The Soviet Union’s repudiation of its 1972 trade agreement with the United States stems primarily from its disappointment over the restriction of U.S. government funds for Siberian development, according to Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D.Wash).
“I can only observe that the Russians came to the conclusion that they wanted massive infusion of credits from the United States for Siberian oil and natural gas development programs running into billions of dollars,” Jackson said at a news conference at the Capitol mainly devoted to U.S. domestic energy problems.
“Congress is in no mood to grant such credits when we are in such dire economic straits at home” Jackson added. “There is no relenting by the Congress on the issue of Congressional control over credits to the Soviet Union and the main interest of the Soviet Union is large credits. Immigration doesn’t loom that large compared with credits,” Jackson said.
VANIK: EMIGRATION NOT AN ISSUE
Rep. Charles A. Vanik (D. Ohio), co-author with Jackson of the legislation bearing their names which link U.S. trade benefits to the Soviet Union’s easing of emigration practices regarding Jews and others, said the Soviet government appeared to have been led to think that “there would be a cornucopia of credit” from the United States totaling “billions of dollars.” Under the new law for the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the Soviet Union is restricted to $300 million in loans over the next four years.
Vanik rejected the view that the Soviet repudiation was caused by the Soviet emigration issue, “Congress certainly has a right to impose any kind of conditions it desires on the things it offers as a trading inducement to other nations,” Vanik said. He noted that American businessmen can export to the Soviet Union on “their own terms and on their own credit.”
When Jackson was asked whether he would proceed differently if he “had a chance to reassess” the circumstances, the chief author of the provision in the trade law replied: All we were doing was implementing international law.” The Jackson Amendment, he said, is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was adopted in 1969 and ratified by more than 100 nations. That declaration, he continued, provides for a person to leave his country and return freely. The Amendment, he observed, sought to implement that point.
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.
