I signed and sent the following letter to Leonid Brezhnev. signaling our great concern for the health and welfare of three Leningrad Jews who have been imprisoned for a decade now. Aleski Murzhenko. Iosif Mendelevich. and Yuri Federov sought for many years to emigrate from the Soviet Union. as is their right. When this avenue was closed off to them. they sought freedom by an irregular method. hijacking an airplane. This desperate action. by men seeking to realize their right to emigrate came only after repeated denial of their requests of visas to Israel. is more a reflection upon the Soviet policy of human rights than upon the character of the three members of the "Leningrad Group." If the Soviet commitments at Helsinki mean anything. they should release these three men. and allow them to emigrate. I submit the letter for the RECORD. The letter follows:
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