Today. Senator KASTEN and I intend to make good on our Nations longstanding pledge to some of the most aggrieved victims of Soviet tyranny. Six American administrations. both Democrat and Republican. have pledged their support for this cause. declaring that normal relations with the Soviet Union would be impossible without free immigration. From the streets of Moscow to the wastelands of Siberia. the rallying cry: "Let my people go" has resonated in the minds of countless refuseniks for over a generation and sustained their hope that next year they would find peace in Jerusalem. While it is clear that momentous changes have taken place in the Soviet Union these past few months. it should be clear to everyone that they are by no means irrevocable. The euphoria of the summer can turn quickly into the discontent of winter. as cold. hunger. and uncertainty grip this improverlshed land. No one knows the reversals and misfortunes of history better than the Jewish people. Even as Muscovites were celebrating their new freedom in Red Square. the Government of Azerbaijan suspended the issuance of exit visas for many of the Republics 50.000 Jewish inhabitants. We would all like to believe that the future for Jews remaining in the Soviet Union will be bright. But the resurgence of Russian nationalism. and its virulent strain of antiSemitism. is cause enough for concern.
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