Speaker. the forced repatriation of a freedomseeking Lithuanian seaman from the Coast Guard cutter Vigilant ranks as one of the most sickening. appalling incidents in our Nations history. I am told that this incident is just one illustration of a longstanding State Department policy of discouraging defections from Communistdominated countries. This policy dates back to the days after World War II. when we shipped back thousands of East European refugees in cattle cars. Many of them committed suicide in these cars rather than live under Communist tyranny. but obviously we were as anxious then as now. to accommodate the Soviet Union. Robert McCloskey of the State Department is quoted in the Washington Evening Star of December 1 as saying "we would not want to encourage defection" because it might constitute a provocation.
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