Speech #990024779

Under these conditions. it is becoming impossible for Soviet Jews to maintain their dignity and their heritage. In fact. it appears that a serious effort is being made by the Soviet leadership to exterminate all religious belief and believers as quickly as possible. This seems to be confirmed by the State Department report which indicates that more people are disappearing into the gulags and that only an incredibly small number of people are being allowed to emigrate. In the past. when SovietUnited States relations have been good. the Soviet leadership has allowed increased numbers of Jews to emigrate. A pattern developed where emigration numbers began to increase prior to formal negotiations and while East and West experienced relatively higher levels of cooperation. During the period between 1968 and 1981. more than 250.000 Jews received permission to leave. However. as SovietUnited States relations declined over the course of the 1970s. Jewish emigration dropped. In fact. fewer than a thousand Jews escaped Soviet tyranny in the last year. Certainly. SovietUnited States agreement or disagreement is not the only factor in the sharp decline in Jewish emigration. Once emigration policies were relaxed. applications for emigration flooded into Moscow. much to the chagrin of the Soviet leadership. Instead of dampening the desire to leave the Soviet Union. Jews started lining up to depart as quickly as possible. followed closely by the other religious and minority groups seeking freedom outside the Soviet state. One of the questions that most disturbs me about SovietUnited States negotiations is this question of emigration. Instead of the normal Soviet action of increasing emigration prior to negotiations with the West. the Soviet Union is continuing to clamp down on the number of Jews receiving permission to leave. And at the same time. we hear rumors. as reported in the New York Times and the Washington Post last month. that a substantial increase in annual emigration might be possible if the Soviets get what they want from the talks. As a matter of principle. it is appalling to me that the Soviet Union may be willing to barter with the lives of its own citizens for a more advantageous bargaining position. Therefore. I hope instead that in the spirit of good will. the Soviets will begin to allow the free practice of religious and cultural beliefs within their country regardless of the progress of the talks. But Just as importantly. I hope they will allow a policy of open emigrationbased not just upon the upcoming negotiations. but as an ongoing humanitarian policy. Until we see real progress in Soviet policy. we in the United States must remain vigilant. The Soviet Union has made promisesin the U.N.