60. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (Burt), the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs (Abrams), and the Coordinator of Refugee Affairs (Douglas) to Secretary of State Shultz1
SUBJECT
- Briefing Team on Soviet Jewry
Issue for Decision
Whether to intensify our efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry including dispatch of a senior person to Europe, to enhance European Governments’ awareness of the worsening situation for Soviet Jews, and to seek their support in making confidential approaches to the Soviet Union.
Essential Factors
Over the past several months, reports from the USSR have painted an increasingly gloomy picture of Soviet Jews’ circumstances. The drop in emigration has been the most visible indicator, with 1982 the lowest year (2,700) since 1970, and the situation even worse thus far in 1983 (yearly projection is 1,100). Other manifestations of anti-Semitic phenomena are even more ominous, including “anti-Zionist” propaganda, an article in an Israeli paper by KGB-connected spokesman Viktor Louis2 announcing the end of the emigration era, ethnic discrimination and repression of the Jewish cultural movement. Some American Jewish leaders have expressed fear of actual physical danger to Soviet Jews as the Soviet Government steadily moves to eliminate their contacts with the West. The American Jewish community is restless for some tangible action by this Administration to bring this situation to heightened international attention.
We believe that the current situation for Soviet Jews merits major additional USG efforts on their behalf, and that extensive activities should be adopted to enlist Western democracies in these efforts as well. While European governments have historically tended to limit [Page 188] their human rights efforts to carefully modulated rhetoric, the gravity of the present potential danger to Soviet Jews may make them more sensitive to what should be our common concerns. To properly apprise the Europeans of the deteriorating situation in the USSR, of which our Government is much better informed than are theirs (thanks to our posts in the USSR, plus our contacts with the Israelis and the American Jewish community), and to urge them to make direct and if possible coordinated approaches to the Soviet Union, we propose to send a senior person to brief European governments—someone with sufficient prestige to have access to senior European leaders and officials. Our recommendation would be Walter Stoessel, who is widely known and respected in Europe, and who knows the situation in the Soviet Union. He would be assisted by one or two experts from the Department.
The team would travel to approximately ten countries of Europe. The mission should maintain a relatively low public profile, to impress upon the Europeans the seriousness of our purpose. If possible, this point could be emphasized by having you meet briefly and privately with Ambassador Stoessel before the team’s departure.
At the same time, we would utilize existing multilateral fora, including the UN Human Rights Commission and the Madrid CSCE meeting, to emphasize the worsening situation of Soviet Jewry. And, assuming our official briefing team is well received, we could encourage a selected high level American-Jewish delegation to make follow-on visits to European capitals.
RECOMMENDATIONS3
1. That you approve intensification of USG efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry, as outlined above.
2. That you approve the concept of a Department team to brief European governments on the present circumstances of Soviet Jews.
3. That you authorize our asking Ambassador Stoessel to serve in your name as team leader.
4. That you have a brief, unpublicized meeting with the team leader prior to departure.
- Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, P830152–1883. Confidential. Drafted by Nesbit and cleared in EUR/SOV, EUR, HA, P, S/R, and IO. Krieger initialed for Douglas. Sent through Eagleburger. In the upper right-hand margin, an unknown hand wrote: “Memo to DCM on call to WJStoessel. A stamped notation on the memorandum indicates that Shultz saw it.↩
- In telegram 143458 to Moscow, May 24, the Department discussed statements regarding Jewish emigration, including the Louis article. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D830294–0950)↩
- Shultz approved all four options on May 12.↩