if the Late Finnish President had been successful!

The late Finnish President Urho Kekkonen had offered half of Lapland to the Soviet Union in 1968. The offer was made to former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in exchange for Karelia.

An recent article by Juha Pohjonen in Kaleva reveals that Kekkonen had proposed offering the area north of the 67th parallel. The region would have included several municipalities including Enontekiö, Inari and Utsjok would have been swapped for Karelia.

"The deal did not take place, but it was meant to spark interest in the matter among top leadership in the Soviet Union," said Pohjonen.

In return, Finland could have asked for the city of Vyborg back, the region west of the city, and the Saimaa canal.

The deal however did not move forward. Pohjonen said that the Soviet Union was not interested in the trade.

"If the USSR would have accepted the proposal, I would assume that Kekkonen would have been ousted from power," Pohjonen said.