PERSECUTION OF JEWS IN THE SOVIET UNION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP65B00383R000200190026-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 27, 2010
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: January 1, 2000
• Content Type: OPEN

19*02
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD SENATE
a small minority of Britishers. There is ab-
solutely no agitation in England for repeal
of the British Health Service Act. Doctors
and patients alike are quite content with it,
although it is true that some doctors do not
make as much money as they used to and
have tended to immigrate. However, maily
Harley Street specialists are still making
large incomes from private patients, and the
great bulk of the British medical profession
is quite content as, indeed, are the British
people.
Since my replies to the nine questions
cover most of the arguments in the folder
"It's Your Decision," I will not repeat what
I have already said.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH S. CLARK,
TLS. Senator.
PERSECUTION OF JEWS IN THE
SOVIET UNION
Mr. JAVITS. Mr. President, we have
seen within the last few days another
rash of reports with respect to persecu-
tions of an anti-Jewish character in the
Soviet Union. I refer particularly to the
front page news report with a United
Nations dateline from the New York
Herald Tribune of Friday, June 22, fol-
lowed by a 1l1'ew York Times report from
Moscow, under a Moscow-dateline dated
Tuesday, June 26.
These reports indicate two lines of
action which are taking place in the
Soviet Union-one a condemnation on a
rather wholesale scale in connection
with alleged currency and similar specu-
lations, allegedly contrary to Soviet law,
which has resulted in a considerable
number of executions. We know of at
least 19 Jews within the very recent
months who have been either executed
or imprisoned for alleged economic of-
fenses. to the New York Times a total
of 7 of `the 18 " who were convict-
ed at a series of trials. in Minsk are
very clearly identified as Jews, with the
usual report which now we have learned
to expect from the Soviet, without men-
tioning their religious faith, but linking
them very clearly to the Jewish faith
and the synagogue as covers for their
activities, et cetera.
The New York Herald Tribune page tells
of violence, the fear haunting the Jewish
people of the Soviet Union, and gives
specific examples of terroristic activities,
including bomb explosions and burning
of synagogues in Georgian towns in the
Soviet Union,
Mr. President, I do not believe that all
these matters will be better handled if w
they are handled mutely, and I have
urged that public protests be made by'
leading citizens of both secular and reli-
gious organizations, and I continue to
urge that as an effort to halt the inhu-
man course of action, in the Soviet Union.
As we are aware, the Soviet Union is
very sensitive to. charges of anti-Juda- '
ism or anti-Semitism. That is eyi-'
dented in the most obvious way by the
publicity in the . Soviet Union. The So
viet press agency Novosti released a'let-'
ter on May 11, 1962, from five Soviet
Jews, endeavoring to answer the charges
which have been made, naming me by
name. The, State Department's reply
indicated the following:
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First, there is clear evidence of the re-
port by the Soviet regime to discrimina-
tory measures against Jews in their ac-
cess to higher education.
Second, desecration of cemeteries,
closing of synagogues, dispersing of
prayer meetings, arrest of lay leaders,
prohibition of certain Jewish religious
practices, and so forth, have been well
established.
Finally, there is a sign of increased
sensitivity to charges of anti-Semitism,
all calculated to counter recent foreign
publicity of deliberate anti-Semitic ac-
tions by the Soviet regime, the State
Department says in referring to the let-
ter of the five Jewish citizens released
on May 11, 1962.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The time of
the Senator has expired.
Mr. JAVITS. Mr. President, I ask
unanimous consent to have 1 more
minute.
The VICE PRESIDENT. Without ob-
jection, it is so ordered.
Mr. JAVITS. It seems to me it is very
clear that where there are protests, they
do have the effect I have stated; that,
indeed, it is the only thing likely to have
any effect upon the Soviet Union in re-
spect to these persecutions; and that the
bitter experience of mankind in keeping
quiet about these matters, which we saw
as a prelude to the Hitler era, should not
be engaged in again, but, on the contrary,
worldwide protests will bring about a
correction.
These are very serious matters, very
serious clouds on the horizon, for the
almost 3 million Jews in the Soviet
Union.
I for one will not let up until we see
real signs of progress in the Soviet Un-
ion in the matter of humanity and
civilization toward its Jewish citizens.
I ask unanimous consent to print in
the RECORD with my remarks the reports
in the New York Herald Tribune of June
22 and the New York Times of June 26.
There being no objection, the articles
were ordered to be printed in the RECORD,
as follows:
[From the New York Herald, June 22, 1962]
NEW, VIOLENT SOVIET ANTI-SEMITISM: TORCH
TO SYNAGOGUE, BOMB, DEATH
(By Martin G. Berck)
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.-A new pall of terror
hangs over Russia's Jewish community of 3
million.
From large metropolitan centers to remote
villages in the Caucasus and central Asia,
there is a grave, fresh element of concern for
Soviet Jewry. It is fear of vandalism, vio-
lence, and pogroms.
The wave of fear is reinforced by a series
of incidents, the' details of which have not
previously come out through the Iron Cur-
tain. While not necessarily prescribed or en-
couraged by Soviet authorities, violence is
seen as the consequence of the prominent
role assigned to Jews in a far-reaching Krem-
lin campaign against so-called economic
crimes.
In its impact on the Soviet masses-pressed
by new belt-tightening measures-this cam-
paign transcends by far Russia's unremitting
attack on Jewish religious and cultural in-
stitutions. It even outweighs a recent al-
legation in the Soviet press that synagogues
10975
It is in this context that authoritative
sources disclosed to the New York Herald
Tribune that:
Between 10 days and 2 weeks ago, a bomb
exploded in front of the synagogue in
Kutaisi, a town in the Soviet Republic of
Georgia. The front of the building was dam-
aged. Local authorities removed two other
bombs planted in the synagogue.
Earlier last month, in another Georgian
town, Tskhakaya, a synagogue was heavily
damaged by fire, believed the result of arson.
Traces of gasoline were found. The roof was
totally destroyed. Religious objects-includ-
ing 13 parchment Torahs (scrolls of the
Mosaic law), prayer shawls and prayer
books-were burned. A tourist who hap-
pened to be on the scene photographed these
and smuggled the pictures out of the
country.
The Torah scrolls are revered so much by
Jews that when they in time wear out and
can no longer be used for prayer and study,
they are not destroyed. Instead, the scrolls
of the law are buried in a cemetery.
In Moscow, an elderly Jewish couple was
slain In an ax murder by a street assailant.
They were identified as F. M. Tunis and his
wife, N. A. Tunis. An item to this effect was
printed in the May 11 edition of Izvestia,
the official Government organ. Subse-
quently the newspaper reported that the
assailant was arrested, tried and sentenced
to death. No hint was given of any anti-
Semitic aspects of the case. But stories of
several similar attacks have gained currency
among Moscow's Jewish community.
Specialists on Soviet anti-Semitism see a
direct connection between the synagogue
desecration in Georgia and the economic
crackdown spotlighting Jews as alleged black
marketeers, speculators, currency manipu-
lators and pilferers.
EXECUTED FOR EMBEZZLING
In Kutalsi, a Jewish defendant, A. F.
?Kleimanov, was arrested on charges of em-
bezzling state property. After a show trial
attended by workers and students brought
by the truckload, he was sentenced to death
by the Supreme Court of the Georgian
S.S.R. The provincial newspaper, Zaria
Vestoka, carried notice of his execution on
March 17.
In Tiflis, capital of Georgia, an even bigger
show trial was accorded another Jew,
Mordekh Abramovich Kakiashvili, on charges
of currency speculation. Notice of his execu-
tion was carried in the paper the same day.
This, in part, is how Zaria Vestoka under
a heading, "The End of the Pack of Wolves,"
described the Kakiashvili case during his
trial last winter:
"And thus, an end has been brought to
them. Relegated to the past are the voyages
throughout the country's towns, the meet-
ings in private flats. The tinkle of gold and
the rustle of banknotes have died down, the
luster of diamonds grown dim. Their way
has been logically ended, bringing them to
the harsh bench in the courtroom. But they
had known other days.
"From Moscow, Leningrad, Riga and Ere-
van, gold coins of czarist coinages, dollars,
pounds sterling and Turkish liras followed
to Mordekh Kakiashvili. And from his tena-
cious hands, Kakiashvili released them only
with substantial profit, robbing his partners
and accomplices. Even the religious books
of the Torah have been used by several of
them as depositories of foreign paper money."
In the pattern of such articles, no specific
reference is made of the Jewish identity of
the defendant. But the point is established
by indirection and the idea of a Jewish con-
spiracy with international connections is
suggested.
Kleimanov and Kakiashvili are among at
least five Jews who have been executed on
economic charges. At least 22 Jews are
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10976 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - SEN
known among 40 Soviet citizens who have
received death sentences. Prison terms have
been given to between 100 and 150 Soviet
nationals, of whom a majority are known to
be Jews.
MECIAL TREATMENT
It is inconceivable to Soviet specialists
here that Jews, who constitute slightly more
than 1 percent of Russia's population, could
cast such a large shadow on Soviet economic
life unless the regime decided to single them
out for special treatment.
There is no doubt that such a decision was
made, and in the view of experts, it serves
these purposes:
Popular disgruntlement with new guns-
Instead-of-butter austerity measures can be
blunted if the Jews can be blamed for si-
phoning off Soviet resources. This recalls
the political use of pogroms during czarist
days.
Heightened distrust by Gentiles and fear
among Jews serves to further an earlier So-
viet objective: Two destroy Jewish com-
munal links in hopes of atomizing the Jew-
lob community, politically suspect because
of its tie with the West and with Israel.
[From the New York Times, June 26, 19621
Bovine SENTENCES 5 To DEATH ro5 SPECVLA-
TION-13 ARE IMPRISONED IN CARE INVOLV-
ING DEALS IN GOLD AND FOREIGN CURRENCY
(By Theodore Shabad)
Moscow, June 25.-Five men have been
sentenced to death and 13 have been given
prison terms in Minsk on charges of specula-
tion in foreign currency and gold.
The results of the latest of a series of
publicized trials for economic crimes were
made public in Saturday's edition of the
Byelorussian newspaper Sovetskaya Byeloros-
siya, received here today.
The announcement of the sentencing of
the ring which has been given the name
"Bursak and company" for Its accused lead-
er. Mikhail Bursak, coincided with the pub-
lication in the Western press of an appeal
to the Soviet Union to abandon the death
penalty for economic crimes.
The appeal, signed by 223 prominent Amer-
icans, Including Norman Thomas, the So-
cialist leader, was handed a week ago to
Anatoly F. Dobrynln. the Soviet Ambassador
in Washington, for transmittal to Moscow.
Foreign observers doubted that the appeal
would deter the Soviet Government from its
drive to root out what is considered one of
the most serious offenses in the Soviet so-
ciety. It is felt that the Communist system
would break down If private enrichment at
the expense of the state continues un-
checked.
Jews have been traditionally associated
with commerce in Russia and a large per-
centage of the persons tried on charges of
profiteering and speculation have been Jews.
At least 7 of the 18 In the Minsk case have
Jewish names.
The Bursak ring was said to have done
business worth "millions of rubles" and to
have bad "several poods of gold" In its pos-
session at the time of the arrests. A pood
is 38 pounds.
The network extended to more than a
dozen Soviet cities, including Riga, Kaunas,
Vilna, Kishinev, Lvov, Leningrad, and Kiev,
according to the trial account.
Bursak was identified as a four-time of-
fender, having served a 3-year sentence in
the 1930's for black market activity in shoes,
another jail term for speculation during
World War II, and 8 years in the fifties for
grand larceny. His occupation was given as
"private businessman."
The others sentenced to death were Khalm
Khiger, a 40-year-old engineer; Meyer Vilen-
sky, a 30-year-old shoemaker; Ivan Melni-
chuck, 54, who worked as a fireman in a
boiler-house, and Nikolai Kurchakov, a
cashier.
The prison sentences were from 5 to 15
years for the 13 others, whose ages ranged
from 25 to 65.
U.S. TRADE POLICY AFTER THE
TRADE BILL
Mr. FULBRIGHT. Mr. President, Mr.
Carl J. Gilbert, who is chairman of the
Committee for a National Trade Policy,
on June 21 made a speech before the
American Marketing Association, en-
titled "U.S. Trade Policy After the Trade
Bill."
It should be encouraging to all of us
that the chairman of the Committee for
a National Trade Policy is looking be-
yond the passage of the President's
trade bill toward its effective adminis-
tration and the integration of trade
policy with other national programs.
Mr. Gilbert's speech contains a num-
ber of interesting suggestions which
ought to receive the careful attention of
all who are interested in trade.
Mr. Gilbert points out that "the job
that must be done to make a true trade
expansion policy work will be far from
done when this trade bill is passed."
I ask unanimous consent that this very
provocative speech be printed in the
RECORD.
There being no objection, the address
was ordered to be printed in the RECORD.
as follows:
U.S. TRADE POLICY Ar'rxR THE TRADE BILL
(By Carl J. Gilbert)
As many of you know, there is an Inscrip-
tion on the National Archives Building In
Washington that reads: "What is past is
prologue." You also might have heard the
Story about the taxi driver who explained
that Inscription to his passenger by saying:
It means that you ain't seen nothin' yet."
I feel somewhat the same way in coming
before this conference today to discuss U.S.
trade policy, and particularly U.S. trade
policy in a trading world radically changed
and changing under the influence of the
European Common Market.
I am meeting with you today primarily in
my capacity as chairman of the Commit-
tee for a National Trade Policy. Our com-
mittee is working vigorously and unstintingly
for the enactment of the Trade Expansion
Act which the House Ways and Means Com-
mittee recently reported out. I shall leave to
other speakers at this conference the dis-
cussion of the new trade bill. I want to
talk about U.S. trade policy after the bill
becomes law.
You might ask whether this Is counting
one's chickens before they are hatched. I
don't think so. The logic of national neces-
sity is so impressive and compelling on this
trade issue that it Is realistic to assume that
the new bill or something substantially like
it will be the law of the land before the
87th Congress adjourns. More than that.
however, now is the time to chart the course
which should be followed in shaping the
policies and administrative plans that go to
make up our country's foreign economic
policy in the fullest sense of the term. In
fact, to set our sights properly and chart
such a course now may well contribute sig-
nificantly to the enactment of the trade bill
Itself, for it would help to show how the bill
fits Into the grand design of our total trade
policy.
Let us never forget that our trade policy
is not just tariff policy, or even import pal-
Icy in a more general sense. It Is much
more. It must be a policy aimed at the
expansion of our economic relations with the
June' 27
rest of the free world. Trade expansion pol-
icy thus involves much more than passing
the Trade Expansion Act of 1982. It em-
braces all economic activities which con-
tribute to the growth of our own economy
and to our ability to help develop a healthy,
expanding international trade and payments
from which we have so much to gain. It
calls for vigorous export promotion abroad
and just as vigorus economic adjustment
at home. It demands energetic innovation
through investment in both research to de-
velop products and up-to-date machinery to
make them. It demands Government poli-
cies that facilitate these essential efforts.
I want to focus my attention today on
trade policy administration and on the di-
rection we must resolutely move both in
Government policy, and in the private econ-
omy, 11 our trade policy is to have the suc-
cess it must have.
Policies don't implement themselves.
They depend for their success on the efforts
of competent people dedicated to excellence
In the execution of their assignments and
convinced of the importance of success in
this vital area of national policy. Further,
we must be sure that those who have basic
control over this policy-namely, the Con-
gress-are adequately organized to maintain
continuing and effective surveillance over
the success of the program.
When I speak about adequate implementa-
tion of our trade policy, I refer not just to
the people who work at this in Government,
but also to executives in the business world,
in labor, and in local communities, each of
whom have a vital role to play In assuring
the success of this program.
In using the negotiating authority pro-
vided for in the new trade act, it is im-
perative that the President place this in-
strument in the hands of a delegation to
the trade conferences made up of the most
able and dedicated persons our country can
produce.
The Chief Negotiator, whom the new bill
requireg the President to appoint, must be a
man who not only commands the respect
and the confidence of the President and the
Congress, but also the respect and the con-
fidence of the American business community
and labor movement. There are few men in
public or private life who could amply qual-
ify. He must be a man whose very name says
forcefully to the people of the United States
and to other governments that the powers
delegated to the President under this legis-
lation will, in their administration, be used
with the greatest possible effectiveness. This
will be no political plum, because besides
calling for courage, hard work and formidable
skill, it will demand a professional back-
ground of impressive scope and depth. The
great care which the President must exercise
in choosing Ambassadors to our diplomatic
posts abroad must pale beside the criteria
to be set in the choice of this new recruit to
the ranks of Ambassadors Extraordinary and
Ministers Plenipotentiary, The most drama-
tic way to say to foreign governments that
we mean business in the adoption of this
policy of trade expansion is for the Presi-
dent to appoint to this post a man who
already commands the respect of those
governments for his skill as a negotiator and
in his proven capacity to advance the in-
terests of the United States. Nor are we
without the availability of such men when
we remember the impressive reputation en-
joyed at home and abroad by men like David
Bruce, Lucius Clay, and Robert Murphy.
Excellence in leadership must be com-
plemented by excellence all down the line.
To match the dedication, amounting almost
to religious fervor, and the advanced skills
of the staff members of the European Eco-
nomic community whom I have seen in
recent months will demand the most
meticulous care on our part in choosing our
negotiators and those who back them up.
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