Mr. Chairman. I am well acquainted with the arguments of those who believe if we greatly expand trade with the Soviets by granting them most favored nation and longterm credit that our example will lead them to liberalize their immigration policies. move toward a more open society in which at least minimal dissent will be tolerated. and reorder their priorities between military and civilian programs. But such an approach is to put the cart before the horse. Let us first gain some assurances that they are ready to join the family of civilized nations by abandoning policies of internal repression and external conquest. The stakes are much too high for us to take the gamble and the risk when we hold the cards. It is rather obvious that there is something basically wrong with a society which must erect an iron curtain or any other type of barrier to prevent citizens from immigrating to another country. There is something basically wrong with a society which deprives its citizens of simple domestic goods and services while spending inordinate amounts of its GNP on military matters. The Vanik amendment is a good amendment for a number of reasons: First of all. it focuses on a humanitarian issue that should concern all of us who believe that man has a right to be free.
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