This week, the Estonian War Museum received a rare archive from Maria Laidoner, the wife of General Johan Laidoner. The archive includes personal items of the family, notably a farmer's calendar diary from 1940 that contains personal notes from Johan Laidoner. The transfer of this archive was facilitated by descendants of Konstantin Päts.

According to the museum's director, Hellar Lille, Maria Laidoner entrusted these items to a close family friend, Matti Päts, which eventually led to their arrival at the museum through his daughter, Madli Vallikivi-Päts. The archive consists of various personal items, primarily correspondence and photographs, with some already known in historical circles while others remain lesser-known and not widely recognized by the public.

The museum staff were given a chance to familiarize themselves with the collection upon its arrival, marking the beginning of a significant sorting and archiving process. Among the intriguing items is a notebook handwritten by General Laidoner himself from 1940, which includes records of significant activities and insights from that period, emphasizing the personal and historical value of the archive to Estonian heritage and history.