The police arrested Aapo on January 16, 1934 and interviewed him the following day. After describing his life to a police officer, Aapo gave him a letter that he had written during his arrest in the police station. Later on, Aapo denied the letter’s validity. He said that he had had a high temperature when writing it, and therefore nothing that he had written could be taken into account in the court. This makes the letter even more interesting, as Aapo probably thought he had been too open when writing his thoughts down. Of course, from the police’s point of view, the most salient point in the letter was Aapo’s confession to having had sexual relations with several men. However, to us, there are many other interesting things to note in the text: Aapo explains his ‘disease’, his hopes and fears, and how he had ended up in the situation that led to the arrest:
“The tendency is an innate mental disease in me, generated by emotional sensitivity.
So many times in my life, I have tried to resist it with all my willpower. I have tried to understand where it comes from, but I have not gotten an answer. It has such a powerful existence, which despite all the effort I make, is stronger than my will. Even though in my life and in my doings, I would like to be a decent citizen who would live within the rules of the fatherland, I am, against my will, forced to break the law. It is like a mental compulsion. No one suffers more from my proclivity than me myself. I think that only with a deep religious awakening might I win this torturous feeling and agony. However, sometimes I can go a long time without feeling the disease. As getting older, it has moderated, and now it seems that it has stopped totally. When I moved to [address] on 1st of January 1931 it took a long time before any of my young men, who I knew from the time they had served in the army in Finland’s White Guards in my home parish, visited me. One of these young men was [the name of the man], for whom I found job as a warehouse keeper after his military service.
However, he died in spring 1932 from pneumonia. Sometimes, on Sundays, he used to bring his friends to my place, while they started to bring their friends and so forth.
This way, workingmen started to visit at my place. In later years, when the economic situation got more difficult, every time more and more people had lost their jobs. Even though it was not easy, I managed to find jobs for a few of them. Because of this, they talked about me and in that way the group of visitors kept growing. When unemployment grew during the last years, many lost their accommodations as well, and therefore many came to ask if they could stay at my place. I did not want to refuse
them because I intensely felt their suffering. When some of them actually made an offer to practise forbidden sex life, I became enslaved by it. Consequently, I began to practise sexual intercourse with several men.”341
Aapo, January 16, 1934
Aapo was a prolific writer. He had written several articles to Finnish newspapers and magazines, especially during the 1920s, as well as traveler’s stories and historical articles. In jail, he wanted to write about his sexuality, and explain his behavior. The letter covers several topics: Aapo’s perception of his sexuality, of his patriotism, and of his behavior as a benefactor. Let us now focus on these themes.
First, Aapo explained his same-sex desire. He did not use the term homosexual when analyzing his own sexuality, but he called it an innate mental disease that is so strong that he could not resist its pull. Aapo was a highly literate man, and it is clear that he had read about homosexuality in different sources. If he had read the explanation for his desire from an encyclopedia of 1932 he would have found his very description: it was defined as innate mental disorder.342 Aapo’s description of his ‘disease’ could have been written by Magnus Hirschfeld’s pen. Hirschfeld, a German doctor and homosexual activist in the early twentieth century Germany, saw homosexuality
341In Finnish: ”Minua vastaan nostetussa, luonnotonta sukupuolielämää koskevassa asiassa, saan nöyrimmiten lausua seuraavaa: Kyseinen taipumus on minussa synnynnäinen sielullinen ja tunneherkkyyden aikaansaama sairaus. Olen niin monta kertaa elämässäni koettanut sitä kaikin voimin vastustaa, kysymällä itseltäni mistä tuo johtuu saamatta vastausta. Se syntyy niin voimakkaana, että usein kaikista ponnistuksistani huolimatta joudun alakynteen. Vaikka elämässäni ja toimissani tahtoisin olla nuhteeton kansalainen ja yrittää täyttää voimassa olevan isänmaani lait joudun täten tahtomattani sen kanssa ristiriitaan ja sitä rikkomaan. Tulen silloin ikään kuin sielulliseen pakkotilaan, josta ei näytä olevan muuta ulospääsyä olevan kun lain rikkominen. Kukaan tästä taipumuksestani ei kärsi enemmän kuin minä itse ja ainoastaan silloin jos saisin syvän uskonnollisen herätyksen luulisin voivani voittaa tämän minua kiduttavan tunteen ja tuskan. Toisinaan kyllä kuluu pitkiäkin aikoja, jolloin en sairautta tunne, ja tultuani vanhemmaksi on se suuresti vähentynyt ja nyt tuntenut kokonaan lakkaavan. Muutetuani tammikuun 1 p:nä asumaan [the address] kului tietystikkin pitkä aika, jolloin ei kukaan tuttavistani nuorista miehistä käynyt luonani, joita tunsin muutaman
kotipitäjästäni suorittaessaan asevelvollisuuttaan Suomen Valkoisessa Kaartissa. Eräs sellainen nuori mies oli nimeltä [N.N.], jonka sotaväestä päästyä toimitin Rob. Huber OY. varastonhoitajaksi. Hän kuoli vuonna 1932 keväällä keuhkokuumeeseen. Hän toi luokseni joskus sunnuntaina työtovereitaan, jotka taasen puolestaan toivat tuttaviaan j.n.e.
Tällä tavoin alkoi luonani käydä työmiehiä ja viimeisinä vuosina, jolloin taloudellinen tilanne yhä kiristyi joutui aina useampi työmies paikattomaksi. Kun minun vaikeuksistani huolimatta onnistui hankkia työtä muutamille, kertoivat he vastikkin yhä uusille henkilöille ja tällä tavoin lisääntyi yhä suuremmaksi tuo käyjien joukko. Kun työttömyys edelleen viime vuoden kuluessa yltyi joutui moni asuntoakin vaille ja silloin tuli sitäkin minulta pyytämään. En tahtonut sitä kieltää tuntiessani syvästi heidän hädänalaisen asemansa ja kun muutamat suorastaan antoivat aiheen luvattoman sukupuolielämän harjoittamiseen päädyin sen orjaksi.”
342 Otavan iso tietosanakirja 1932.
as a third, intermediate sex between men and women and as a congenital quality of some people.343 There were also some few Finnish medical writings about homosexuality, which described homosexuality exactly like that, and as the next chapter will show, in the 1930s medical circles homosexuality was widely perceived in the Hirschfeldian way.344 It is also important to note that Aapo thought that the men who visited him also “had the same sickness”. Homosexuality discussed in Aapo’s letter was thus not dangerous; it was a congenital sickness of some people, which harmed these people themselves, because of social intolerance.
The difference between Aapo’s view on same-sex desire and the view presented in the Social Democratic newspaper was significant. The newspaper blamed Aapo for his immoral behavior, and regarded homosexual practices as vices. A vice is something that people choose to do, whereas a sickness discourse releases a person from moral judgments. As Aapo described, he had tried to resist the sickness, which, however, was stronger than his will.
The second topic of the letter is Aapo’s patriotism. At first one might think that Aapo just used nationalism as a rhetoric tool to free himself of charges, but when we get a better sense of his background, we will see that Aapo was a remarkably nationalistic person. He had, for instance, established several Finnish newspapers at the time of the Russification of the country, had written articles to nationalist newspapers, and studied Finland’s kindred nations.345 In addition, in the obituary written after his death in 1961, he was recalled as a nationalist. It seems that Aapo was unable to synthesize his nationalism and his ‘sickness’. In his letter of confession, Aapo describes the wide gap that existed between his patriotic will to be a decent citizen and his sickness, which made him engage, again and again, in these illegal relations. Though he attempted in many different ways to gain acceptance, Aapo was left with an overriding sense of inadequacy as person and as a citizen.
Aapo’s patriotism was grounded in a childhood in the district of Keuruu, which was particularly affected by Romantic nationalism in the nineteenth century. In his young adulthood Finland suffered from Russian’s Russification policy, because of which for the Finnish elite it was important to strengthen Finnish culture and cultural self-perception. Apparently, the
343 HOENING, J.”Sexology” in General psychopathology. Edited by Michael Sheperd. University of Cambridge, Cambridge 1983: 48-53 and HEKMA, GERT. ”Same-sex relations among menin Europe 1700-1990” in Sexual cultures in Europe: Themes in Sexuality. Edited by Lesley A. Hall. Mancester University Press, Mancester 1999:84.
344 NIKULA, AKSELI “Homoseksualiteetti ja sen oikeudellinen arvosteleminen.” In Duodecim 7/1919; ELO, OIVA.
”Sairasmielisistä rikollisista”. In Poliisimies, poliisijärjestöjen äänenkannattaja. nro 19. 15.10.1931.
345 At least in Hakkapeliitta and in Itsenäinen Suomi in 1933 and in 1934.
speaking cultural elite visited and spent summers in Aapo’s home district, because they wanted to experience ‘real Finnish culture’, to get to know common Finnish people, and to learn the language, which apparently was the purest in the region .346 This small, otherwise isolated district thus imbibed a sense of national esteem, which apparently affected Aapo as well. Aapo met many Finnish Romantic nationalism artists,347 with whom, according to Aapo, he spent lot of time and made friends. These relations surely made more of an impression on Aapo, since, while visiting elite he probably only seemed like a poor local youngster. However, these contacts must have been a remarkable resource for Aapo. They may have motivated him to get education and to get to know about literature and the arts, as in his adulthood Aapo was indeed a culturally sophisticated person.
In his later years Aapo wrote many proud articles about the era of National Romanticism in his home district.
In 1928, Aapo edited a book about his home district, into what he had written altogether six historical articles. In one of the articles, Aapo recalled his friendship with a famous Finnish writer and poet Paavo Cajander who had spent his last summers in Aapo’s home district. Aapo wrote about Cajander in a romanticized way, describing him as a serious Roman soldier. Aapo described that he were lucky enough to have a chance to go for a long walk with him: “the clothes were taken away, and nearly nakedly would be walking in the forests or lie down on beach sand.”348 Aapo wrote how Cajander’s serious character could transform: “if one had a chance to join him and get into his good graces, he totally opened the doors of his heart. His stiffness faded away from his being, his rugged appearance melted, he had a gentle face and his brown eyes started to sparkle in a beautiful way.”349 In a very sophisticated way, Aapo reveals in the article his own experience being in Cajander’s ‘good graces’. Cajander was eighteen years older than Aapo, born in 1846, and at the time that he stayed in Aapo’s home district he was a lecturer at Helsinki University. Cajander is especially remembered as the first person to translate Shakespeare into Finnish. And indeed, Aapo wrote in the article about how he had stayed at Cajander’s room for a night, and how they had, together by candlelight, translated some parts of King Henry VIII.
346 PELTONEN, MATTI. Lukkari Saxbergin rikos ja herännäispappilan etiikka. Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2008.
347 At least Aapo had met Juhani Aho, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Paavo Cajander, Arvid Järnefelt, and Johannes Linnankoski.
348 In Finnish: ”kierrettiin vaatteet myttyyn ja melkein Aatamin puvussa marssittiin pitkin metsiä tai paistateltiin päivä jossakin rannan hietikolla.”. H. J. 1928:192.
349 In Finnish: “Mutta ken näillä “kesäisillä retkillä” sai hänelle seuraa tehdä ja pääsi hänen suosioonsa, sille hän avasi sydämensä ovet selko selälleen. Kankeus katosi kokonaan hänen olennostaan, jäyhä ulkomuoto suli ja sai lempeän ilmeen ja ruskeat silmät tuikkivat ihmeen kauniisti.” In J. H. ”Paavo Cajanderin kesäisiltä päiviltä Keuruulla” in Kauruun kirja. Edited by H.J. Keuruu 1928.
Cajander never married and was remembered as a lonely wolf, who did not know how to be around women. His doctor was worried about his mental problems and thought that amarrying a good wife might help him.350 Aapo recalled that Cajander did not enjoy female company: “he was almost angry when he had to be among women” Aapo wrote in his article.351 Cajander also guarded his private life from his good friends, because of which there exist no accounts about his sexual life.
However, there is no need to claim that Aapo and Cajander had a sexual relation in Keuruu, even though Aapo’s admiring writing about Cajander and other accounts about Cajander’s lonely life may suggest that. Whatever the truth, Aapo’s affection was certain. The description of Cajander’s and his connection shows in a lovely way how in 1928, when the article was written, a man was still able to write about another man in a romantic and beautiful way. Later that kind of expression of affection faded away, because it would have been indicative of homosexuality.
The third aspect of the letter is that Aapo portrays himself as a benefactor, contrary to the abusive picture given in the Social Democratic newspaper. Aapo described in detail how he ended up helping young homeless boys, and shows sincere worry over the economic and social difficulties that the youngsters faced. Aapo even encouraged other people in his newspaper writings to go on helping the poor. Concretely, Aapo helped poor men in three different ways: money, accommodations, and jobs. A carpenter earned about 50 marks per day,352 which shows us that the coins Aapo gave to the men did not have much significance. Instead, the real help for these homeless people was the sleeping space, since during the winter in Helsinki one would die without shelter at night. Given this, we can see that even a one-room apartment shared with several other men was a better choice than staying outside. The third and most notorious kind of charity that Aapo performed for young men was to find jobs for them.
Taking into account Aapo’s behavior in the railways in 1916 and connecting it to the information given in the trial, Aapo could easily be transformed from an abuser to a benefactor. An interesting perspective to consider this perhaps Tolstoyan movement. Aapo met a Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, in Tolstoy’s home in year 1905, and he admired Tolstoy greatly. Aapo wrote about this meeting on Helsingin Sanomat in 1928,353 and he was particularly fascinated by Tolstoy’s modest lifestyle.
Descriptions of Tolstoy’s custom of eating with the farm-workers instead of the local gentry and his
350 NIEMI, JUHANI. Paavo Cajander, suomentajan ja runoilijan muotokuva. Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seuran toimituksia 1114. SKS, Jyväskylä 2007: 97-98, 192-199.
351 In Finnish: “oli melkein pahalla tuulella, jos täytyi olla naisväen seurassa.” In J.H. 1928:196.
352 HÄKKINEN 1995:50.
353 Helsingin Sanomat 9.9.1928. “Hetki suuren kirjailijan kodissa. Muistelma käynnistäni Leo Tolstoin luona Jasnaja Poljanassa”.
beliefs about all people’s equality took up a great deal of space in Aapo’s newspaper writing. Could it be that some of this Tolstoyan ideology became part of Aapo’s worldview? This certainly happened to one of Aapo’s elite friends back in the home district, Arvid Järnefelt (1861-1932), a famous writer from an important Finnish cultural family. Arvid Järnefelt started his professional life as a lawyer, but subsequently left this to become a Tolstoyan. He then spent his time cultivating land, living a simple life and helping the poor.354