Speech #870172260

Appeal to our American leaders to declare their sympathy for the people of Byelorussia and pledge themselves to constantly remind the people of the world. including Russian Communists. that the American people have not forgotten and shall not forget the efforts of the Byelorussian people to gain their rightful place among the free nations of the world. We also wish to bring to your attention at this time the fact that the American citizens of Byelorussian descent have been greatly disturbed and terrified by the increased inflow of the Communist propaganda in the Byelorussian language not only in the form of printed matter but also by means of radio broadcasts to this continent recently. The newsletter Is called the Voice of Homeland and is aimed at every Byelorussian immigrant in the free world. Its purpose is twofold: To lure the Byelorussian immigrants in the free world by deceitful methods to return to their Communistoccupied homeland and to smear the Byelorussian leaders in the free world so that they would lose support of their kinsmen abroad. As stated below the title of the newsletter. it is published by the Byelorussian section of the Committee for the Return to Homeland and the Development of Cultural Ties Among Byelorussian Kinsmen Abroad. It has been published for the eighth consecutive year upon approval by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and is a weekly publication. consisting of four pages of the finest grade paper. We are enclosing copies here. one showing the title of the Byelorussian language newsletter and another. which appears on the last page of this same paper. being always page 4. showing time of broadcasts and other information pertinent thereto to Western Europe and the United States and Canada with those In the Byelorussian language circled in red by the undersigned along with our translation of broadcast information from Byelorussian into English. We would greatly appreciate your action along this line either to completely stop the inflow of Communist propaganda to this country in the Byelorussian language or demand that the Russians allow free flow of publications in the Byelorussian language to Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic from the free world. Also. we wish to request you to make your inquiries as to the possibility of initiating at the present time- Byelorussian language broadcasts over the networks of the Voice of America to counter the Communist propaganda broadcasts directed to the United States and Canada in the Byelorussian language to a small number of Byelorussian immigrants here. Being of Byelorussian descent. we are deeply concerned because of omission of the Byelorussian language by the Voice of America administration in the past. Inquiries made of the Voice of America administration directly by the ByelorussianAmerican organizations and by various lawmakers on behalf of Byelorussian language in recent years indicate its omission has been justified only by lack of funds.