Speech #920297898

The situation that gives rise to this effort is wellknown. Soviet Jews have long been the victims of cultural and political suppression In the Soviet Union. and many have sought to leave. Many of us in the Congress have been very concerned by the obstructions that the Soviet Union has put In the way of emigration despite its ratification of the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and its signing of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. both of which guarantee freedom of emigration. In November of last year. a number of us joined in sponsoring Senate Concurrent Resolution 51 asking that the right of free emigration be placed on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly. In May of this year. the President made known his feelings on the rights of the Jewish minority to the Soviet leaders. After -the Presidents visit. however. the Soviet Union resorted to a new device to discourage Jewish emigration. This was the emigration tax. allegedly to repay education benefits. It is quite clear that the Soviets hoped that this tactic would discourage emigration while attracting little attention. But through the efforts of the Jewish community in the Soviet Union and Jewish organizations elsewhere. the new outrageous tax has come to the attention of the world. This kind of a tax has no parallel in our country. The United States has always permitted free emigration and our society has always provided a free education for its citizens. The purpose of free education in our society is to help every citizen achieve his own potential and contribute more effectively to a society that hopes to retain his allegiance through good government. Free education is not the basis for indenture to the State. I am proud that our governmental institutions. society. and economic system have proved a magnet of attraction for many different nationalities around the world who have come to this country and have shared in its greatness. Communist societies. however. have been no such magnet. On the contrary. they have been characterized by waves of emigration as people have sought personal and economic freedom. religious toleration. and the rights of free expression of opinion. assembly. and equal justice. If these societies do not want to have disaffected citizens. they should look toward restoring such rights rather than toward denying free exits. The Berlin wall today remains as the most blatant reminder of the barriers that Communist governments have used to keep their citizens from fleeing.