Impelled by fear that the Sakharovs may have disappearedand by a desire to pressure the Soviets to give his family real access to themAleksei began his fast on September 1. Although officials from both the White House and the State Department have recently met with Aleksei to express concern and support for the Sakharovs. the Soviets continue to stonewall. By now. the Sakharov family is all too familiar with protest hungerstrikes: in 1981. Elena Bonner and Andrei Sakharov got an exit visa for Liza Alekseeva. Alekseis fiancee. last year. Andrei Sakharov began to fast in an attempt to gain permission for Elena Bonner to go West for glaucoma treatment.