President. this development comes as an ironic blow at this time since the major news of the same day also concerns the substantial progress that has been made in working out a massive trade deal with the Soviet Union which would normalize our trade and commercial relations with the Soviet Union. I would welcome such news under different circumstances. I think we must now view such important and good news against the background of international morality and violations of international law and of the United Nations Charter posed by the Soviet action in relation to its citizens who wish to emigrate. I also note that there have been statements indicating that the Soviet Union views its emigration policy as an economic question and I take the U.S.S.R. at its word. It is my hope that the highest political leadership of the Soviet Union has not yet made a definitive decision to go forward with this emigration tax. and that some lower level bureaucratic bungling such as periodically afflicts all complex societiesincluding our ownmay have resulted in this publication about the new emigration rules at the very time when the White House was announcing the possibility of a major new trade agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. But if this publication does reflect the political will of the Soviet leadership. it is my deep feeling that the individual elements of such a trade agreement could be heading for trouble. Congressional action will be required to implement many phases of the agreement and the President and the Congress.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration