Mr. President. I noticed in the press of September 21 that more than 900 Jews representing their families have signed an open letter to Soviet officials and the United Nations demanding permission to emigrate to Israel. These families. it is reported. have been told by Albet Ivanov. chief of the administrative section of the Central Committee of the Communist Party that an "unlimited" emigration of Soviet Jews would cause a "brain drain" from the Soviet Union. So we are forced to assume from these reports that the applicants for emigration will be turned down or. even worse. turned in. The timing of this news is filled with irony. since Monday and Tuesday of this week weretwo of the most festive days in the Jewish religious calendar. Jews throughout the world are celebrating the New Year. and in the midst of what would otherwise be a festive occasion comes the reminder of the plight of Soviet Jewry. This sorrowful reminder can be quickly eradicated If Soviet leaders recognize the basic human rights embodied in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. and allow their citizenry to emigrate if they so desire. The right to emigrate is an inherent right of fundamental human liberty. We in this country recognize that right and there is no reason that we cannot expect the same from the Soviet Union. This Issue is not a manifestation of the game of competition between social systems or between superpowers.
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emigrate emigration