SPEECH BY MORRIS B. ABRAM BEFORE CONFERENCE ON SOVIET JEWRY

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• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP66B00403R000200190030-5
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• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2005
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: April 10, 1964
• Content Type: OPEN

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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - SENATE
the Senator from Montana [Mr. MANS-
FIELD] paid tribute to a number of Sen-
ators who were involved rather actively
in the passage of the wheat-cotton bill,
which passed the House of Representa-
tives early yesterday morning.
I think the RECORD should show that
the distinguished majority leader' him-
self, the Senator from Montana [Mr.
MANSFIELD], as well as the distinguished
Senator from Minnesota [Mr. HuM-
PHREY], the assistant majority leader,
played a key role making possible a vote
in the Senate on this important legisla-
tion in time to be effective on this year's
crop.
During the Senate debate on that bill,
one of the hard decisions the Senate had
to make was on the question of whether
to accept the amendment relating to beef
imports offered by the distinguished Sen-
ator from Nebraska [Mr. HRUSKA].
Some. of us took the view at that time
that, while we would like to see beef
imports restricted, it would have been a
mistake to add that amendment to the
cotton and wheat bill, because it might
have cost administration support for the
bill in the House of Representatives.
In this morning's New York Times, Mr.
William Blair, distinguished writer on
agricultural affairs, reports that efforts
by President Johnson were a decisive
factor in securing passage of the wheat
and cotton bill in the House of Repre-
sentatives.
As Senators know,'the bill passed in the
House by a margin of eight votes. Ac-
cording to Mr. Blair, sources close to the
administration's operation estimated
that Mr. Johnson likely changed 15 to 20
votes, through his own great interest in
the passage of that bill.
I believe it is certain that, had the
Senate adopted the beef import amend-
ment-important as the objective of that
amendment is-it would have cost ad-
ministration support for the wheat-
cotton bill, and that in turn would have
meant a defeat of the legislation in the
House of Representatives. There is no
doubt about it.
In other words, we would have ended
without any wheat bill, and the beef
import amendment would have gone
down to defeat with it. As matters now
stand, we have a wheat and cotton bill
which will be signed into law by the
President tomorrow at noon. The bill
will save the wheat farmers about $500
million. Twenty million dollars of that
saving will be in South Dakota.
The beef import proposal is very much
alive. It has already been the subject
of extensive hearings before the Senate
Finance Committee. A number of Sen-
ators have testified before that com-
mittee, including the Senator from
Nebraska [Mr. HRUSKA] and the junior
Senator from South Dakota. I am
hopeful that, with the prestige of the
Finance Committee behind the bill, and
with careful hearings completed, and
perhaps with some modification that
might make it somewhat more accept-
able to the administration, the passage
of that import legislation can be as-
sured, so that we shall not only have the
wheat and cotton bill signed into law
tomorrow, but have a good prospect' of
doing something about the import
situation.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous con-
sent to have printed in the RECORD fol-
lowing these remarks, the article written
by Mr. William Blair in today's New
York Times.
There being no objection, the article
was ordered to be printed in the RECORD,
as follows :
JOHNSON PHONE EFFORT CREDITED WITH
HOUSE VICTORY ON FARM BILL-CAJOLERY,
. PPEALS, AND "TALKING TURKEY" SAID To
HAVE HELD WAVERING VOTES-GOP MOVED
To STALL MEASURE
(By William M. Blair)
WASHINGTON, April 9.-President Johnson
appealed, cajoled, and in some instances
"talked turkey" to House Members in the ad-
ministration's drive to get the food-stamp
and farm bills through the House early today.
His telephone calls and other efforts from
the White House characterized as a major
element in nailing down votes and holding
straight some wavering Democrats during
the 14-hour session.
Informed sources described the Democratic
action as one of the best coordinated legisla-
tive lobbying efforts in recent years. As
some saw it, the main problem at the end
was to overcome the Republican parliamen-
tary moves, which sought to stall the bill
and cause defections from Democratic ranks.
HOUSE WORKS STALLED
In the wake of the administration's dual
victory, the House was stalled today, appar-
ently by Republican pique over the power
play on the farm and food-stamp bills. No
business could be transacted because of Re-
publican calls for quorums, reading of the
daily Journal, and other time-killing tactics.
It did not seem to be an organized blockade
but rather expression of the resentment of
a few Members against the Democratic lead-
ership for holding the House in session into
the night. The stalling was effective because
many Democrats did not show up today.
The business to be brought before the
House was its own legislative appropriations
bill, the money measure that will keep the
House running and pay Members and staffs.
It could not be called for action, however, as
the Republicans backed up the efforts of
stallers on a party-line vote.
WOULD BOLSTER INCOME
The President is expected to sign the farm
bill Saturday in a White House ceremony.
The bill is aimed at bolstering the income of
wheatgrowers by applying a voluntary pro-
duction control program. It would also aid
American textile mills through a new subsidy
while at the same time help cottongrowers
reduce surplus and sell more cotton.
The food-stamp bill goes to the Senate,
where nothing has been done about it. Sen-
ator ALLEN J. ELLENDER, of Louisiana, Demo-
cratic chairman of the Senate Agriculture
Committee, introduced a food-stamp bill at
the administration's request but has held no
hearings.
President Johnson began before Easter his
personal drive to get the two bills through
the House quickly. He worked from a list
of 25 or 26 House Members regarded as on
the border line. About one-third of the list
were Northern big city Members; the re-
mainder a sprinkling of southerners, mid-
westerners, and western and Mountain State
Democrats. The list included a couple of
Republicans.
His argument varied with the individuals.
To some he cited the prospective $600 mil-
lion drop in wheat growers' income unless
Congress acted. To some, mainly the more
conservative southern Democrats and west-
erners, he dwelt on the reduction that would
be achieved in the wheat and cotton pro-
grams by the bills.
7363
To still his appeal was strictly
partisan with emphasis: "I need your help
in this election year."
BELIEVED HE WAS RIGHT
To one southerner, he calmly related that
he felt he was right in his drive on poverty
and that "something had to be done."
Further, he argued that the cotton situa-
tion was worsening and that the cotton
section of the farm bill would help right
the economics of the industry and aid all
sectors of it, from cotton farmers to con-
sumers.
One difficulty that he and his aids ran
into was the deep-running resentment they
found in some northern Members against
southerners who voted to kill the recent
pay bill that would have raised salaries
throughout the Federal Establishment, in-
cluding Members' pay.
Sources close to the administration's op-
eration estimated that Mr. Johnson likely
changed 15 to 20 votes. The farm bill passed
by a vote of 211 to 203, which appeared to
be a narrow margin. The Democrats, how-
ever, had six votes in reserve. The 2 food-
stamp plan passed on a rollcall of 229 to.
189.
One of the major but least publicly known
figures in the fight was Kenneth M. Birkhead,
assistant to Secretary of Agriculture Orville
L. Freeman and a former longtime Congres-
sional staff member in various capacities.
The National Grange was the key farm
organization with some help from the Na-
tional Farmers Union. Opposing them was
the Nation's largest and most conservative
farm organization, the American Farm
B,:reau Federation, whose president, Charles
S. Shuman, said today that the farm bill
"will be bad for farmers, consumers, and tax-
payers."
President Johnson hailed the farm bill as
an example of "good judgment and econgmic
progress" that will benefit all Americans.
Mr. HUMPHREY. Mr. President, will
the Senator yield?
Mr. McGOVERN. I am happy to yield
to the Senator from Minnesota.
Mr. HUMPHREY. First, I wish to ex-
press my thanks to the Senator from
South Dakota for his comment in refer-
ence to the wheat bill and the part some
of us played in its passage. This meas-
ure is of great economic help to the Mid-
west and the entire wheat-producing
section of the country.
Visitors to my office in the last 2 days
have told me that the passage of the bill
represented the difference between solv-
ency and insolvency.
I might add that, had the wheat meas-
ure not passed and had beef prices taken
a turn downward, there could have been
an economic catastrophe in the grain-
producing section of the country. This
would have been anything but helpful to
the Nation's economy. It might well
have planted the seeds of a recession or
depression, doing away with the benefits
of the tax cut.
The President of the United States is
to be commended for having played a
forceful role of leadership in gaining the
passage of this bill, but the leaders in
the House are also to be commended-
the Speaker, the majority leader, Mr.
ALBERT, the majority whip, Mr. BOGGS;
and others who were so forceful in hav-
ing the measure adopted. It was truly
one of the most spectacular perform-
ances of the 88th Congress.
I commend and congratulate them, not
only for the work they did in passing the
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 7364
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -SENATE April 10
legislation, but for the beneficial effects
that will follow therefr')m.
Mr. McGOVERN. The Senator's
point is well made. Mr. Blair makes
the statement, in the a:-ticle I submitted
for the RECORD, that the activity of the
House leadership on the bill has been
one of the most brilliant legislative op-
erations in the preser, t session of the
Congress.
I agree, too, with the point the Senator
has made with regard to the economic
importance of the bill.
I received a telephone call a week ago
from one of the best wheat farmers of
my State, Mr. Don Smith, of Ridgeview,
S. Dak., in which he made the state-
ment that, if this bill should fall of pas-
sage, he would sell his farm and get out
of the farming business; that he could
not operate another year without some
reasonable assurances of a fair price on
his production.
I am delighted with the action taken in
the House of Representativj* ('
SPEECH BY MORRIS B. ABRAM BE-
FORE CONFERENCE ON -SOVIET
JEWRY
Mr. RIBICOFF. Mr. President, will
the Senator from Louisiana yield to me?
Mr. LONG of Louisiana. I yield, with-
out losing the floor.
Mr. RIBICOFF. Mr. President, the
distinguished president of the American
Jewish Committee, Morris B. Abram, is
well known as an emnent southerner,
a humanitarian, and now as U.S. mem-
ber of the United Nations -Subcommis-
sion on the Prevention of Discrimination
and Protection of Minorities. This
week, he delivered a most provocative
and informed speech before the Confer-
ence on Soviet Jewry, In which he sug-
gested the creation of an international
Eleanor Roosevelt Curt of Human
Rights. I ask unanimous consent that
Mr. Abram's address be printed in the
RECORD.
There being no obje:tion, the address
was ordered to be printed in the REC-
ORD, as follows:
ADDRass or MoRE: B B. AsaAs
We have learned from our extensive studies
In the social science that the problem of
anti-Semtism, while it certainly affects Jews
and has created havoc and catastrophe in
human history-this problem is not really a
Jewish problem. Whereier it exists, it is a
problem of the whole of society.
We need no further prcof really of the fact
that Soviet anti-Semitism exists---one might
say as an instrument of Government policy.
We have seen too often its many manifesta-
tions, whether in campaigns of oppression
against Jewish culture, r:llglon, or tradition
or whether In economic and political dis-
crimination. Soviet anti-Semitism exists as
a fact. It is one of the severe flaws of the
Soviet society which, as we all know, is a
closed society, closed, in various degrees but
closed nonetheless. Despite breakthroughs
here and there It remain; a totalitarian sys-
tem and this is where the trouble really
lies.
Let me mention briefly an event of a few
months ago which will underscore what I am
trying to say. As some of you may know. I
am the U.S. member of the U.N. Subcommis-
sion on the Prevention of Discrimination and
the Protection of Minorities. In many areas
throughout the world (particularly those
within the Communist orbit or those bor-
dering on it) great capital is made of the
race relations crises in this country. The
United States is held up to scorn because
there seems to be a division between what is
considered to be our principles and our
practices in some of our race relations.
Consequently. I decided to Invite my ool-
leagues, including the Soviet delegate on ..he
U.N. Subcommission, to visit Atlanta, Ga.,
and its environs for a few days In order to
see for themselves what the problems and
tensions were. That weekend of January
2 was a-normally hectic weekend on the race
relation front in Atlanta. There were a num-
ber of demonstrations, picketing, etc. Dur-
Ing the course of the weekend I drove around
with Mr. Ivanov, the Soviet representative
on the Subcommission, and showed him At-
lanta as I knew it, since Georgia is my native
State. In Atlanta and its suburbs we passed
through many sections where there were
large, well-built houses lived in by our Negro
citizens. Mr. Ivanov had some difficulty In
believing that Negroes lived in these impres-
sive-looking homes. Furthermore, I told Mr.
Ivan, that In the evening he might be
treated to a demonstration of the local Ku
Klux Klan who were rabidly anti-integration
and of course anti-Negro, I said to him "un-
der every one of these KKK: bedaheets beats
a proletarian heart."
In a closed society the perceptions tend to
become fixed and rigid. There can be little
or no flexibility or criticism. The proletarian
class is "good"-everybody else Is "bad"-
even when looking at events abroad, a kind of
filter is used which admits only stereotypes.
That's why it was hard for my colleague.
Ivanov, to believe that Negroes could live In
good houses, or for that matter. that mem-
bers of the proletariat could possibly be big-
oted and full of hate.
If we wish to understand the patterns and
purposes of Soviet anti-Semitism we must
see then in the perspective of the society it-
self. Only then can we focus on the various
possibilities of dealing with them. To a
large extent I believe that Soviet anti-Semi-
tism is derived from three basic psychologi
cal and political factors that have played a
large role in determining Soviet policies:
1. The Soviet Union is a powerful state
possessing the ultimate weapon but It fre-
quently acts frightened and weak. I re-
member particularly In debates on the draft
convention in the 1963 session of the sub-
commission how violently the Soviets re-
acted to suggestions that a citizen should
have the right to leave his country because
he wanted to change his nationality.
2. This fear of free International travel, as
a danger to the national state. is certainly
unwarranted in the case of a country as
strong as the Soviet Union. But the fear
is related to the fact of a closed society and
from this flows this second principle of So-
viet conduct; namely, that the Government
of the U.S.S.R. cannot admit there are any
faults in its society at all. As a closed so-
ciety the Soviet Union would find it very
embarrassing to open its frontiers and recog-
nise that any number of people would desire
to emigrate. The Soviets, as I know them,
would regard this as a criticism of the So-
viet system and find It Inadmissible.
There is no doubt in anybody's mind that
there are Jews in the Soviet Union who
might desire to leave the country as there
well may be other ethnic groups or individ-
uals. The fact that this is so does not prove
that the Soviet Union is an Intolerable sys-
tem for all, or even a majority, of its citi-
zens. It merely means that individuals may
have a variety of their own reasons to choose
one country over another, such as the rami-
fication of dispersed families. From their
fixed point of view Soviet authorities still
deem it highly embarrassing for any per-
son, just one person, to elect to leave its so-
ciety. Thus, the country's borders become
the confines of a prison.
3. The third principle that must be con-
sidered In seeking to get an understanding
of Soviet anti-Semitism is one that I would
call the principles of the telescope. As I
frequently have said to my Soviet colleague
in the U.N? we look through the same tele-
scope at the same time but we don't man-
age to see the same thing. The reason seems
to me to be that you as a Soviet official look
through the end which makes the Indi-
vidual smaller and the state larger, and the
Interest of the Individual In this view Is
subordinated entirely to the interests of the
state. I for my part as an American In an
open society turn the telescope around and
look through the glass that makes the indi-
vidual large and the state small. Thus in
my view the state exists to serve the needs
of the individual while in the Soviet view
the individual Is seen as a cog in the great
machine of the state.
The view of the state which Is expressed In
American political theory and which sees the
individual of central concern embodies the
prophetic Judeo-Christian view of social Jus-
tiee and individual human worth. The
Jewish tradition r must say is compatible
with the free and open society and it is quite
possible that the Soviet leaders identify
Judaism with democracy, except that they
use an Aesopian term for democracy. In the
Soviet jargon cosmopolitanism has fre-
quently been the term used for democracy
or Western democracy, and of course from
the Soviet view this Is bad.
The subordination to the state runs
through Soviet policy both at home and
abroad. Thus in a state- In which the indi-
vidual Is of secondary Importance, his need
for expression, his traditions, his heritage.
even his safety may be sacrificed for the tem-
porary experiences of domestic or foreign
policy.
This Is nothing new, for the U.S.S.R. has
long manipulated Issues of religion as instru-
ments of state policy and for power games
whose lines of force are felt in many areas of
the world. For example. as far back as 1923
the minutes of the 12th Communist Party
Congress revealed a heated debate around
the framing of the Soviet Constitution.
Rakofsky, Bukharin, and other Bolsheviks
argued that the constitution should be
drawn up in such a way that would please
the Germans and other Europeans. Stalin
and his supporters countered that It was
much more important to make an impres-
sion on the East by granting appropriate
concessions to Eastern people.
Stalin stated openly that the targets were
India, China and other European eastern
countries. The Soviet's attitude toward Its
three major religious groups, Moslems,
Orthodox. and Jewish is a rather blatant
example of the political experiences which
dictate Soviet policies. Since the Soviets
have been concerned with Infiltrating the
Middle East which is overwhelmingly Moslem
and since they realize that the Orthodox
religion can be used as a propaganda link
to otherwise antagonistic peoples, the Soviets
have been posing as protectors of these faiths
in many ways. At the same time It is
recognized that an attack on Jews will prob-
ably be greeted with Ill-concealed pleasure by
the pan-Arab movement throughout the Mid-
dle East. Karl Marx's Invective against reli-
gion as the "opiate of the masses" has been
manipulated Into a more practical equation:
religion is the opiate of some of the masses
some of the time.
Let me just add a small postscript to this
point by quoting Iialld Bardash, Syrian
Communist Party leader, who has said "The
Koran is the key to the gates of the Orient
and we Marxists have learned from experi-
ence the need to be able to handle the key."
Of course. a closed society which insists on
being responsible for everything that hap-
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1964 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - SENATE 7365
pens within its borders and uses every totals- angels. The Germans behaved under Hitler of the United Nations, it was stated that the
tarian technique to retain control frequently the way they did for many complex, social; international organization to be founded
finds itself in some ironic situations which economic and historical reasons but mainly should "promote respect for human rights
would be quite amusing if they were not so -because a totalitarian system destroyed their and fundamental freedoms." There are other
tragic. will and finally their power to react against statements in the charter and later of course
For example, we of the American Jewish war and to rebel against the deepest viola- in the Declaration of Human Rights which
Committee a few weeks ago made public in tions of human ethical postulates. can be used to make this point effective.
the West a book called "Judaism Without In fact, whatever history of anti-Semitism Then we turn to experience. Most knowl-
Embellishment." By now this book has be- exists as part of the Russian ethos is being edgeable people today believe that South
come famous throughout the world because whipped up by design as it has been in the Africa is a tinderbox. Why? South Africa
it presents such clear and irrefutable evi- Ukraine by the publication of that ghastly has no quarrel over its borders with anybody,
dence of Soviet anti-Semitism. book. What is the need to stir up long- and the conventional causes of war are not
It is a hodgepodge, as you all know, of smoldering hatreds? Clearly with the So- present. Why? Purely over human rights
distortions, Nazilike cartoons and scuril- viet Union regressing to this crude form of violations. In the matter of Cyprus, the
lone attacks against Jews and Judaism. It anti-Semitism the situation of Soviet Jews problem again which may bring Greece
bears the official imprimatur of the Academy is continuing to worsen. We must face the and Turkey into collision, is a human rights
of Sciences of the Soviet Ukraine. Now fact that the fate of Soviet Jewry will be problem, growing out of ethnic conflicts.
what has happened? I have passed this whatever the government decrees it to be, The India-Pakistan dispute is essentially a
book on to the Soviet representative Ivanov the only limitation being the restrictions religious and ethnic quarrel, and the pattern
on the U.N. -Subcommission and have asked imposed by outside world opinion or the is repeated elsewhere in the world.
him all the appropriate questions as to shifts of internal necesssity. The Declaration of Human Rights is one
whether this violates in his view the Soviet The traditionally democratic French had of the best known documents in world his-
Constitution. Thus far I have not yet re- the Dreyfuss case. But the anti-Semitism tory. As much as we rejoice in it, it must
ceived a direct answer from him. But there of the most powerful institution of that be recognized as a document which has cre-
have been some answers from the world at country could eventually be checked by the ated a rise in the tide of expectations in all
large. So blatant is the book, so vulgar and democratic political system brought to its the peoples of the world. It has caused un-
crude are its insults and slurs that Commu- senses by a free and enraged press and pub- rest and dissatisfaction among repressed and
nist Parties in many countries of the world lic opinion. America has had its share of discriminated people who are no longer will-
have set up a loud clamor attacking it and bigots but these are contained by democratic ing to forget their grievances. They want
for the first time demanding an explanation procedures and safeguards. There seems to their freedoms now and the result is that
from the Soviet fatherland. The Freiheit be a gyroscope in a mature democratic sys- there is a relationship between world peace
in New York, the Neue Presse in France and tem which Jefferson referred to when he and human rights.
other papers and factions have made public said-"error of opinion may be tolerated We are not in this Conference to create
strong disclaimers because they can ill af- where reason is left free to combat it." new problems of world tensions; we are at-
ford to be associated with a country or a Extremist political systems which do not tempting to resolve them before they become
movement which so clearly apes the Nazi seem to have this gyroscope device-whether unmanageable and explosive. It is true that
style. they are of a rightist or leftist- tradition- every suggestion of dissatisfaction of minori-
What else has happened? The latest news usually have made the Jew an object of ties within the Soviet Union or South Africa
we have heard is that a Soviet official has abuse. What happens most frequently is does create tensions but it is better to deal
asserted the constitutional right on the free- that the minority group is manipulated by with these problems before they become
dom of speech principle that the book is en- the all-powerful government to meet the -causes of- conflict. Religion itself creates
titled to be published no matter what it says very needs it may happen to think it has at tensions when it posts a standard to be meas-
about Jews and Judaism and the Soviet Gov- that moment. ured against present practice. But, on the
ernment as a free libertarian society has no I believe we make a great mistake when whole, who can deny that much of mankind's
right to suppress it. Later, the Soviets sought we are willing to settle for improvements in ethical progress has been a result of the
to sidestep the book in a mild statement, the distribution of economic justice within a establishment of these Ideals and goals and
but even the Communist paper the Freiheitt state and excuse its absolutist ends and the exaltation by religion of man to follow.
in New York was not satisfied with this totalitarian methods. Socialism as an eco- Ethical progress is also frequently a prod-
statement. On Saturday we received press nomic doctrine stripped of democratic ideals uct of international sanction since there
reports that the Communist Party of the So- has never been friendly to the Jews. Nor seems to be no moral' gyroscope within the
viet Union has admitted what it callled the has Populism in this country which in a U.S.S.R. and no enforcible law which can can-
anti-Semitic spirit and overtones of the book, primitive way sought the redistribution of demn the Soviets obvious purpose of com-
We welcome this admission and we think it's wealth in the United States. I, as a Geor- mitting sutural genocide. The-,only remedy
a step in the right- direction, but I believe gian, can never forget the role for example, is to arouse the sanctions of world opinion.
that the Soviet attitude is still marked by that Tom Watson, the vice-presidential can- I believe that this Conference should call
public denial of a very compelling reality. - didate on the Populist ticket from Georgia, upon all religions and all men of good will to
Senator JAvrrs and Senator RISIcoFS have played in the Leo Frank case and in his cry out against the shame of Soviet anti-
clearly pointed out in the Senate and in pub- lynching. Semitism. I believe that this Conference
lic forums the hypocrisy of the Soviet Gov- The American Jewish Committee, I am should do everything in its power to mobilize
ernment which practices one pattern of prej- proud to say, has long recognized and fought the moral force of humanity against the
udice at home and seeks to disavow it pub- against totalitarianism of the left and the violations of human rights and decency.
liclyabroad, right and its spawn of anti-Semitism. Back I believe that this Conference should call
I have had personal experience of the pro- in the 1940's the committee published two upon the newly independent nations, the
found contradiction between Soviet policy volumes which authoritatively and with ex- African and Asian countries, to speak out in
and Soviet action, In the V.N. Subcom- tensive documentation revealed the patterns the U.N. and in all international forums
mission my friends from the Soviet Union of anti-Semitism in the Soviet society. I against the violations of ethnic identity
are always anxious to draft a set of substan- must say that there was a great resistance, which the Soviet Union is perpetrating. It
tive principles to outlaw discrimination, public resistance, among Jews and non-Jews is these nations, above all, who know very
They frequently push beyond the call of tra- alike, against some of these findings and in- well what this violation can mean.
ditional civil libertarian practices in their sights. - Let us also be realistic. Even the sanction
public and zealous attacks against discrimi- We know now that the Jew has only been of world opinion can be weak because of the
nation in the abstract. But I have noticed safe in those systems in which (a) all peo= inability to focus the spotlight of attention
time and again that their wills begin to wilt ple are safe under a rule of law guaranteeing on human rights violations. Thus far U.N.
where they face the problem of implementa- individual rights even against majority de- forums have not developed into a major
tion and in the enforcement of the high cision; (b) where 'the government has op- arena in which to cry out against the specific
sounding principles. The Soviet representa- erated by popular consensus in which the human rights violations which are endemic
tives sound like 19th century nationalists, Jew as all other citizens has freedom of throughout the world.
jealously guarding their borders, when fac- choice; (c) where the government is depend-
ing questions' of implementation. They ment for continuous support of a free elec- I would recommend that the nongovetu-
worry about sovereignty, they anguish over torate which is (d) informed by press and mental erhaiz uncle, the academic Eleanor
the rights of states (as opposed to the rights speech, free and open, to oppose and cry out tions, perhaps under the name r
of individuals) and they always end up with against violations of rights. Roosevelt, band together to, creato Eleanor
entirely
the proposition that enforcement should be In our concern for Soviet Jews and at this on a voluntary basis an Elanor Roosevelt
left to the state itself preferably unobserved very conference, we are not eressin merely be b c o of human representative This, would
of
and unreported in the international forum a parochial interest. In fact, there is an each of the e five ofrepr continents,. who meet
by any kind of international body Including inextricable connection between human perhaps tcontinents who the U.N., per-
nongovernmental organizations, rights and world peace. pes across the street from the Commis-
We do not believe that any nationality, As early as the Dumbarton Oaks Confer- si ns Is while
in session. This Court hfcould hear
Germans, Russians, French or Americans are ence, which was a precursor to the Charter and determine complaints of human rights
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Aprid 10
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -SENATE
violations around the world after screening the recipient of an honorary degree. Today
by responsible persons and organizations. he stands at the helm of our Nation. We
The Court could be founded with the an- are all confident that ha will not only pre-
nouncement that when the U.N. has assumed serve the ideals and dreams of John P. Ken-
its obligations under tr.e charter to protect nedy, but will advance them.
human rights, the Eleanor Roosevelt Court We pray for his good health and for the
would go out of existences. continuity of this great Nation.
But in the meanwhi`e we know that we The late President became famous in sev-
must make reasonable and effective efforts eral fields long before he reached the White
in every avenue avaiia:ile to us to keep a House. I am sure many of you have read
vast totalitarian machine from losing its his notable book, "Profiles in Courage."
balance in regard to Its Jewish citizens. No There are many types of courage, and r
one can deny that this danger exists and no would like to dwell particularly on two
one can deny as we have learned too bit- types: courage of the mind. and courage of
terly from history that it Is our obligation the body. Courage of the mind built Civili-
to prevent catastrophe and not to bemoan cation. Courage of the mind ithe ace the
it after It happens. of every form of progress
universe came Into being.
"PROFILE OF COURAGE"-TRIBUTE
TO THE LATE PRESIDENT KEN-
NEDY BY DR. SAMUEL BELKIN,
PRESIDENT, YESHIVA UNIVER-
SrrY
Mr. RIBICOFF. Mr. President, so
much has been written and said about
our late beloved President, John F. Ken-
nedy, that one sometimes feels there can
be no more words with which to pay
him tribute. Recently I received a copy
of an address, "Profile of Courage," de-
livered by the president of Yeshiva Uni-
versity, Dr. Samuel Belkin, which does
add to our appreciation and understand-
ing of President Kennedy's memory.
Distinguished scholar, author, educator,
and spiritual architect of the largest and
most comprehensive educational in-
stitution of its kind in the world, Dr.
Belkin tells us how both courage of the
mind and of the body were embodied in
one man.
I ask unanimous consent to have Dr.
Belkin's address printed in the body of
the RECORD.
There being no objection, the address
was ordered to be printed in the RECORD,
as follows:
"PROFILE or COURAGE?
Then there is that courage of the body
which belongs to the animal kingdom. One
sees the courage of the body in the madness
of the bull, in the viciousness of the tiger,
in the hatred of the snake. and in the venge-
ance of the lion. All of these have great
courage of body. All of these are ready to
kill, even at the risk of being killed. Mind
you, If one lion kills, if one bull gores, if
one snake poisons with his fangs, he is not
just a lion; he is not just an animal. He
represents animosity and hatred, hatred of
an entire tribe, of an entire class, of the
species to which he belongs.
Such was the man who assassinated Presi-
dent Kennedy. He is so described by Chief
Justice Warren, who in his eulogy of our
late and beloved President. said: "What
moved some misguided wretch to do this
horrible deed may never be known to us,
but we do know that such acts are primarily
stimulated by forces of hatred, and such
forces are today eating their way into the
bloodstream of American life."
VIOLENCE THRIVES ON HATRED
our late President could have accomplished
during the brief term in office. and certainly
much has been accomplished, he will always
be remembered for this courage of mind
shown while a naval officer. Here we wit-
nessed the greatness of the man.
I recall so vividly in 1955 when W. Ken-
nedy, then a junior Senator from Massa-
chusetts, spoke at a dinner in behalf of the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine. It was,
I believe, In the Concourse Plaza Hotel here
in the Bronx. After lauding the programs
and objectives of the newly established Col-
lege of Medicine, he said that at the end of
the last century. the average life expectancy
was 47 years. He noted that by 1955, the
average life expectancy had risen to 67-a
gain of 20 years.
HIS LIFE TRAOICALLY CUT SHORT
Who would have thought only a few years
ago that this great man, this gifted young
Intellectual, who became the 35th President
of the United States, would never reach his
47th birthday.
With courage of mind and compassion of
heart, he became the great champion of the
freedom of man. The paragraph In his in-
augural address which has often been quoted
by freedom-loving people throughout the
world is worth repeating. It reads: "Ask
not what your country will do for you, ask
what you can do for your country. My fel-
low citizens of the world, ask not what Amer-
ica will do for you, but what, together, we
can do for the freedom of man."
LINHED IN HISTORY WITH LINCOLN
In this important address, the late Presi-
dent attempted to convey to the world that
courage of the mind which would be ready
to make sacrifices for the advancement of
human freedom. His message recalls the
words of the immortal Abraham Lincoln.
When Lincoln was asked whether God is on
our aide of the war, he answered that he
was confident that God was on our side; but
the most Important thing for us to decide is
whether we are on the side of God. John F.
Kennedy, by words and deeds, inspired the
Nation to be on the side of human dignity
and freedom. Hence, he was on the side of
God. History will always link the destiny of
those two great Presidents, not alone because
both met martyr's deaths but, more signifi-
cantly, because both possessed the courage of
mind to fight for the same ideals.
Almost a century has passed since Lincoln
emancipated the slaves; but the legal act of
emancipation did not of itself achieve the
complete freedom and dignity of man. It
was only the first step In that direction. Our
late President John F. Kennedy dedicated his
life to fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of
Lincoln, who failed to bring all of these to
fruition because he, too, met an untimely
death by an assassin's bullet.
FREEDOM WAS HIS CREED
We may divide the evolution of the free-
dom of man in our own history into three
periods. Each period represents an advance
In human dignity. The three periods may
There Is another type of physical courage.
Such courage is exhibited by a man who
may be motivated by compassion but who
is mentally deranged. He is a man who
listens to the various media announcing
every moment of the day, "This Is the asem-
sin." Restless, impatient, this man loses
his mind and, with confused emotion, ap-
plies physical force, pulling the trigger and
killing the supposed assassin. He Is not as
eat a criminal as the one who had nour-
Never in the history of this generation F
Sahed hatred throughout his life, but this
have the American people that such a man thinks that he Is the law. His act is
deep thnng of lose 8 I that which resulted wrong, regardless of the motive. No man has
waass t sense
Friday datragedy y when of all l November 22. media of com- It the right to say, "I am the law." a muni cation shook ok us *adt
w With the announcement COURAGE-THE ZUENCZ OF THE MAN
that our President was cut down by an assay- The courage of the mind is personified by
sin's bullet. If all the tears shed had been the life and action of our late President.
collected, they would have constituted an Hera is a young man, recently graduated
ocean of sadness and sorrow. If all the un- from a great university, a man who may be
shed tears, concealed in hearts and minds, Considered an Intellectual aristocrat, He
were gathered, they would have created a joins the Navy and Is assigned to a small
flood comparable to Joremlah's lamentations- vessel patrolling the Pacific. There he Is
On that Friday, I stood on the corner of challenged by a much superior force. His
35th Street and Lexin.1ton Avenue with many small it is rammed and split In two. He
people, and all of lie shed tears without receives a serious injury to his back; but
shame. A priest walled over and said, "Let he thrashes about in the water because he
reserve his own life. The body
" An elderly gentle- want to
p
us pray for his sari .
man answered him, "rather. I hope and pray says, "I am discouraged: I prefer to sink Ideals; namely, charity, right, and justice.
" but courage of the Even in the early days of our Nation, great
bottomless sea
th
" i
.
e
n
that he will pray for is.
Thousands of eulogies have been delivered mind dictates, and the mind says, "Human moral leaders came to the realization that
since. I do not Intend these words as a life is sacred. Continue on, and find land." slavery was not an Institution in which one
eulogy but as an expression of appreciation But that is not enough. Sick in spirit could take pride. Many of them voluntarily
of the man and evaluation of the events and in much bodily pain, he is not content emancipated their own slaves. These leaders
which took place. merely with saving his own life. but realizes were not ordered to do so by law, but were
HIS DREAMS ArD IDEALS LIVE ON that a badly injured crewman also needs prompted by their own consciences, by their
I want to express our thanks to the Al- help and he brings his companion to shore. deep sense of charity. In this manner they
mighty that, with all our tragedies, with all Be saves another man's life, too, but this, reaffirmed their compassionate belief in the
our sorrow, with all ?)ur sadness. we still live too does not fully satisfy him. For 24 hours equality of men; but these acts were still
in the greatest democracy. We have the ut- he swinis up and down in search of a place only acts of charity.
most cause for pride and a deep sense of when he may find food and drink to pre- LaterLincoln expounded the moral philos-
security that the continuity of the office of serve his life and the lives of his comrades, ophy that freedom of man to not based upon
Presidency was immediately demonstrated In This, my friends, Is a profile of courage. charity and philanthropy. Freedom of man.
right
bold ery by the same 2 man Who stood Vice- quali y w~b ictUzxtion mind, that endures. great of hhe said, but Is the nalienabler
this s very spot only y 2 years ago as by
President of the United States, when he w q y was May I any to you that no matter how much of every man. Upon this concept of the
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