The Soviet Jewish writer Ilya Ehrenburg, in a letter to the French newspaper Le Monde, has denied a report in that newspaper to the effect that he was partly responsible for the liquidation of Jewish writers in the USSR during the Stalinist period.
Mr. Ehrenburg’s letter noted that among the Soviet citizens who were “victims of Beria” were people of many nationalities including a number of famous Jewish writers among whom were “some of my most intimate friends.” Although such charges have been circulating for quite a time, this is the first time Mr. Ehrenburg has issued a denial.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.