Mr. President. 3 days ago. the House overwhelmingly passed the MillsVanik provision withholding U.S. credits and MFN status from countries which deny their citizens the right or opportunity to emigrate. The companion measure. the Jackson amendment. sponsored by 77 Senators. will be considered in the Senate over the next few months. Soviet authorities stimulate congressional support for such legislation by continuing to persecute and intimidate Soviet citizens who apply to emigrate. Just recently such repression has increased. A wave of trials has been unleashed against Soviet Jews trying to emigrate. The trials serve as a means of intimidating others who might consider applying for exit visas. In the last month. two Soviet Jews have been tried on spurious charges and sentenced to 5 and 31/2 years imprisonment respectively. A third trial is scheduled for December 17. Other tris are in preparation. Each trial is held against a Jew residing in a different city. so that the other Jewish residents of that locality will be warned of the fate which may befall them if they too apply to emigrate. In each case the real "crime" of the accused is his application and efforts to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Aleksandr Feldman. of Kiev. who applied to emigrate 2 years ago. was the victim of a contrived KGBsecret police--plot. Feldman was followed home one day by two KGB agents and a woman. The woman started to scream.
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emigrate visas