1800 (Cor-

respondence between chancellors and others in Russia and Sweden . . . 274 frames.

Handlingar rorande 1788-1790 'ars krig m. m. (Documents concerning the war of 1788-1790 etc.). 3400 frames.

Handlingar rorande freden i Varala 1790 m. m. (Documents concerning the peace of Varala 1790 etc.). 141 frames.

Brevvaxling mellan ryska beskickningen i Stockholm och hovet/regeringen i St. Petersburg 1801-1810 (Correspondence between the Russian legation in Stockholm and the court/government in St. Petersburg . . .). 1512 frames.

Svenska ministrars noter till hovet/regeringen i St. Petersburg 1805-1810 (Swedish ministers' notes to the court/government in St. Petersburg . . . 105 frames.

Brevvaxling rorande finska forhallanden 1808-1809 (Correspondence concerning conditions in Finland . . .). 671 frames.

Brevvaxling med Suchtelen [Petr Kornil'evich, Russian ambassador to Stockholm] 1813. 54 frames.

Korrespondens med Suchtelen och Pozzo di Borgo 1813-1814. 235 frames. Brevvaxling mellan ryska beskickningen in Stockholm och hovet/regeringen

in St. Petersburg 1810-1864. 20,900 frames. Brevvaxling mellan ryska beskickningen i Stockholm och hovet/regeringen

i St. Petersburg 1865-1917. 7900 frames. Handlingar rorande rysk-svenska relationer 1870-1914. 630 frames.

4. This file and the following two are housed separately in the military history archive (Krigs- historiska arkiv).




Hemliga arkivets akter rorande rysk-svenska forbindelser 1905-1917 (Secret archival documents concerning Russo-Swedish relations . . .). 3072 frames. C. Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv v Leningrade.

Handlingar rorande rysk-svenska relationer 1798-1801. 334 frames. Handlingar rorande rysk-svenska relationer 1878-1917. 272 frames.

D. Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi voenno-istoricheskii arkhiv. P. K. Suchtelens privatarkiv: Suchtelensamlingen i Krigshistoriska arkivet i

Moskva (P. K. Sukhtelen's private archive: the Sukhtelen collection in the Mil- itary History Archive in Moscow). 574 frames.

Huvudstabens krigsvetenskapliga arkivs handlingar rorande krigen mot Sverige 1700-1809 (Documents in the military science archive of the General Staff on the wars against Sweden . . ). 2558 frames.

Handlingar rorande Rysslands krig mot Sverige 1700-1719 (Documents concerning Russia's war against Sweden . . .). 763 frames. E. Tsentral' nyi gosudarstvennyi arkhiv voenno-morskogo flota.

Handlingar rorande Rysslands krig mot Sverige 1700-1809. 6236 frames. F The Saltykov-Shchedrin Library.

P. K. Suchtelens privatarkiv: Suchtelensamlingen i Saltykov-Sjtjedrin-bibli- oteket i Leningrad. 408 frames.

II. Russian Internal Affairs, Chiefly Trade

A. Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi arkhiv drevnikh aktov. Senatens bergskollegii-akter 1723-1769 (The Senate's Bergkollegiia docu-

ments . . .). 143 frames. Handlingar rorande rysk travaruexport 1814-1916 (Documents concerning

Russian timber exports . . .). 1224 frames. Handlingar rorande jarnhanteringen i "Kommissija o kommertsii i o posjli-

nach" 1764-1769 (Docunments concerning the iron industry in the "Kommis- siia . . .). 325 frames.

Kommerskollegii akter rorande Rysslands utrikeshandel 1725-1964 (Kom- mertskollegiia documents concerning Russia's foreign trade . . .). 1047 frames.

Gorodovye knigi (Archangelsk, Novgorod och Pskov) 1500-1695. 11,686 frames. B. Tsentral'nyi gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv v Leningrade.

Handlingar rorande rysk jarnhantering 1799-1878 (Documents concerning the Russian iron industry. . .). 252 frames.

Tabeller over Rysslands utrikeshandel 1812-1833 (Tables on Russia's foreign trade . . .). 813 frames.

Tullrakenskaper 1825-1850 (Tariff accounts . . .). 814 frames.

