U.S. Rebukes-soviets for Article Charging That the Senate, Brown Are Influenced by ‘jewish Lobby’

The U.S. government disclosed that it has rebuked the Soviet Embassy for distributing media material headlined “U.S. Senate Unanimously Influenced by Jewish Lobby,” and accusing Gen. George S. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as having bowed to the “pressure of the same lobby.”

State Department spokesman Robert Funseth read the rebuke yesterday at his regular briefing to the media of many nations. He read: “The Department has brought the article to the attention of the Soviet Embassy, pointing out that in our judgement it was distorted, inaccurate and in poor taste. We told them to review the material they distribute for accuracy and appropriateness.”

Funseth said the rebuke was made “orally” to the Soviet Embassy. He also said in response to questions that he did not know at what level of officialdom the U.S. action was made and that he was “unaware” of Soviet reaction to it.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s Washington Bureau Chief, Joseph Polakoff, brought the material to the Department with a request for comment on Feb. 25, shortly after he had receive it through the U.S. mail from the Embassy’s Information Department. If was personally addressed to him with a covering letter dated Feb. 24.

HITS SENATE SUPPORT OF BRUSSELS II

The Embassy’s letter said that the material of approximately 600 words was received from the Novosti Press Agency in Moscow. It was by-lined Avtandil Rukhadze, a Novosti correspondent and apparently was prepared for distribution the week before the opening of the second Brussels Conference on Soviet Jewry. Novosti is a Soviet news service.

Among its statements, the Soviet article, which was in English, said “both Democratic and Republican” Senators had “forgotten their discord just long enough to display a ‘touching’ unanimity” to pass a resolution in support of the “so-called International Congress for Defense of Jews in non-Democratic Countries.”

The “Senators waste their remarkable energies and emotions on defending the rights of Soviet Jews.” the article continued. It added that the Senators do that because they “are clearly acting under pressure of the Zionist-Israeli lobby.” The “same lobby” the Soviet article said, caused Brown to “offer a public apology for his criticism” of the Israeli lobby pressure on the U.S. Congress.”

In presenting the Soviet article and letter to the Department, Polakoff asked the Department whether such material is within the limits of the Soviet-American agreement on exchange of information and the Helsinki Treaty provisions. Funseth, when asked by a reporter why the U.S. made the protest, noted that “Polakoff asked us to look into it.” He added that “What is at issue is that the Soviet Embassy sent him this article and they have to assume responsibility for the distribution.”