The number of documents on the operational work of the Estonian SSR KGB deposited at the Estonian National Archives is not overly large. This is especially true regarding the last period of Soviet rule because the KGB succeeded in transferring many such documents to Russia or in destroying them prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to completely destroy archives and to do so without leaving any traces. The same applies to the KGB’s operational work. Documents still come to light from time to time that reveal the more secret, if not to say top secret, side of that organisation, in other words its operational work. One such document is contained in the KGB foreign travel file on the art scholar Mai Levin.

Mai Levin interacted with many art scholars who visited Estonia. The ESSR KGB came up with the idea of recruiting her as a KGB agent. To this end, a state security operational work document was drawn up concerning her – an ustanovka (background check). The results of this measure used in state security secret operational work were – ustanovochnyye dannyye (identifying particulars). There are references to other KGB operational work materials as well in Mai Levin’s file – liternoye delo (letter-coded files). Needless to say, this was accompanied by the thorough perlustration of Mai Levin’s correspondence, or in state security terminology perlyustratsiya korrespondentsii (PK, covert examination of mail).

It is clear that the state security organs diligently bustled around Mai Levin, yet they did not find anything compromising that would have enabled them to cast their hook once more. The KGB’s hook remained empty. Mai Levin bluntly declared that she did not want to spy on people. Mai Levin’s refusal did not cause her any trouble. It was possible for her to travel abroad as an art scholar in the future as well. Pronouncements circulated in the 1990s and even later declaring that nobody could refuse the KGB. In actual fact, people could refuse them if they had sufficient fortitude.