A 2008 book by historian Jukka Seppinen suggested that Sorsa was at this date already receiving support from Soviet backers in the KGB. Prior to his political career, Sorsa worked in Paris for UNESCO from 1959 to 1965, and was Secretary-General of the Finnish UNESCO board from 1965 to 1969. In the late 1960s he also was an official in the Ministry of Education.