Kissinger: Issue of Exit Fees Raised with Leaders of USSR

Dr. Henry Kissinger, the President’s advisor on national security, said yesterday the issue of the new high Soviet charges for exit permits for university-educated Russian Jews was raised “in a number of ways” during his lengthy talks with Soviet Communist party chief Leonid Brezhnev and Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in Moscow.

Dr. Kissinger made the disclosure in response to a question from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent during a briefing yesterday. He added he would not discuss the Soviet viewpoint on the issue. He spoke with the two Soviet leaders a total of 24 hours.

He also declined to comment on White House views on linking the issue of the high exit fees with the projected treaty for American-Soviet trade. He said he thought the treaty would be ready for Congress by the end of this year and that “when and if we conclude an agreement, we will submit it to Congress for its approval and there can then be a full debate on it.”

He was asked whether the White House opposed a linkage, such as that proposed by Sen. Abraham Ribicoff (D. Conn.) between the high exit fees and any commercial trade agreement between the United States and Russia. He replied that “I do not want to get into a particular legislative issue,” He added that “when we have concluded an agreement, that will be the time for us to express our opinion.” He said the White House views as “extremely serious” the concern in Congress over the high exit fees.

He also was asked about air piracy and other forms of terrorism. He recalled that Secretary of State William P. Rogers has made approaches for control of terrorism to leaders of many countries. He added that, in his talks with British, West German, French and Soviet officials last week “we did underline the importance of this subject.” He said the problem was being “pursued very actively” by the State Department in diplomatic channels and added that “effective control needs global cooperation.”