SOVIET WRITERS DENOUNCE P.E.N.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400200002-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 12, 2004
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: July 29, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

NEW. YORK TIMES
JUL 2 9 1966 `
Approved For Release 2P06/01/1.2.:
G1 i 13158 f~40020
SOVIET WRITERS
NUO 'I'MU
Remarks by Valery Tarsis,
and Arthur Miller Assailed
Special to The New York Timca
MOSCOW, July 28-The
Union of Soviet Writers de-
nounced P.E.N. International
today for having permitted
"anti-Soviet and anti-Commu=
nist" writers to take he
rostrum during the 34th con-
gress of the world literary
organization in New York last
month.
The Soviet Writers Union said
that, although it favored a
,broadening of contacts with
writers abroad, it had lost in-
terest in joining P.E.N. until the
organization changes its poll-
ties.
David Carver, a Briton who' is
Secretary of the world-wide as-
sociation, said during a visit
here in April that the Russians
had been seeking to form a:
chapter of P.E.N., - the initials
of which stand for poets, play-~
wrights, 'editors, essayists and . _ . _
.novelists. P.E.N. has 78 chapters However, the tone of today's Soviet Chargrs Denied
sin 56 countries with a total criticisms. by the Soviet Writ-I Special to The Ncw York Tlmei
,membership of 80,000. All East ers Union seemed to support LONDON, July.28 -- David
Carver, International secretary
Soviet Union and Albania have had refused to attend because of
chapters, (the invitation by P.E.N. to Mr.
'A Forum for Slander' Tarsis.
The appearance at the. New 'Incompatible With Dignity'
York congress of Valery Tarsis, "Soviet writers are develop-
the Moscow writer who was ing a broad dialogue with their
stripped of. Soviet cltizenship~colleagues abroad," the state-
for anti - Communist remarks ment said. "Frequently, they en-
after he went abroad last win gage in arguments on serious
ter, was bitterly criticized b ideological questions, defending
the Union of Soviet. Writers In their convictions and not hest-
Literaturnaya Gazeta, its lit- tating to join in principled po-
crary organ. Icmics.,
"The organizers of the con "But for Soviet writers,
grass considered it possible tc 'meetings' with types such as
present the rostrum of this'in? Tarsis or reactionary renegades
ternational forum to the notor? holds absolutely no interest and,
ious Tarsis, who compensates host of all, such meetings are
for his lack of talent with mall- incompatible with the dignity
clous anti-Soviet utterances," of their organization."
the official Soviet writers' The Union, of Soviet Writers I-- into the group.
I
group complained. It also ex-declared its resentment at re-
The P.E.N. secretary said he
pressed indignation that ref u- marks made during the con- had written to the secretary of
gee Ukrainian and Estonianigross by the president of P.E.N.,,the Soviet Writers Union ask-
writers had used. the congress) Arthur Miller, the American 'ing for an explanation of' the
as a forum for slanderous. playwright, that Soviet writers cancellation of the planned visit
statements." would be welcome to join the of Soviet observers to the P.E.N.1
The Union of Soviet Writers organization as soon as they meetings in New York. He said
had planned to send a delega- were prepared to conform tolthe explanation Is conditional'
tion of observers to the Con-fits rules, -,which ? insist upon, to his acceptance of an invita-
gress last month, but at the freedom of speech and publica-ition to the 750th anniversary of
last minute it cancelled the trip.tion. . Ithe Russian writer Alexci -Sur-'
At the time, it was believed. "Attempts to 'speak to Soviet
that the withdrawal stemmed writers in such a tone and to
from apprehension In Moscow, confront Soviet writers with
that embarrassing debates' one-sided conditions are foolish
might flare in New York over and fruitless,"' the 'Soviet or-
the imprisonment last winter ganizationasserted.
of Andrei D. Sinyavsky and
Yull M. Daniel, two Soviets
writers who published anti-
Communist works abroad under,
the pseudonyms, respectivelyi
Abray p MdFP3iktWl!jC4e 2005101/12: 6A-RDP8
Zhak.
of. P.E.N., described today as
"depressing" charges by the
Union of Soviet Writers that
his organization was hindering
contacts between Soviet and
non-Communist writers.
Mr. Carver denied the allega-
tion made in the Soviet Writers
Union Organ, Literaturnaya Ga-
zeta, that Arthur Miller, the
president of P.E.N., had made
,"stupid, one-sided conditions"
for Soviet writers to join the
organization.
What Mr. Miller said, Mr.
Carver noted was that the trial
and the' imprisonment of Soviet
writers Andrei D. Sinyavsky
and Yuli M. Daniel had made it
very difficult to go ahead with
gla. 1 1.
Soviet criticism of a state-I
ant made by Valery Tarsis?
before the P.E.N. Congress was
unjustified. Mr. Carver said.,
intervention from the floor, he
recalled, the chairman had dis-'
sociated P.E.N. from his re-`
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