Speech #920290529

The Iron Curtain has always served better to keep their people in. than to keep other people out. In the past weeks. however. the Soviets have risen to new heights in their attempts to hold Soviet Jews against their will. The Soviet Government has announced a new "tax" required of all emigrants educated in the Soviet Union. This tactic is. of course. aimed primarily at the Soviet Jews who desire to leave Russia for Israel. This socalled "tax" is. in truth. no more than a ransom which must be paid to free human beings who are being held against their will. The Soviets publicly indicated that this tax is designed to repay the Soviet state for the educational expenditures that emigrants had benefited from the tax ranges all the way up to $24.000 for a person holding a doctorate. The Soviets have clearly indicated the fact that this is a ransom. however. by passing a 35percent surcharge on all funds sent to the Soviet Union to pay this "tax." If all the Soviets were doing was attempting to recoup the educational expense there would be no reason for this surcharge. In fact. the Soviets have established what they consider to be a market value on human beings.