THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

     BALTIMORE> MARYLAND 2121s

DEPARTXiEIr;T OF BIOLOGY

February 7, 1983

Dr. Edith Frenkel
Director of the Soviet
and East Europe Research Center
?iount Scopus Campus
Hebrew University
Jerusalem

Dear Colleagues:

   I am terribly sorry that I cannot attend this current meeting in Jerusalem on
the problems of Jewish scientists in Eastern Europe and, particularly, in the Soviet
Union.  The problem is an enormously frustrating one and, speaking for American
scientists, there seems to be little one can-do at the moment but to maintain a
constant flow of letters to the proper authorities in the Soviet Union in relation
to any single case.  This approach may have had some effect in a few cases, particu-
larly those like the exile of Sakharov to Gorki, where world pressure seems to have
had some influence on the treatment of Sakharov and his family.  It appears, however,
that even a constant and heavy flow of mail from scientists in the United States
generally has little effect.

  ?fany of us belong to a number of organizations such as the Committee for Concerned
Scientists, Scientists for Orlov and Shcharansky and the Helsinki Watch, and we are
frequently brought up to date on the situation of individual scientists and the occur-
ence of.new instances of harassment and imprisonment.  I happen to be a member of the
Human Rights Committee of the Rational Academy of Sciences.  The Academy has taken the
stand that individual contact of American scientists with Soviet scientists is probably
a good thing, when interaction deals with specific scientific matters of mutual
interest.  Such interchanges at least maintain a thread of communication that might
eventually be useful under the right circumstances.

  I personally believe that a most useful step might be emphasis of the problem    .
of persecution of Jewish scientists by leaders of Western states in connection with
negotiations on other matters.  A significant decrease in discrimination against
and oppression of Jewish scientists and of the dissident population would be a signal
that the basic philosophy of the Soviet power structure was undergoing changes in the
directi?? of a greater democratic ambiance for its citizens.  The human rights question
in general should become a constant factor in the negotiations of the Western world
with the Soviet Union.  The USSR tends to be willing to give on certain points when
it feels that it can gain in connection with others.

   Xt the moment there seems to be little more that we can do than to maintain
heav? Firessure by mail and telephone on the proper authorities in the Soviet Union.
I feel confident that such an effort will continue to be made by a significant fraction
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                              rwr--------.  Res+ of l.llck with vour considerations at this
meetlni;.  If new approaches and techniques grow out of the deliberations that might
help scientists in other countries to be more useful, please let us know.

Best regards,

Christian B. Anfinsen