This harassment has taken the form of the disconnection of telephones. thereby cutting off vital means of communication not only within the Soviet Union but also to people in the West. but the loss of jobs. inprisonment on specious charges. and interrupted education. Also. not only is the individual who is applying for an exit permit subjected to the thousand forms of retaliation available to a totalitarian state. but it is also extended to all those with whom he has come in contactbrothers. sisters. parents. cousins. even friends and employers. In his letter to Secretary Kissinger. the Senator from Washington said the following: It is our understanding that the punitive actions. intimidations or reprisals that will not be permitted by the government of the USSR include the use of punitive conscription against persons seeking to emigrate. or members of their families. and the bringing of criminal actions against persons in circumstances that suggest a relationship between their desire to emigrate and the criminal prosecution against them. I congratulate the Senator for describing so succinctly some of the principal tools that are employed. I want to emphasize the fact that we have seen an intensification of this kind of harassment since the publication of the letters just a few weeks ago. The people I talked to showed one common concern. Jew and nonJew alike. That is that the Soviets may intend. by these and other subtler techniques. to so dry up the source of applications that they will. under the compromise arrangement. enjoy for 18 months all of the benefits of trade with the United States. subsidized at the expense of the U.S. taxpayers. without in fact relaxing their restrictions on emigration. It is feared that 18 months hence. they will say. "We have had only 18.000 applications. We have let 18.000 people out.". and expect the statement to be taken at face value.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration