The Soviet Ambassador in Paris, Piotr Abrassimov, appealed today to the French Jewish community to abstain from demonstrating during the forthcoming trip to Paris of Soviet Communist Party Chairman Leonid Brezhnev. The Ambassador, who invited about 100 leading French Jews to a joint “study group” warned that “violence will only achieve the contrary of what it aims at.” In reply to questions, the Soviet Ambassador did not rule out the possibility that Brezhnev might meet with a representative Jewish delegation.
Abrassimov said “Mr. Brezhnev’s time table is heavily charged but we shall see what we can do about it.” Abrassimov’s meeting with the Jewish audience was the first such attempt ever tried by a Soviet diplomatic mission abroad and it seems to indicate the gravity with which Russia’s leaders view the issue and their fear that Jewish demonstrations might mar Brezhnev’s forthcoming visit.
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.
