Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-02

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The actual financial cost to
. the SovietS of this come home"
campaign was not included in
the official report.
No Lure Is Overlooked
But, according to Claiborne
Pell, the only Washingto member
of the commission, the 100000
figure was the commissions I'M
official estimate after seeing to
what lengths the Soviets have
gone.
Apparently. no lure has been
overlooked: The promise of better
Jobs. schooling for young people,
a guarantee of amnesty, and SEN
timented letters from families
urging the escapee to return. If
all the more positive" lures fail.
they don't hesitate to use the old
Communist trade arks of
threats, reprisalS against rela-
tives behind the Iron Curtain,
blackmail, terrorism and even
abduction and murder.
Despite these attempts, we'll
co-ordinated and highly organ
lied. only 1883 persons actually
returned to Iron Curtain lands
last year, according to the report.
EmigreS TerrOrized
But the real success of the
campaign is the demoralizing
effect it has had on the anti
communist emigre groups in de-
Stroying and terrorizing their
leadership. The Soviets hope to
break the resistance movements
represented by these groups and
also to discourage others from
attempting to flee the Iron Cur
tain
Emlgres reported to the IRC
commission that they had re-
celved letters from relatives in
Soviet countries not heard from
IN years. These letters were prop
erly addressed-even in instances
where the refugee had changed
MS name and moved numerous
times. The letters all have the
same general tone-"Come home, !
we long to see you. All will be
forgiven. Things are different
now"
Letters were followed by news
. paper and pamphlets with the
same propaganda line. The Com
munlstS have even gone so far
as to transport relatives from
behind the Iron Curtain to talk
to the escapee.
The commission said that
this intensely personalized cam
palgn made each emigre feel as
II the strong, ruthless might of
the Communist state had con-
centrated its full attention on
hlm-thuS giving a feeling of
hopelessness, of futility in re-
sistance.
Successful in L. S.
Even in so vast a country as
the United States, the Soviet re
detection" apparatus has man
aged to work effectively. The re-
port cited the following ex-
ampleS:
An Armenian in New York
moved number of times. think
ing he had covered his trail be-
hind him, only TO continue to be
deluged by Come home" ap-
peals, each time correctly ad-
dressed.
Since June. 1865, d number of
former Hungarian nationals here
have received letters asking them
to return home. These letters
were delivered by members of
the Communist Hungarian Leea-
ton or mailed directly from
Hungary.
Al the same time secret warn
ings were sent to the addresses
not TO listen to letters sent from
Hungary from the same person.
for they were extracted under
QureSs.
An analysis Of these letters
showed an intimate knowledge
OF the situation in which the
refugee lives in America-his in
come, his job, his problems. plus
detailed information AS tn his
political activities.
A number of CzechoSlovak ex-
lies living in America have re-
ceived chain letterS-anonymous
handwritten letters in simple
Czech.
Why Refugees Are Vulnerable
The Commission cited the fol-
lowing reasons why Iron Cur
tain refugees in the United
States are vulnerable to these
repatriation attempts.
/. The refugee is profoundly
shocked that residence in the
United States does not make
him immune to Red pressure.
2, His contact with his COM
patriots is much less than that
OF other refugees still in camps
or living in the closer quarters
of Western Europe.
8. He usually has not been
here long enough to feel a. part
OF the United States community.
4. He is totally unaware OF