Soviet Foreign Trade Minister Nikolai S. Patolichev launched a tirade of abuse against the United States and Jews after he was told at a private luncheon meeting with top American officials here that the U.S. would not after the Jackson-Vanik Amendment to the Foreign Trade Act until after the Soviet Union relaxed its restrictions on Jewish emigration.
Patolichev shouted his denunciations, waved his fists and pointed fingers in a confrontation with Sen. Abraham Ribicoff (D. Conn) who also had told him that emigration, trade and nuclear proliferation are “inextricably tied together” in Soviet-American relations.
The luncheon, in the Russian Minister’s honor at the Madison Hotel last week was given by the U.S. -USSR Trade and Economic Council. Among those attending were Sen. Russell B. Long (D. La), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee which incorporated the Jackson-Vanik proviso into the trade law; Treasury Secretary W. Michael Blumen-that; State Department Soviet Affairs Advisor Marshall Schulman; and about 25 heads of U.S. business firms and fiscal institutions including Irving Shapiro, chairman of Dupont and of the Business Roundtable. Donald M. Kendall, head of the Pepsico Corp., is co-chairman of the Council.
“KHRUSCHEV-LIKE” PERFORMANCE
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency was informed that the Americans recoiled in dismay at the Minister’s severe reaction to Ribicoff’s view and described the Russian’s demonstration as a “Khruschev-like” act. It was also described as a “relatively standard Russian means of showing displeasure through shock tactics.” The State Department told the JTA that “we have no particular comment about it.”
Ribicoff, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee on Trade recommended that Soviet Communist Party Secretary Leonid Brezhnevand President Carter meet to solve the problems of emigration, trade and nuclear proliferation. Patolichev declared that “provocateurs” are using the emigration issue to stifle Soviet-American relations. He shouted that “all you are concerned about is Jews.” He declared “We don’t want your trade–we can live without it.” (By Joseph Polakoff)
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
