Diplomatic sources here believe that “certain circles in the Kremlin” might be trying to undermine. Soviet Communist Party Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev’s forthcoming visit to the United States.
These circles point out that while Brezhnev, who is due to hold important economic talks with President Nixon, would like to enjoy as pleasant a political climate as possible during his stay in the U.S., the Soviet Union has suddenly reduced the number of exit visas granted to Jews. This month, these circles say, less than 800 visas were granted, about half of those allocated for a similar period in past months.
“It looks as if someone in the Kremlin is trying to make Brezhnev’s talks in Washington as difficult as possible,” these sources told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Brezhnev is scheduled to arrive next Saturday for a 10-day visit which is expected to mark a new chapter in Soviet-American trade cooperation.
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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.
