Speech #930355621

Those who vote for this bill will live to regret it. not just for the proSoviet Union aspects of the bill but the damaging effect it will have on American business interests and American workingmen. It will hurry us on our path of losing American jobs and becoming a nation of shopkeepers. First. consider the socalled compromise made with the Soviet Union over the matter of Jewish emigration. In the first place. it is ridiculous to trigger trade concessions to their actions of this type. They know how to hold us up and in past dealings have taken us to the cleaners. Mr. Speaker. can we believe Secretary Kissinger or the Soviet Union? Secretary Kissinger has told us that a compromise has been worked out with the Soviet Union under which freer emigration will be allowedeven though the number of minority groups involved seemed to have been restricted. The Soviet Union. through its news agency Tass. has "flatly rejected" any connection between trade and emigration. The Soviet Union has made public a letter handed to Kissinger October 26almost 2 months ago. This letter was given to Kissinger very shortly after Senator JACKSON announced his "compromise." The letter denied any agreement on steppedup emigrationthus in so many words denying the existence of any compromise at all. What is the reaction of those who have supposedly been supporters of the concept of freer Soviet emigration? Senator JACKSON has said that the Soviet letter and position Is "facesaving." Senator RIBICOFF has said: If theres a problem. let Kissinger straighten it out with the Soviets. If I remember correctly. one of the main reasons for the original freer emigration language was the need for definite provisions where the Congress was the arbiter. Now the Soviets say that there is no "compromise." And very few here today seem to accept that fact. We know that Secretary Kissinger desires mostfavorednation treatment for the Soviets without freer emigration. Are we now to rely on his efforts to get that freer emigration? It seems to me that we are letting down once again millions of people in the Soviet Union and other nonmarket states. I also think it important to discuss the issue of reciprocity in international trade.