She served as the education minister of the Terijoki government during the Finnish Democratic Republic.

[3] In the late 1930s she was among the contributors of a magazine entitled Soihtu published by a group of young left-wing figures who were removed from the Party in 1937.

[4] In her writings Lehtinen criticized Ryömä due to his closeness to the Finnish government.

[4] From December 1939 to March 1940 she was the minister of education in the Terijoki Government during the Winter War.

[6] She was elected as a member of the political bureau of the Communist Party's central committee in April 1963.