United Nations Secretary-General U Thant evaded comment today on the death sentences imposed in the Soviet Union upon Jews and others charged with “economic crimes.”
He was asked at a luncheon tendered to him by the U. N. Correspondents Association whether he would join the stand taken by British philosopher Bertrand Russell and others who had asked the Soviet Union to halt capital punishment on humanitarian grounds. His answer was “I am not sufficiently acquainted with capital punishment, so I cannot answer.”
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.
