Speaker. I should like to bring to the attention of my colleagues two articles which recently appeared in the New York Times. These articles deal with the emigration of Soviet Jews. which has steadily declined this year following last years record departure of 51.000. This change of policy on the part of Soviet officials can be explained in part by two major eventsthe American reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Soviet concern with the Moscow Olympic games. AmericanSoviet relations have grown steadily colder due to the restrictions on American trade and our boycott of the Olympic games. but we must not let ourselves slip into believing that these are the only reasons for the decline in emigration. Soviet officials had begun to tighten the restrictions even before events in Afghanistan and preparations for the Olympic games took precedence. I sincerely hope that these restrictions will be eased in the future and that those who wish to leave will be allowed to do so. I would encourage my colleagues to continue their efforts to convince the Soviet Government of the need for a more liberal emigration policy and the protection of basic human rights for all Soviet citizens. Mr. Speaker.
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emigration