Mr. Speaker. for several days the media have carried accounts of arrests and detentions in the Soviet Union of Russian Jews who have applied for permission to emigrate to Israel. The reason they are being rounded up is to prevent them from demonstrating during the visit of President Nixon to the Soviet Union. These mass arrests are not being made because these people present a threat to the Presidents life or safety. but because the Soviets are afraid to let the President and the world see just how many people want to leave Russia for Israel and how much they are willing to sacrifice to get there. At this time the Congress is considering legislation which would prevent the administration from granting mostfavorednation status to the Soviet Union because that government has refused to allow free emigration. The Russians have claimed this is an internal matter and should not be tied to matters of international trade. If this is true. why are they afraid to allow the President to even see these people from a great distance?
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration