Rift Healed Between Kissinger, Senators on Trade-emigration

A sudden threat of rupture between Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and three key Senators in their discussions on the Soviet emigration policy issue has been resolved by re-formulation of the agreed exchange of letters between President Ford and Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D.Wash.), according to Capitol Hill sources.

However, the “acid test” of whether the Administration or the Congress will be the final judge of Soviet compliance or non-compliance with its assurances remains undecided and continues to block Administration-Congressional agreement.

Under an agreement last night between Kissinger and Sens. Jackson. Abraham Ribicoff (D. Conn.) and Jacob K. Javits (R.NY), Ford’s letter to Jackson will set forth Soviet assurances and he will agree with Jackson’s Interpretations of them. In his response to Ford, Jackson will state guidelines on Congressional expectations from the Soviet Union. Previously, a third letter was to have been in the exchange. This would have had Ford writing to Jackson in which the President would affirm Jackson’s views of the President’s first letter.

Regarding the contents of the letters that have yet to be written, a prime Capitol Hill source said “Nothing has changed and everything is the same” as before Kissinger’s charge at his news conference late Monday. At that time the Secretary declared the Administration was being put in a position of “guaranteeing” Soviet assurances on free emigration of Jews and others and an end to its harassment of prospective emigrants.

Capitol Hill sources questioned by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency appeared satisfied that the re-formulation preserves intact Congressional intent; and the Administration remains committed to the objectives of the Jackson/Mills-Vanik Amendment to the Trade Reform Act still pending in the Senate Finance Committee.