Leonid Kogan Denounces ‘hooligans’ Who Try to ‘wreck’ U.s.-soviet Cultural Exchange

A Soviet violinist who is a Jew denounced today the "small group of hooligans" who, he said, tried to "wreck" performances by Soviet artists touring the United States under the U.S. -Soviet cultural exchange program. The performer, Leonid Kogan, said he personally witnessed an example of these "outrages" during his recital at Carnegie Hall in New York on Jan. 23. Kogan’s remarks were issued by the Soviet Embassy here with an accompanying statement which said the violinist was describing "attempts staged by Zionist provocateurs." Kogan himself however used the word "hooligans" with no further identification. He made his remarks to a correspondent of Sovetskaya Kultura. A copy was delivered by the Embassy to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency office in Washington. Kogan said the "hooligans" were trying to "reduce to a minimum or frustrate in general, the cultural exchange program between our countries." He added, "I am very grateful to the American public which has shown once again that it fully dissociates itself from these hooligans and their action." He said that following his recital, "many Americans came to my dressing room to express appreciation for the concert and their indignation and protest against the impudent acts of the hooligans."